"Chopping the Red Dragon" in Female Alchemy (Nüdan)

In the practice of female alchemy, the "Red Dragon" is a metaphor for women's menstrual blood. Physiologically, one of the fundamental differences between women and men is that women have menstrual cycles. The Pure Cultivation School of Taoism holds that if menstrual bleeding persists without cessation, the practice of internal alchemy (Neidan) cannot succeed. Therefore, the first hurdle for female practitioners of alchemy is to stop menstrual flow.

According to traditional medical explanations, women typically begin menstruation around the age of 14, a phenomenon known as the arrival of "tiangui" (heavenly menstruation). By the age of 49, "tiangui" naturally ceases. Before this natural cessation, one must not recklessly attempt to block menstruation, as doing so could be "life-threatening." Thus, "chopping the red dragon" must be performed at a specific time: when the menstrual period has not yet started but the "signal" has arrived.

The so-called "signal" (xin), also called "monthly signal" (yuexin), refers to pre-menstrual symptoms: such as pain in the waist and legs, dizziness, restlessness, or loss of appetite. This is the time to practice the technique. After two and a half days, when menstruation begins, practice must be halted. After another two and a half days, a "white silk cloth" is used for testing—if the discharge appears golden yellow, it is time to circulate energy to "chop" the dragon.

How to circulate energy? One must first identify the location of the energy point (qixue). For women, this point is not below the navel (lower dantian) but one and three-tenths inches below the midpoint between the breasts. From the perspective of Taoist medicine, this is designated as the energy point because it is the source of Yin blood. Therefore, "chopping the red dragon" must target this root.

The specific method is as follows: First, close your eyes to calm the mind, regulating both mental state and breath. Then, focus your intention on the energy point, cross your hands to cup the breasts, and massage them—starting slowly then accelerating, gently at first then with increasing force—for either 144 or 360 repetitions. Following this, gently exhale 24 breaths of energy from the lower dantian. Continue to cup the breasts lightly with both hands, concentrating your spirit to "reflect inward." Over time, as energy and spirit become abundant and true Yang flourishes, menstrual flow will naturally cease, and the breasts will become firm rather than empty. Once the "chopping the red dragon" stage is completed, subsequent stages of practice are fundamentally the same as those in male internal alchemy.