The kidney is the congenital base of life while the spleen is the acquired base of life. The relationship between the spleen and the kidney is in fact the inter-dependence between the congenital and acquired bases of life. If the spleen is normal in function, it will absorb and transport food nutrients to nourish the kidney. If kidney-yang is sufficient, it will warm spleen-yang and promote the spleen to transport and transform. Thus the inter-promotion between the spleen and the kidney is vital to life activities. Besides, the spleen transports and transforms water while the kidney governs water metabolism. Both organs coordinate with each other in the process of water metabolism.

 

     

Pathologically, weakness of spleen-qi and dysfunction of the spleen in transportation and transformation will not provide the kidney with enough food nutrients, leading to insufficiency of kidney-essence with the manifestations of abdominal distension, loose stool, weakness of the waist and tinnitus. Failure of insufficient kidney-yang to warm spleen-yang causes deficiency of spleen-yang, leading to deficiency of both spleen-yang and kidney-yang with the manifestations of cold pain in the abdomen, diarrhea with undigested food or morning diarrhea and edema, etc.