Nourishing essence

These herbs are able to nourish the Yin and reduce heat. Tian Meng Dong and Xuan Shen enter the Kidney meridian, particularly nourish the Kidney-Yin and reduce heat. Mai Men Dong and Xuan Shen can nourish the Heart-Yin and reduce the heat there. Hei Zhi Ma and E Jiao are moistening in nature they nourish not only the Yin but also the essence and the blood. 

Gui Ban is salty, sweet and cold, and enters the Kidney and Heart meridians. It nourishes the Yin and strengthens the Kidney, tonifies the blood and calms the mind. It is used when the Yin, essence and blood in the Lower-Jiao are severely injured. It can also reduce the heat and treat bone steaming due to Yin deficiency in warm-febrile disease. Its function of tonifying the Yin is stronger than its function of reducing deficient heat. 

Blood is one of the principal substances of the body. It circulates smoothly and constantly in the body, nourishes and supports the internal organs, and maintains the functions and structures of the body. The Heart, Liver and Spleen directly influence the generation of blood. The Heart governs the blood and promotes the blood circulation it also generates the Heart-Qi and directly supports the activities of the Heart-shen. The Liver stores the blood and regulates the volume of blood in the circulation it directly supports the activities of the Hun (soul). The Spleen is able to transform food into Qi and blood, and is considered the main source of Heart-blood and Liver-blood. The Kidney stores the essence, which can also transform into Liver-blood, so is another source of blood. 

Shan Yao is sweet and neutral, and enters the Lung, Spleen and Kidney meridians. It can either tonify the Qi or nourish the Yin. Its astringent property enhances its tonifying and stabilizing function. This herb is particularly useful in chronic conditions of Qi and Yin deficiency, such as in Thirst and West syndrome (diabetes) to moisten the internal organs and stabilize the body essence. 

First, herbs that enter the Liver and Kidney meridians and are able to nourish the Liver-Yin and tonify the Liver-blood or Kidney-essence are selected. 

E Jiao is sweet and neutral, and enters the Liver and Kidney meridians. It is able to tonify the Liver-blood and the Kidney-essence. This substance is moistening in nature and can nourish the Yin as well as moisten the dryness. It is particularly suitable for use where the Yin, blood and essence are all deficient, which manifests as dry skin, cracked nails, lusterless hair, scanty menstruation and constipation. 

Shu Di Huang is sweet and slightly warm, and enters the Kidney and Liver meridians. It is a strong herb for tonifying the essence and blood, and can therefore nourish the Yin vigorously. It is often used in conditions of Liver-Yin deficiency where blood deficiency arises at the same time. As this herb is rich and cloying in nature and may bring an extra burden to the Stomach, herbs that promote Qi movement in the Middle-Jiao are required. 

Generally speaking, blood, Yin and essence all belong to the Yin because of their substantial form. In a syndrome of Liver-Yin deficiency, liver-blood deficiency is often the initial stage of Liver-Yin deficiency liquid-Yin deficiency is the second stage, and essence deficiency of the Liver and Kidney is the last stage. Thus, to tonify the Liver-Yin, herbs that tonify the blood and nourish the liquid-Yin and the essence are all selected. 

Shu Di Huang, which is warm and mainly tonifies the essence, is replaced by Sheng Di Huang, which can reduce empty-heat, cool the blood and nourish the Kidney-Yin. Therefore the assistants Ze Xie and Mu Dan Pi are used in low dosage. 

When the Kidney-Yin is not able to support and nourish the brain, which is considered as the sea of the marrow generated by the Kidney-essence, one may suffer from dizziness, tinnitus, poor concentration and forgetfulness. 

Herbs that regulate the Spleen-Qi and promote digestion are often used because most of the herbs that nourish the Yin and tonify the essence and blood are cloying in nature and place an extra burden on the Spleen. 

Kidney-essence and nourish the blood. They treat weakness and stiffness of the back and knees, blurred vision, poor memory, disorders of menstruation, infertility, menopause syndrome and sexual disorders caused by deficiency of Kidney-essence and blood. 

Suo Yang is sweet and warm, and enters the Kidney and Liver meridians. It is able to tonify the Kidney-Yang, and nourish the essence and blood. It can moisten the intestines and treat constipation due to Yin and blood deficiency. It is suitable for treating constipation in elderly people or people with chronic diseases. 

Shu Di Huang [Rehmanniae radix praeparata] Nourishes Kidney-Yin, blood and essence. 

The practices of self-observation and self-remembering are a general way of giving attention to essence. Attention is energy, so deliberately paying attention to your essential self is a way of nourishing it. After all, you only pay attention to what is valuable, so you must be valuable if you give yourself attention. 

Chinese Kidneythe Kidneys store ling, the vital essence hence, they are responsible for maturation, reproduction, and development. The Kidneys also regulate water circulation, warm the body, and nourish the bone, teeth, and marrow. 

Within this formula, Mantis Egg Cases supplement the kidneys and boost the essence, secure the floating and stop loss. Thus they are the sovereign medicinal in this formula. Dragon Bone restrains the heart spirit and astringes essence qi. Plastrum Testudinis boosts yin qi and supplements the heart and kidneys. These are the minister medicinals. Ginseng supplements the central qi, while Dang Gui nourishes heart blood. Spirit of Poria quiets the heart spirit. These are the assistant medicinals. Polygala and Acorns quiet the spirit and tranquilize the will or orientation (i.e., emotions). They also connect and free the flow between the heart and kidneys. 

These are simultaneously assistant and messenger medicinals. As a whole, this formula is able to supplement the kidneys and boost the essence, astringe the essence and stop loss. It is also able to supplement the heart and nourish the spirit, connecting the kidneys and heart above and below. 

Those who fully understand the principles of Nourishing Life ingest the Divine Medicines. Besides this, they circulate breath without negligence, and practice daoyin from morning to evening so that their system of transmutation of food into nutritional essences operates without obstructions. In addition, they practice the arts of the bedchamber, moderate their food and drinks, do not expose themselves to wind and humidity, and do not grieve about what they cannot do. Thus they can be without illnesses. (Baopu zi, 15.271)... 

As we have seen, leading the yellow essence and the red pneuma to the stomach provides nourishment to the Red Child, the innermost deity residing within the human being. The Central Scripture describes him as followsi ... 

Radix Polygoni multiflori, Heshouwu in Chinese, the dried tuberous roots of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. (Polygonaceae), is ethnopharmacologically used mainly as a decoction. It is a bitter, sour and warm drug and enters the liver and kidney meridians . Its functions are to nourish the blood, to replenish the vital essence, to moisten the intestine, to move the stool and to release toxins. It is used to replenish the vital essence of the liver and kidney and to nourish the blood for the treatment of anemia, early graying of hair, aching back and knees, neurasthenia and hyper-cholesteremia [83]. 

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