Plants and animals help keep the soil fertile. Plant roots tunnel through the soil and break it up, and decaying plants form humus. Burrowing animals mix the soil; the excrete of animals contribute nutrients and improve soil structure.
Chinese medicine is a system of medicine partly based on the idea that an energy, called qi (say chee), flows along pathways in the body called meridians. In this belief, if the flow of qi along these meridians is blocked or unbalanced, illness can occur.
(shen) one of the basic substances that according to traditional Chinese medicine pervade the body, usually translated âspirit,â encompassing both the mind of the individual and healthy mental and physical function. n in Chinese medicine, one of the five spirits. Shen is housed by the heart and is associated with consciousness and memory, awareness, and expression. See also five spirits.