Why mercury and metal? To start, both mercury and metal are minerals, but the associations go deeper in function and include the planet as well.
Mercury represents communication and adaptability. It governs processing and sorting information. The metal element has analogous function in the body with the lungs and large intestine that process air, waste, and water.
The metal element regulates respiration and elimination, boundaries, discernment, and emotional release. Mercury helps us adapt to our environment via communication, and metal helps regulate the interfacing boundaries of skin, lungs, and colon with the physical environment. Both mercury and metal help sort and identify value in information physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
The Planetary Connection
The planet Mercury can be seen in the western sky at sunset, the direction of the metal element, and the planet has a greyish hue, associated with the metal element. The astrological movement of Mercury, from the perspective of Earth, transits back and forth in a narrow band across the sky, about 15 degrees either side of the sun. This movement forms a biphasic back-and-forth pattern, reflected in the initial growth of plants. The lungs and large intestine have a similar rhythm in the breath and removal of wastes: holding in and letting go.
Mercury’s passage around the sun at 80 days or so is shorter than a 365-day Earth year; hence Mercury governs the growth of annual plants. This is exemplified by annual grasses, as new leaves form opposite sides of a central shoot in a back-and-forth pattern.
The metal element governs various boundaries, such as defensive qi focused in the lungs. When pathology occurs in this boundary as seasonal illness, it needs to be “released” to the exterior. In the case of skin issues, it is common to clear heat, encouraging release of wastes via the large intestine. Both of these organs affect the biphasic heating / cooling of temperature regulation via sweating through the skin, or reducing internal heat of inflammation via the bowel’s elimination of wastes.
The quick-moving nature of Mercury’s visible transits and annual solar rotations is reflected by lung and large-intestine short-term-use herbs used for rapid-onset issues such as asthma, cold / flu, bowel issues, and coughs. Herbs for these conditions can promote “release” and movement: opening the pores, via the boundary of the skin, restoring respiration, moving stagnant bowels, or restraining overactive bowels. All these pathways are in contact and communicating with the external environment.
TCM Herbs and Mercury
Mercury is a mineral, and many TCM herbs are minerals directly acting on the lungs and large intestine. Shi gao / gypsum clears heat from the lungs. Mang xiao / sodium sulfate purges the large intestine. Zhen zhu / pearl clears heat from the skin, ruled by the lungs.
Other minerals that settle the spirit, traditionally ascribed to the heart, also affect the po, or spirit of the body, ruled by the lungs: These heavy minerals sedate and calm anxiety in a physical way, taking us out of fight or flight.
Mercury is a flux, which combines with other substances readily, a form of communication. Many lung herbs, particularly tonics that deal in longer time durations, generally work and communicate with additional organs to help both networks function better. For instance, huang qi / astragalus helps lung and spleen function; ren shen / ginseng helps lung, spleen, and heart function; wu wei zi / Schisandra helps lung and liver function; and dong chong xia cao / cordyceps helps lung and kidney function.
Mercury in alchemy is used as a solvent. Symbolically, this principle represents spirit and facilitates transformation. Solvents dissolve substances into solution and lift the essence of an herb or mineral off its body in a symbolic death, then are distilled off. Similarly, the metal element helps us leave waste and emotional baggage behind, in a symbolic death.
Both metal and mercury assist in our transformation, via understanding and communicating to ourselves what values and experiences are important – thus adapting our body and spirit to the greater world with which we interact.
A prototypical lung herb for alchemical dissolution is xuan shen / Scrophularia, which dissolves masses, adds fluids to the lungs, settles the spirit, and clears heat and stagnation. This herb can be used alchemically for a “dark night of the soul,” helping release trauma and painful emotions bound up as compartmentalized nodules in a physical manifestation, via its detoxifying and dissolving function.
A number of other lung herbs dissolve masses and phlegmy stagnation as well, such as ban xia / Pinellia, gua luo / Trichosanthes, sheng jiang / ginger, and bei mu / Fritillariae. This alchemical dissolving function resolves the apparent dichotomy of the dense, static nature of metals, with the lung’s refinement of the most insubstantial and fluid substance: air.
Without dissolution and release, tissues harden, baggage weighs us down, and eventually, we take the final step through the Life Gate, transitioning to winter / water / Saturn to begin a new cycle.
These relationships between the symbolic functions of the metal element and mercury / Mercury develop better comprehension of using those harmonic associations to resonate with our intentions as practitioners. Herbs play a key role, as they are more closely tied to planetary movement.
Key Concepts to Remember
1. Mercury governs communication. Metal regulates this biphasic action by:
Mercury governs fast-growing annual plants, and metal / mercury herbs are often quick acting for acute issues. These herbs help with opening pores, breaking up stagnation in the lungs / bowels, dispersing cold and illness, and purging / clearing heat from inflammation and fevers.
When the lungs and large intestine are deficients, metal / mercury herbs improve communication between organ networks via tonification over longer time durations with other organs / elements associated with slower-moving planets.
The metal element and mercurial energy dissolve and release, helping us to communicate with spirit to free the body-mind-soul – transforming and evolving into the next phase of life and health.
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