Stomach Stomach The stomach (from ancient Greek στόμαχος, "stomachos," "stoma" means mouth) is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital digestive organ. In the digestive system the stomach is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication (chewing). In humans and many other animals, the stomach is located between the oesophagus and the small intestine. It secretes digestive enzymes and gastric acid to aid in food digestion. The pyloric sphincter controls the passage of partially digested food (chyme) from
Gourd mouth organ in some gourd mouth organs allow for the bending of tones. The "lusheng" of the Hmong, Miao, and Dong people has a similar name but its windchest is made from an elongated tube of wood rather than gourd. Gourd mouth organ A gourd mouth organ is a traditional wind instrument found in many nations of East and Southeast Asia. It is a free reed mouth organ similar to the Chinese "sheng" but with a windchest made from a dried bottle gourd rather than metal or wood. Its pipes (often five in number) are made of bamboo and it has free