The relationship between the heart and the spleen includes two aspects. On the one hand the heart governs blood and promotes blood circulation while the spleen commands blood to circulate in the vessels. The coordination of the heart and the spleen ensures the normal circulation of blood. On the other hand, the heart nourishes the spleen if there is sufficient blood in the heart and regulates the function of the spleen because the heart governs the mind; the spleen absorbs food nutrients and transforms them into blood for the heart if it functions well. So clinically insufficiency of heart-blood or disorder of heart-spirit affects the function of the spleen; dysfunction of the spleen or failure of the spleen to command blood also leads to disorder of the heart, bringing on simultaneous disorder of both the spleen and the heart with the symptoms of palpitation, insomnia, poor appetite and loose stool, etc.
