동의보감- 내경편 권3-47 신장腎臟

신장(腎臟)
[동의보감 원문 링크]

신장의 형태는 팥과 같은데 서로 고리처럼 연결되어 굽은 채 척추골 양쪽의 막에 붙어 있다. 속은 희고 겉은 자주색이다. 양쪽 2개의 신계(腎系)가 서로 통하여 아래로 내려가고, 위로는 심계(心系)와 통하여 하나가 된다. 이것을 가리켜 '감수(坎水)는 북쪽에 있고 이화(離火)는 남쪽에 있어서 수화가 서로 감응한다'고 하는 것이다. 《입문》

장(藏)은 각각 하나씩인데 신장만 2개가 있는 것은 무엇 때문인가? 신장이 2개라고 하지만 모두 신장은 아니다. 왼쪽은 신장이고 오른쪽은 명문이다. 명문이라는 것은 정신(精神)이 머물러 있는 곳이고 원기와 관련된 곳이다. 남자는 여기에 정을 간직하고, 여자는 이 곳이 포(胞)로 이어져 있다. 그러므로 신장이 하나인 것을 알 수 있다. 《난경》

신腎은 배꼽과 마주보고 있으며 허리와 상응한다. 경문혈은 신의 모혈(募穴)이다. 요추 옆에 있는데 계륵(季肋)의 1촌 8푼 밑에 있다. 등에는 14번째 척추 아래의 양쪽에 신수가 있고, 14번째 척추 아래에 배꼽과 마주보는 곳에 명문혈이 있다. 여기가 신에 해당하는 부위다. 《동인》

명문계(命門系)는 곧 심포락이다. 그 경맥은 수궐음경이고 그 부(府)는 삼초이다. 그것이 있는 부위는 명치인데, 격막의 위쪽에서 격막 아래로 비스듬히 내려와 격막과 서로 붙어 있다. 그곳에 누런 기름으로 덮여 있는 것이 심장이다. 퍼져있는 기름 바깥으로 실같이 가느다란 근막(筋膜)이 심폐와 서로 이어져 있다. 이것이 심포락이다. 《입문》

신腎은 겨울을 주관하고, 족소음과 족태양을 다스리며, 임계일(壬癸日)을 주관한다. 북방은 한(寒)을 낳고, 한은 수(水)를 낳으며, 수는 짠맛을 낳고, 짠맛은 신(腎)을 낳는다. 신腎은 음 중의 소음이고, 겨울기운에 통한다. 《내경》 신腎은 수곡의 정(精)을 받는 일을 주관한다. 지극히 고요하여 오직 자시(子時)에 탁기(濁氣)가 한 번 움직일 뿐이다. 《입문》

신腎은 하늘에서는 한(寒)이고, 땅에서는 수(水)이다. 괘에서는 감괘(坎卦)이고, 오체에서는 골(骨)이다. 오장에서는 신이고, 오색에서는 검은색이다. 오음에서는 우(羽)이고, 오성에서는 신음 소리이다. 오변에서는 떠는 것이고, 오규에서는 귀이다. 오미에서는 짠맛이고, 오지에서는 두려움[恐]이다. 해당하는 경맥은 족소음경이고, 해당하는 액은 침[唾]이다. 그것의 상태는 머리카락에 나타난다. 해당하는 냄새는 썩는 냄새이고, 해당하는 수는 6이다. 해당하는 곡식은 콩이고, 해당하는 가축은 돼지이다. 해당하는 동물의 부류는 비늘 달린 물고기이고, 해당하는 과일은 밤이며, 해당하는 채소는 콩잎이다. 《내경》 해당하는 경맥은 족소음경이다. 《내경》

신이 작으면 장(臟)이 안정되어 잘 상하지 않고, 신이 크면 허리가 자주 아프고 사기에 상하기 쉽다. 신이 높이 위치하면 등과 척추가 아파서 허리를 굽히거나 펼 수 없고, 신이 낮게 위치하면 허리와 꽁무니가 아프거나 호산(狐疝)이 있다. 신이 든든하면 요배통이 없고, 신이 약하면 소단[消癉]이 잘 생긴다. 신이 바르게 있으면 조화로워 잘 상하지 않고, 신이 기울어지면 허리와 꽁무니가 아프다. 《영추》


[腎臟, Kidneys]

腎形如紅豆, 相幷如環, 曲貼脊膂膜中, 裏白外紫. 兩腎二系相通下行, 其上則與心系通而爲一, 所謂坎北离南, 水火相感者也. 《入門》
The shape of the kidney resembles a red bean. They face each other in a ring-like bent position and are attached to both sides of the membrane of the spinal vertebra. The kidney is white inside and violet outside. The kidney system on each side corresponds to each other and moves down. They go upward to be connected to the heart system. This refers to 'Water of Gam (坎水) is in the north and Fire of Li trigram (离火) is in the south, so Water and Fire correspond to each other. 

藏各有一, 腎獨有兩者, 何也. 然腎兩者, 非皆腎也. 其左爲腎, 其右爲命門, 命門者, 精神之所舍, 元氣之所係也. 男子以藏精, 女子以繫胞. 故知腎有一也. 《難經》
Why do the kidneys have two organs while others only have one? People commonly say there are two kidneys, but it is actually one. The left one is the kidney and the right one is the life gate. The life gate is where the essence spirit stays and is related to the original qi. Men store essence here and women's are connected to the uterus. Therefore, there is only one kidney.

腎與臍相對, 與腰相應. 京門二穴, 腎之募也. 在腰中挾脊, 季肋下一寸八分. 在背則腎兪在脊十四顀下兩傍, 命門穴在脊十四顀下, 與臍相對, 乃腎之部位也. 《銅人》
The kidneys are on the opposite side of the umbilicus and correspond to the lower back. GB25 is the alarm point of the kidneys. It is located next to the lumbar vertebra, 1 chon 8 pun below the rib. BL23 is below the 14th vertebra. And GC4 is below the 14th vertebra, opposite to the umbilicus. These are the areas of the kidneys. 

命門之系, 卽心包絡, 其經手厥陰, 其府三焦, 其部分在心下橫膈膜之上, 竪斜膈膜之下, 與橫膜相粘. 其處黃脂漫包者心也. 其漫脂之外, 有細筋膜如絲, 與心肺相連者, 此包絡也. 《入門》
The life gate system is the pericardium collateral. The meridian is hand reverting yin, and the bowel is the triple energizer. The location is the pit of the stomach. It starts from the upper side of the diaphragm and moves down obliquely and then is attached to the diaphragm. The heart is placed here, covered with yellowish fat. Outside the fat, there is a narrow fascia connected to the lungs and the heart. This is the pericardium collateral.

腎主冬, 足少陰太陽主治, 其日壬癸. 北方生寒, 寒生水, 水生醎, 醎生腎.  腎爲陰中之少陰, 通於冬氣. 《內經》腎主受水穀之精而至靜, 惟子時濁氣一動而已. 《入門》
The kidneys govern winter. They control foot lesser yin and foot greater yang and govern the days of Yim and Gye. North engenders cold, cold engenders Water, Water engenders salty taste, and salty taste engenders the kidneys. The kidneys are lesser yin of yin. They correspond to winter qi. The kidneys govern the acceptance of essence from food and water. They are so quiet that turbid qi moves only once from 11:00 pm to 01:00 a.m.

腎在天爲寒, 在地爲水, 在卦爲坎, 在體爲骨, 在藏爲腎, 在色爲黑, 在音爲羽, 在聲爲呻, 在變動爲慄, 在竅爲耳, 在味爲醎, 在志爲恐, 其脉爲足少陰, 其液爲唾, 其榮爲髮, 其臭爲腐, 其數爲六, 其穀爲豆, 其畜爲彘, 其蟲爲鱗, 其果爲栗, 其菜爲藿. 《內經》 其經足少陰. 《內經》
The kidneys are cold in heaven and water on earth. They are the Gam trigram (坎卦) in the Book of Changes and bone in the five bodies. They are the kidneys in the five viscera and black in the five colors. They are the Wu sound (羽) in the five notes and the moaning sound in the five sounds. They are shivering in the five changes and the ear in the five orifices. They are salty taste in the five tastes and fear in the five emotions. The corresponding meridian is foot lesser yin, and the corresponding humor is saliva. The state of the kidneys is manifested in the hair. The corresponding smell is a rotten smell, and the corresponding number is six. The corresponding grain is a bean, and the corresponding animal is a pig. The corresponding animal group is animals with scales. The corresponding fruit is chestnut and the corresponding vegetable is bean leaves. The corresponding meridian is foot lesser yin.

腎小則藏安難傷, 腎大則善病腰痛易傷於邪. 腎高則苦背膂痛不可以俛仰, 腎下則腰尻痛或爲狐疝. 腎堅則不病腰背痛, 腎脆則善病消癉. 腎端正則和利難傷, 腎偏傾則苦腰尻痛也. 《靈樞》
When the kidneys are small, they provide stability and they do not get hurt easily. When the kidneys are big, the person has frequent lower back pain with susceptibility to pathogens. When the kidneys are high, the back and spine are painful, causing the person to be unable to bend or stretch the lower back. When the kidneys are low, the lower back and sacrum may be painful, or the person may have an inguinal hernia. When the kidneys are stable, the person does not experience any pain in the back or lower back. When the kidneys are weak, the person tends to have wasting thirst. When the kidneys are in the right place, they do not get hurt easily because the kidneys are harmonious. When the kidneys are tilted, the person's lower back and sacrum will become painful.