Taoism emphasizes the way of nourishing qi, holding that primordial qi is the source of vitality—where there is qi, the spirit follows; when a person obtains primordial qi, they live, and when they lose it, they die.
Yunji Qiqian · Yuanqi Lun (Seven Slips of a Cloudy Satchel · On Primordial Qi) states: "The reason why humans can maintain a complete life is that primordial qi belongs to yang, and yang is the 'rong' (nutritive qi); blood vessels belong to yin, and yin is the 'wei' (defensive qi). The constant flow of nutritive and defensive qi is what sustains life." In Taoism, qi has three different meanings: first, it refers to the oxygen in nature, called "clear qi"; second, it refers to the primordial qi inherited from one's parents at conception, called "innate essence-qi"; third, it refers to the "grain essence-qi" (or "acquired essence-qi") produced through food and drink, which maintains the life activities of the human body.
Taoism believes that the source of human vitality lies in the qi within the body. Therefore, it emphasizes maintaining and replenishing the primordial qi in the body, and achieving the goal of dispelling diseases and prolonging life through the way of nourishing qi. Nourishing qi requires nourishing the primordial qi of the kidneys and the qi of the five zang-organs. The specific maintenance methods are as follows:
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Nourishing heart qi
Among the qi of the five zang-organs, heart qi is the most important. To nourish heart qi, one should pay more attention to slow and quiet health preservation. Because a fast pace of work and life leads to a great dissipation of heart qi, it is necessary to speed up when it should be fast and slow down when it should be slow. For example, one should work at a fast pace during work hours, and slow down to practice quiet cultivation after work. In addition, one can take some tonics for nourishing the heart, such as various types of ginseng. -
Nourishing kidney qi
A person is composed of essence, qi, and spirit, all of which are stored in the kidneys. The kidneys are the congenital foundation, so nourishing the kidneys is particularly important. First, sexual activity should be moderate; second, one should not overuse the brain; finally, attention should be paid to the maintenance of the waist. -
Nourishing spleen qi
The spleen is the acquired foundation. Deficiency of spleen qi is manifested as anorexia, abdominal distension, white coating on the tongue, and weak pulse. To nourish spleen qi, one should first control diet and avoid overeating; second, balance cold and heat in food, and avoid food that is too cold or too hot. For nourishing the spleen, one can stew meat with Chinese yam, Atractylodes macrocephala, coix seed, and white hyacinth bean. -
Nourishing lung qi
The main characteristics of lung qi deficiency are reluctance to move, shortness of breath after activity, weak pulse, fatigue, and lack of energy. One can stew meat with adenophora root or ginseng, or eat lamb offal soup. -
Nourishing liver qi
The liver is the foundation for coping with extreme fatigue. Excessive fatigue can easily cause liver qi deficiency, which is manifested as listlessness and lack of vitality. One can soak ginseng and wolfberry in wine for consumption.
