The Body Clock in Traditional Chinese Medicine: Understanding Our Energy Cycles for Health and Healing

All of our organs are energetically interconnected. They each have regular rest and active cycles throughout the day, with different organs becoming dominant at different hours. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is known as the Organ Body Clock.

In this accessible guide to the body clock in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the author shows how to support the body’s natural rhythms of activity, recognize the body’s signals of imbalance and find their sources, and achieve healing on the physical and energetic levels. He explains how the body clock can provide deep insight into our physical and energetic health. For example, if we always wake up at a certain time at night, we should look up which organ is associated with that time, which will lead us to discover the part of our body that needs special attention and help. The author explores the 12 major organs of the body, describing their active and rest hours, their function inside the body, the mental and emotional states they are related to, and their connections to the teeth, the other organs, and the Five Elements of TCM. The author describes exactly what happens inside the body during each organ’s active time and shows what we can do to support the organs with plant medicine, homeopathy, our behavior, and simple daily practices.

By working with the body clock and better understanding our bodies’ rhythms, we more easily trace our ailments and conditions to their source for faster relief, sustainable healing, and energetic balance.