The Metal Element: Lungs, Large Intestine and letting go
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the human body is seen as part of nature. The five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water — don't form a fixed classification, but a cycle of change: like the seasons, they flow into one another, nourish each other, and keep each other in balance. Each element gives rise to the next, and is in turn nourished by the one before it. In this blog I'll tell you about the Metal element: the energy of purity, letting go, and boundaries.
Metal in the Cycle
The Metal element belongs to autumn, the season when nature withdraws and lets go of its excess leaves. Just as trees release what's no longer needed during this time, this element in our body governs purifying, defining boundaries, and distinguishing between what's valuable and what can be released.
The two organs that belong to Metal are the Lungs and the Large Intestine. In TCM, the Lungs are responsible for taking in pure Qi from the air and distributing it throughout the body, and they form the body's first line of defense against outside influences (Wei Qi). The Large Intestine handles the final stage of digestion: separating what the body still needs from what can be let go.
To understand what Metal is, it's worth looking at three layers: physical, emotional/mental, and spiritual.
Dispersing and Descending
The Lungs' core function in TCM is called "Xuan Jiang": dispersing and descending. The Lungs disperse Qi and fluids to the skin and the body's outer layers, while also sending Qi downward. Strong Lung Qi results in deep breathing, resilient skin, and good resistance to illness.
When this process falters, you often see:
Shortness of breath or a weak voice
Susceptibility to colds and infections
Dry skin or skin complaints
Constipation or, conversely, overly loose stools
Fatigue with exertion
The body is really telling the same story here as the Lungs do on a mental level: what comes in needs to be dispersed, and what's no longer needed needs to go out. When that doesn't happen, it accumulates: physically as stagnation, mentally as grief.
Holding on and letting go
The emotion associated with Metal is grief: not as a burden, but as something that's allowed to be there, and allowed to pass. Healthy Metal energy gives you the ability to grieve, to process, and then to move forward again. When Metal is out of balance, that letting go stops working: you keep holding onto what has passed, and saying goodbye becomes difficult.
Recognisable signs include:
Lingering in loss or absence
Difficulty letting go, of people or situations
A feeling of emptiness or detachment
A need for structure and clear boundaries
The Po: The Spirit of the Lungs
In TCM, every organ houses its own aspect of the spirit: the Lungs house the Po. The Po is often translated as the "corporeal soul" and is the most physical, instinctive aspect of the spirit.
On the most practical level, the Po gives you bodily awareness: the ability to feel sensory input, react instinctively, and set boundaries between yourself and the outside world. When the Po is weakened, you may feel vulnerable, oversensitive to stimuli, or disconnected from your body.
On a deeper level, the Po represents the ability to let go. Where the Hun (Liver) pulls you forward toward new possibilities, the Po keeps you anchored in the here and now and helps you say goodbye to what has passed. A strong Po gives a sense of purity and clarity: you know what's yours to keep and what you can release. When the Po is out of balance, it can feel like being stuck: unable to grieve, unable to set boundaries, or left with a sense of emptiness after loss.
Think of letting go as the work of an alchemist searching for gold in the grit: it takes patience, presence, and time. We release, not to forget, but to make space for what's truly precious. When we're able to extract the essence — the wisdom, the beauty, the lesson — we can release the rest with clarity and grace.
How acupuncture can help
With acupuncture, I focus on strengthening Lung and Large Intestine energy, so that breathing, immunity, and letting go of what no longer serves you flow smoothly again. I often combine this with advice on breathing and rhythm. Think breathing exercises, or letting yourself cry, since space and regularity are what nourish Metal energy.
Do you recognize yourself in the signs above, or are you curious what your own elemental profile looks like? In my practice, I look together with you at where the balance has been disrupted and how to restore it.
