Five elements
Water
Winter · Cold · Bladder and Kidney.
Water is the element of Bladder and Kidney. The season students attach is winter, the climate is cold, the sense organ is the ears, the tissue is the bones, and the flavor is salty. The emotion in the classical set is fear. None of these are personality test results.
Generating cycle: metal generates water, and water generates wood. The image is a parent feeding a child. It is a memory wheel for relationships between channels, not a diet rule.
Controlling cycle: water controls fire, and is controlled by earth. The image is a grandparent keeping a grandchild in check. When textbooks say an element is “overacting,” they mean this wheel, not a measured lab cycle.
Herbs that enter these channels
Saposhnikovia root
A milder wind herb, used when the surface is not extremely closed.
Cinnamon twig
Warms the channels and helps a mild surface pattern.
Phellodendron bark
Clears damp-heat in the lower body in textbook language.
Ephedra
Strongly releases the surface. A regulated plant, not a home stimulant.
Alisma rhizome
Drains damp from the lower body and is said to settle ministerial fire.
Eucommia bark
Warms and supports the low back and the kidneys in textbook language.
Poria
A mild fungus that leaches damp and quiets the heart in textbooks.
Goji berry
A food-like fruit for liver and kidney yin, especially the eyes in texts.