Healthy Moons

There are many external ‘clues’ that can serve as a guide to our internal health.
As stated by one of the greatest Chinese medical texts, “if something happens in the interior of the body, it must be reflected in the exterior of the body.” By paying attention to subtle changes in appearance, one may be able to pinpoint which areas of the body need work and how to support them. You don’t need to be an expert to do this! You simply need to know what to look for.

Fingernails are the part of the body where the “liver” meridian is expressed (along with the eyes). In traditional Chinese medicine, the “liver” meridian “stores” and distributes blood, is responsible for the smooth flow of blood, hormones, and emotions (Qi), nourishes the eyes, tendons, and nails, and controls our ability to plan and make decisions. So when the liver is stagnant due to stress, alcohol, poor diet, drugs/stimulants, etc., we no longer experience the smooth flow of hormones or blood, and tend to get frustrated and angry easily as the liver governs emotions such as anger.

Ayurvedic Medicine, which originated even earlier than traditional Chinese medicine in ancient India, is also well known for nail assessments. Instead of focusing on the liver meridian, areas of imbalance that Ayurveda looks for in the nails include bone health, malabsorption, inflammation, parasites, digestive issues, and more. giving you a picture of where you may be prone to imbalance (which allows you to make tailored changes to your daily health regimen, such as drinking specific teas or avoiding certain food allergens that encourage inflammation).

According to Ayurvedic Medicine, the lunula (the moon of the nails) represents one’s “agni” or “fire” within the body. This is right in line with traditional Chinese medicine, which views these lunulas as a representation of one’s “Qi,” also known as energy, metabolism, etc. Essentially, Qi and agni are the exact same thing (energy/vigor/life force); both systems discovered the same innate energy that drives us and our bodily functions.

When you look at it this way, it can be understood that strong, white moons at the base of each nail indicate strong “Qi” or “fire”, strong digestion, solid immunity, a sharp/energetic mind, a fiery metabolism, and a healthy thyroid gland. The more energetic a person is, the whiter (and more present) their moons will be. The fewer moons a person has on their nails, the more like likely they are to feel tired and suffer from poor immunity. It’s normal for the pinky nail to have a small or absent moon, but if you find that moons are absent across most of all of your fingers, it’s a sign that you may need to support this inner fire that governs digestion, energy and metabolism.