Refers to Food-Qi. Specifically, it is the first stage in the transformation carried out by the organism when we ingest food to produce energy or Qi.

• Food enters through the mouth and goes directly to the Stomach where it is rotted and ripened to then pass to the Spleen where it is transformed into Qi (Gu Qi).
• From the Spleen, Gu Qi ascends toward the chest to the Lungs and then to the Heart where it becomes Blood thanks to the help of the Yuan Qi and the Kidneys.

The Spleen transforms and transports the product extracted from food.

• The direction of its Qi is ascending, as it sends Gu Qi to the lungs in the chest.
• If the direction of Spleen-Qi is reversed, food is not transported properly and loose stools occur.

Gu Qi is the basis for the formation of Qi and Blood, although it is a crude manifestation of Qi that is not yet usable by the organism.

• Its manifestation is directly linked to Spleen-Qi and the Stomach.
• The quality of the food and drink we ingest is vital for the body as it determines whether we will have or not energy and/or Blood.