The Triple Burner is an organ unique to traditional Chinese medicine, therefore being one of the most, if not the most, difficult organ to understand from a western perspective. The upper burner governs the intake of fluids, the middle the transformation of nutrients, and the lower the expulsion of waste. Not only does the triple burner promote the flow of fluids and nutrients, but also the flow of qi. Yuan qi (our natal qi) goes to the upper burner to create zong qi (chest qi). Afterwards, the zong qi is refined into wei qi (defensive qi) and sent to other parts of the body. In the middle burner, zong qi is processed into ying qi (nutritive qi) and flows into the interior of the body. Lastly, in the lower burner is the origin of the yuan qi (original qi), from there it will flow upwards and begin the process once more

“In Iranian Traditional Medicine or Persian medicine this “organ” for lack of a better term, is known as Meraque. Within this space there are passageways called Ghalaz vessels which are believed to be the Iranian equivalent of acupuncture points or meridians (Avijgan et. Al, 2017). An interesting thing about the triple burner is that there is no equivalent within western medicine. However, in 2020, scientists discovered “a new organ-like structure in the body called the interstitium, which is a network of chambers attached to the major organs of the body” (Cook, 2022). Some believe that this structure could be what Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to as the Triple Burner.”

“This week’s studies made me think a lot about the question of how to verify the existence of something without physical confirmation, which made me think about dark matter/energy. While dark matter and energy are said to make up 95% of the mass of the universe, they have only been proven to exist based on the way they affect the other 5% of mass in the universe. My art this week is a watercolor painting of an iceberg-like figure floating in water, with the significant portion of mass of the iceberg figure below the water level. Much like the triple burner, you might not see the greater mass of an iceberg with your eyes, but just like dark matter, it’s existence can be tangentially proven when matter above water is affected by the mass of the iceberg below water (i.e., a boat crash).”

“The upper burner is the heart, lungs and pericardium, it is how we receive the breath of heaven and transmit that divine breath throughout the body. It is likened to being a mist, and can be seen as the all-encompassing dew touching and alivening all things. The middle is responsible for our connection with the earth, it is where the digesting of food happens. Spleen, Stomach, Gallbladder and digestive juices are all housed within the middle burner. The lower burner is located from the pubic bone up to the umbilicus and carries out the ways in which we connect with the element of water. Our bladder, kidney, uterus, large and small intestines are the organs housed within this lower burner, and they are seen as having the quality of a “drainage ditch” separating clean from dirty remnants, removing waste and clearing space in the body through the excretion of urine or stool passing (Danny Blyth, 2019).”

“The importance of the Triple Burner and its responsibility as an irrigation system resonates heavily with me. My own tribes are from the desert and throughout history have relied on rivers and irrigation systems. In fact, from 800 to 1400 CE the Hohokam irrigation networks rivaled the complexity of those in ancient Egypt and China. However, when the Gila started drying up the irrigation systems couldn’t function at the same rate, and many of my people migrated to Salt River. This has resulted in the decline of my language and culture within my community. Similar to how the body as a whole goes into decline when a single organ isn’t functioning as it should. The Triple Burner was developed in this way because the status of a singular part impacts the whole.”

“If the pericardium does not protect the heart, then we lose love and joy, which are then replaced with sadness and fear. Initially, we experience internal disorder in which we are incapable of loving ourselves or allowing ourselves to be loved.”

“The pericardium is part of the fire element which is housed in the summer season. Summer is when nature is at its fullest or most mature, where the. The flower is ready for pollination and the animal is reproducing, so the act of love is connected to the fire element. Therefore, the heart protector’s job is to keep the heart safe from anything that might hinder strong blood flow. This is so that sexual secretions can flow, and we can experience warmth, joy, trust, passion, and unity in our lives. When it becomes imbalanced, we experience coldness and frigidity or hypersexuality.”

The Upper Burner – is like a Mist
The Middle Burner– is like Fertile Fields
The Lower Burner– is like the Wet Lands

“A dysfunction with any or all these triple burners can impact the distribution of both Qi and Body Fluid. In the case of a triple burner malfunction, substances are not flowing smoothly, overflowing, or be clogged.”