Adam Okerblom, LAc, DAOM
What are the qualities of the fire element according to Tibetan medicine? The fire element’s primary qualities are called “Tsapo” ཚ་པོ། and “Nowa” རྣོ་བ།, meaning “hot and sharp”. These characteristics inform the actions of the fire element, which Tibetan medicine practitioners utilize in clinical practice every day.
The “Southern Mountain” of the Mandala of Medicine Buddha
The famous “Southern Mountain” of the mandala of the Medicine Buddha is called Riwo big jyed རི་ཝོ་བིག་བྱེད།, which means “The Piercing Mountain”. This southern direction mountain possesses medicines with the qualities of the fire element. They are warm-natured, solar-powered medicines, with tastes including spicy, sour, and salty. These are elemental tastes that possess the hot and sharp qualities of fire. These medicines antidote any cool-natured disease, and include herbs such as pomegranate, black pepper, and ginger.
What is the Elemental Nature of Warmth?
The warm quality, tsapo ཚ་པོ།, of the fire element creates the conditions of transformation and maturation. It enables growth and ripening. When the sun shines down on the fields, the plants begin to grow, and the fruits begin to ripen. When we apply fire to food, it begins to transform, soften, and become palatable and bioavailable to us. When the heat of hormonal maturation activates within our bodies, we suddenly grow strong and mature into adults. The energy to engender change from one state of being to another is powered by the heat of the fire element.
What Is the Function of Sharpness?
The sharp quality “nowa” is piercing and precise. It has the finesse and intelligence of a needle, slipping deftly through cloth, of a hawk catching the slightest movement in the grass far below, like an arrow splitting a thin wand of hazel. Just like in English, the Tibetan language uses the same word to mean “sharp, piercing” as to mean “clever, intelligent”. Thus, fire can pierce through obstacles, resolving obstruction. It clears and opens space, finding problems and quickly solving them.
The Therapeutic Function of the Fire Element In Medicine
This is why we use fire-natured medicines and therapeutic treatments in our medical practice. Warm-natured herbs stimulate the ripening and transformation of our digestion, help resolve stagnated water in our tissues, clearing toxins, and nourishing our organs.
Moxibustion resolves pain and stiffness in our muscles and joints caused by cold stagnation. It improves circulation, range of motion, stimulates healing, and regulates inflammatory responses.
The sharp precision of acupuncture skillfully resolves obstructions caused by tension holding patterns, trauma response, stress, and fatigue. It opens the pathways of our channels and allows our nervous system to autoregulate.
Connecting With the Fire Element In Daily Life
The fire element is one of our most important therapeutic tools as natural medicine practitioners. We rely on these functions every day to benefit our patients. But one does not need to be a Tibetan Medicine Menpa སྨན་པ། or an acupuncturist to utilize the benefits of the fire element. These qualities are constantly at work in the world around us, as well as within every physiological system of our body, energy, and mind.
By contemplating the nature of the fire element and its role in our own dimension, we can connect with and benefit from its healing qualities at any time. We can integrate the power to mature and grow, the precision of piercing intelligence, and the clearing of obstacles into our daily lives!
Adam Okerblom, DAOM, LAc
Adam Okerblom, DAOM, LAc, is a doctor of Chinese Medicine with over 12 years of clinical experience and longstanding training in Tibetan Medicine. His work bridges these traditional medical systems through clinical practice, teaching in doctoral programs at Chinese medicine schools, and guest lectures at universities including San Francisco State University. He also contributes to translation and writing projects focused on classical Tibetan medical literature.
Learn more about Dr. Adam Okerblom and schedule acupuncture with him or join one of his classes.