Rachel said: > What the Chinese refer to as >the Spleen is actually the Pancrease in western terms. Amadeus Schmidt <[log in to unmask]> said: Do you think you understand TCM enough to make such a statement? YES! Abolutely, My husband studied at a school of acupunture and oriental medicine for 1 1/2 years and also studied Chinese herbology. He is a Certified Herbalist. I studied a lot of the material with him, including the Chinese view of the organs, energetic concepts, the concept of qui flow in the meridians, their view of the 5 elements, organ systems, etc. I memorized some of the acupuncture meridian points, many of the concepts and patterns of imbalance as well as the uses for some of the herbs. Amadeus: >>Is it ignoring all the energy flow concepts? Is what ignoring the energy flow concept? Spleen/pancreas disorders are and were very prevalent in China,. Even today infectious diseases and metabolic disorders are very prevalent there. The need for spleen tonics in Asia has been widespread for centuries. Some feel/think that the high grain, low protein intake causes the Spleen ( actually it is the pancreas if you look at the diagram of the organ the Chinese refer to as the spleen in Chinese medical texts.) to become enlarged. Rachel