Do you ever wonder why your energy always runs low at a certain time of the day? Or you commonly wake up at in the mid of the night at a certain time?
There is a rhythms running in the human body that we are not normally aware of. In Chinese medicine, we call it Zi Wu Liu Zhu. The energy flows in the pathways we call meridians. There are 12 main meridians in the body and each connects with a main organ/system. Every 2 hours the energy flow maximize in one particular meridian.
Understanding Zi Wu Liu Zhu not only helps us to to be more in harmonize with the nature but also provides a guideline on what disharmony it could be within the body.
The 12-rhythm clock works as following:
3:00-5:00AM – Qi and Blood circulate to Hand Tai Yin Lung meridian. People with respiratory issues or Lung energy deficiency could experience early waking up between 3:00-5:00am.
5:00-7:00AM – Qi and Blood circulate to the Hand Yang Ming Large Intestine meridian. It is time for getting up and for excretion or discharging.
7:00-9:00AM – Qi and Blood circulate to the Foot Yang Ming Stomach meridian. This is a good time for breakfast.
9:00-11:00AM – Qi and Blood circulate to the Foot Tai Yin Spleen meridian. Digestive energy is strong. People with Spleen energy deficiency could experience lethargy and not refreshed.
11:00AM-13:00PM – Qi and Blood circulate to the Hand Shao Yin Heart meridian. This is the “Zi time” which Yang energy reaches the peak of the day and Yin energy is the lowest.
13:00-15:00PM – Qi and Blood circulate to the Hand Tai Yang Small Intestine meridian. The small intestine meridian passes the neck and shoulder area. The neck and shoulder pain could come from blockages in the Small Intestine channels.
15:00-17:00PM – Qi and Blood circulates to the Foot Tai Yang Bladder meridian. The Foot Tai Yang Bladder meridian are the longest meridians in the body from head to toe and covering the back. Tai Yang channels are the most outer channels in the body. The exterior pathogens perpetrates the Tai Yang channels first before it goes deeper into the body. If there are pathogens in the Tai Yang channels people could experience tiredness in the afternoon as the energy is fighting against pathogens in the Tai Yang channels during the hours.
17:00-19:00PM – Qi and Blood circulates to the Foot Shao Yin Kidney meridian. repeated lack of energy during this time could indicate kidney energy deficiency.
19:00-21:00PM – Qi and Blood circulates to the Hand Jue Yin Pericardium meridian. Pericardium is the physical heart. People with heart conditions could experience discomfort during this time.
21:00-23:00PM – Qi and Blood circulates to the Hand Shao Yang Triple Burner meridian. Triple Burner – San Jiao is not an actual organ but rather a network that connects all the internal organs. The body starts internal healing work from 21:00. It is recommended to reduce activities during this period. For people who have chronic immune dysfunctions it is recommenced to go to bed around 21:00.
23:00PM-1:00AM – Qi and Blood circulates to the Foot Shao Yang Gall Bladder meridian. It is the “Wu time” which the Yin energy reaches its peak and Yang energy is the lowest. It is time that we should be in asleep to allow the body to rest and heal. Some people find it difficult to fall into asleep during this time which could indicate a Yin energy deficiency in the body which making the mind still active.
1:00-3:00AM – Qi and Blood circulates to the Foot Jue Yin liver meridian. It is time for blood cleansing. The liver works the hardest to remove and filter out toxins from blood stream and generate fresh and clean blood back to the whole body. Body should be allowed to rest, so liver can fully complete its extremely important tasks without extra burdens. For people who go to bed after 2:00 am in the morning for a long time their lips and gums color could go darker as a result of blood not get cleansed sufficiently.