Direction	South
Taste	Bitter
Color	Red
Growth and Development	Growth
Environmental Factor	Heat
Season	Summer
Element	Fire
Sense Organ	Tongue
Five Tissues	Vessel
Emotion	Joy
Time/Animal Sign	Heart:     11am-1pm  Horse Intestine: 1-3 pm      Sheep

The main physiological functions of the Heart Organ are:

1) To dominate the blood and vessels and manifest in the face.

The heart keeps the Blood pumping and the vessels are the mode of transportation. Heart Qi is very vital in this function and when it is good the circulation will be good, the pulses strong, and cheeks rosy. When the Heart Qi is not so good the face will be pale and the pulses will be weak.

2) To house the mind.

The mind or “Shen” is consciousness, spirit and thinking. The mind lives in the Heart via the blood. It controls mental activities,  spiritual consciousness, thinking, memory and sleep.

3) To open to the tongue.

The tongue is connected to the Heart Meridian interiorly, and via this connection the heart dominates the sense of taste and speech. When the function of the Heart is normal, the tongue will be rosy, moist, lustrous, the sense of taste will be normal, and the tongue will move freely.

Heart Related Symptoms Include:

• Heart Palpitations
• Dizziness
• Insomnia/Dream Disturbed Sleep
• Poor Memory
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sweating
• Thirst/Dry Mouth
• Fatigue

How Do I Nourish My Heart This Summer?

• Receive the gift of acupuncture!
• Treat yourself to Meditation, Qi Kung, Reiki, and or Yoga
• Exercise to circulate that blood
• Eat Heart nourishing foods e.g.  Ling Zhi (mushroom), summer squash, apples, cantaloupe, coconut juice, lychee, buckwheat, corn meal, hawthorn berry*

*Information from The Tao of Nutrition by Maoshing Ni, Ph.D.,C.A. with Cathy McNease, B.S., M.H.