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Spleen and stomach hold the office of the granaries; the five flavors arise from it

脾胃者，仓廪之官，五味出焉 〔脾胃者，倉廩之官，五味出焉〕 pí wèi zhě, cāng lǐn zhī gān, wǔ wèi chū yān

This phrase comes from Plain Questions (素问 sù wèn, líng lán mì diǎn lùn). The spleen and stomach are like an official responsible for the national grain stores; they provide nourishment for the whole body. Since traditionally the effect not only of medicinals but also foodstuffs was understood in terms of qì and flavor, the term five flavors denotes five different nutritive properties of food.

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