Body Wisdom: The Spleen – Nourishment at the Core

In Western medicine, the spleen is often seen as a “spare part.” It filters blood, recycles old red cells, and helps fight infection. Useful, but not essential — many people live without it if it’s removed after injury or illness.

In Chinese medicine, the Spleen could not be more central. It is the foundation of postnatal health, working with the Stomach to transform food and drink into qì, blood, and all the vital substances that sustain us. The classics call it the root of later heaven — the system that keeps us nourished after birth.

The Spleen’s role

The Spleen governs transformation and transportation. It extracts energy from what we take in and distributes it throughout the body. When the Spleen is strong, digestion is steady, energy feels stable, and muscles feel supported. When weak, fatigue, poor appetite, bloating, loose stools, or even prolapse may appear. Because it also keeps blood contained, deficiency can lead to easy bruising or bleeding.

Emotionally, the Spleen relates to thought and reflection. Healthy Spleen qì supports clear thinking and focus. When weak, overthinking and worry become cycles that drain us further. This link between digestion and mental strain is rarely made in the Western view, but is central in Chinese medicine.

The Spleen also underpins muscle tone and stamina. Weakness here can feel like heaviness in the body and limbs. Even the lips reflect its state — pale lips or loss of taste can be signs of imbalance.

Qigong and the Spleen

The Spleen meridian begins at the big toe and travels up the inside of the leg into the torso. In Integrated Qigong, grounding, centring movements activate this channel, strengthening digestion and stabilising the body’s core.

'The Protector' - The Integrated Qigong Inside Functional Meridian from the book Move Life Better by Deniz Paradot. All rights reserved. ©

Practising with attention to Earth element qualities — rooted stances, flowing weight shifts, and movements that spiral through the legs and waist — helps cultivate the Spleen’s steadiness. Students often describe a sense of “coming back to centre” or feeling more grounded after Earth-element practice.

Seasonal care in late summer

The Spleen corresponds to the Earth element and resonates most strongly in late summer — the time of harvest, abundance, and transition between seasons. Like the soil itself, the Spleen provides nourishment and stability for everything else to grow.

Ways to support the Spleen in late summer:

• Eat warm, cooked foods – Soups, stews, steamed vegetables are easier to digest than raw salads or icy drinks.

• Favour gentle sweetness – Squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, and rice nourish without overwhelming.

• Avoid dampness – Limit greasy, sugary, or overly cold foods, which weaken the Spleen.

• Rest and pace yourself – Overwork and worry deplete Spleen qì. Short pauses and mindful breathing help.

• Chew thoroughly – Mindful eating gives the Spleen time to transform nourishment.

The Spleen in balance

When the Spleen is strong, energy is steady, thinking is clear, and the body feels supported. When we care for the Spleen, we honour nourishment in its fullest sense — not just calories, but the ability to transform what we take in, physically and emotionally, into the vitality that sustains us.

This post is part of my “Body Wisdom: Living in Balance” series — exploring each organ through both Western and Chinese views, and showing how Qigong helps us embody these insights in practice.

Heart | Pericardium | Small Intestine | Lungs | Large Intestine | Liver | Gallbladder | Spleen | Stomach | Kidneys | Bladder | Triple Warmer | Qigong as Movement Medicine