Pericardium

The fibroserous sac enclosing the heart and the roots of the great vessels, composed of external (fibrous) and internal (serous) layers. See also pericardial.

• adherent p. — one abnormally connected with the heart by dense fibrous tissue.
• congenitally absent p. — the heart lies free in the pleural sac; recorded in dogs.
• fibrous p. — the external layer of the pericardium, consisting of dense fibrous tissue.
• parietal p. — the parietal layer of the serous pericardium, which is in contact with the fibrous pericardium.
• serous p. — the inner, serous portion of pericardium, consisting of two layers, visceral and parietal; the space between the layers is the pericardial cavity.
• visceral p. — the inner layer of the serous pericardium, which is intimately attached to the heart and roots of the great vessels. Called also epicardium.

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As distinct from the Western medical concept of pericardium, this concept from Traditional Chinese Medicine is more a way of describing a set of interrelated parts than an anatomical organ. (See Zang Fu theory)

The Pericardium is also called the "heart protector," and, for clinical purposes, is considered a yin organ paired with the yang organ San Jiao. In general theory, the Pericardium is not distinguished from the Heart. It is also the first line of defence against the Heart from External Pathogenic Influences. The Pericardium has a meridian named for it, which reflects the health of the organ. In terms of the Five Elements, these organs are both associated with the fire element. In treatment, it is often best to approach heart problems via the Pericardium, rather than directly. The peak time for the Pericardium is from 7pm to 9pm.

v • d • e Zang Fu Zang Liver (Gan) • Heart (Xin) with Pericardium (Xin-bao-luo) • Spleen (Pi) • Lung (Fei) • Kidney (Shen) Fu Gall bladder (Dan) • Small intestine (Xiao-chang) • Stomach (Wei) • Large intestine (Da-chang) • Urinary bladder (Pang-guang) • Three Burners (San-jiao) Qi-heng-zhi-fu Brain (Nao) • Marrow (Sui) • Bone (Gu) • Vein (Mai) • Uterus (Zi-gong)

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