The Energies of Summer – Triple Burner Meridian

There are four energy pathways associated with the summer season. I’ve spoken in detail of the Heart Meridian and the Small Intestine Meridian. Today I want to discuss the Triple Warmer Meridian.

The Triple Warmer or Triple Burner Meridian is a concept unique to Chinese Medicine. There is no corresponding organ related to this in western medicine. This meridian has to do with the body’s temperature and includes three areas: the upper, middle and lower burner.

The upper burner is associated with the heart and lungs and is located above the diaphragm;
the middle burner includes the area below the diaphragm to the belly button. The organs associated are the spleen and stomach.
The lower burner is located below the belly button. The organs associated are liver, kidneys, large intestine, small intestine, and bladder.

The function of the Triple Warmer…

is to provide the energy or fire to transport the fluids, blood, and food which pass through each area. In The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, the functions of the three burners was described this way, “The upper burner acts like a mist. The middle burner acts like foam. The lower burner acts like a swamp.”

The way the energy is dispersed in the upper burner, the heart, and lungs, is compared to a mist. Think of the tender tissues of the lungs and the importance of keeping the heart and lungs hydrated for smooth functioning. In the middle burner, the function is digestion. The foam represents the digestive churning. The lower burner separates the pure from the impure and excretes the waste like a swamp breaking down plant matter.

“The triple burner is the controller of the entire circulation of body fluid” (The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine) Some symptoms of Triple Warmer dysfunction are edema (retention of fluid in the tissues) or difficulty urinating, abdominal distention, tinnitus, pain in the throat, eyes, the shoulder and upper arm.