One of the fundamental basis of Chinese Medicine is Qì 氣. Qì (Pin Yin romanization, which is pronounced chee), has been described as “vital energy,” “vital force” or even “universal energy.” It’s sometimes spelled as Chi (Wade-Giles romanization), or Ki (Japanese spelling and pronunciation). In Chinese Medicine there are many different types of Qì, just to name a few: Yuán Qì (Original Qi), Zhēn Qì (True Qi), Yíng Qì (Nutritive Qi) and Wèi Qì (Defensive/ Protective Qi). Many blogposts ago, I wrote about Qì and what its Chinese character means, and many blogposts before that I wrote a little about Wèi Qì as well as how it is key to understanding allergies, such as Hay Fever.

But Wèi Qì is so much more complex than just allergies and immune system. The Chinese character for Wèi  衛  has a few parts: the first radical on the left 彳 chì means “step” and added together with the component on the right it becomes 行 xíng, meaning “to walk.” The middle character component, I recently learnt from a continuing education class, refers to “a guard” or “a man with leather armor.” All together they create “a guard who walks back and forth to protect.” Therefore, Wèi Qì refers to Qi that is always in motion to protect and defend when needed.

As a student in Chinese medical school, we learnt that people who caught colds and flus easily have a Wei Qi deficiency and that the Wei Qi is very connected to the Lung and Spleen Qi. So we would treat the appropriate Acupuncture points and give the famous herbal formula, Yù Píng Fēng Săn (Jade Wind Screen Powder). With the proper diagnosis and appropriate use of this formula, patients often got better within a month or so. One of my strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic was and still is to strengthen the Wei Qi. It can also manifest as bladder symptoms like chronic urinary tract infection UTI, which have often manifested in female patients, being exposed to cold external conditions. But through my practice and observation of different patients over the years, I have come to realize that Wei Qi deficiency is much more than catching colds or viruses easily, chronic UTIs and allergies. I started to realize that some patients would come in reporting how they felt “exposed” emotionally and physically, like they felt unprotected when they went out into the world. They would feel like they were being invaded by others energetically. I started to link this to Wei Qi deficiency and to treat them as such, often times it has worked. Also, by learning to set healthy boundaries in their lives, which is also a manifestation of Wei Qi, in my opinion, this has served to help them feel more secure within their beings.

As a student with my teachers in Tai Ji Quan/ Qi Gong/ Shao Lin Quan we learned to do some techniques of energetic practice they would call Iron Shirt Qi Gong. It is a martial arts method in which, as the name implies, one creates a layer like an iron shirt around the body, to protect against hits and attacks from opponents as well as to strengthen one’s body part to create an iron-hard effect with a punch or a hit. This reminded me of a movie which I watched in university in the 1990s, Iron and Silk, a true story of how Mark Salzman goes to China to teach English and learns Wu Shu, among other things. His master, Pan Qing Fu, is known as Iron Fist. Master Pan spent hours over decades punching a steel block; as such, his fists were as hard as iron. Though he has acted in films, this man’s skill was real, unlike a lot of Hollywood films (there is even one with this name but is not the real deal). This I believe is Wei Qi condensed into the fist. Iron Shirt Qi Gong could be used for martial purposes but I believe it is applicable to everyday life, not for assault but for protection. This, I have come to understand, is Wei Qi being activated with energetic practice.

The cultivation of Wei Qi has to come from many different aspects, not just physically but mentally as well as emotionally and energetically. It is something we need to work with our Bodyminds and not just on a material level. If there is anything that I am sure of, it is that many of the health issues of our time have a lot to do with our Wei Qi deficiency as individuals and as a society. It has been one of my aims to understand Wei Qi better. Even after years of study and practice of Chinese Medicine, I am finding even more depth to the subject. I am still on my journey of exploration into Wei Qi.




Image by PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay

The principles of Chinese Medicine tell us that a human being comes into the world with Pre-Natal Jing (Pre-Birth Life Essence) and Post-Natal Jing (Post-Birth Acquired Essence). Pre-Natal Jing determines the individual’s constitution basis, strength, vitality and its amount is finite; which means that we can’t choose what kind of genetics we get from our parents as well as ancestors, and what amount of “good” Essence we possess. Post-Natal Jing comes from us eating food, drinking fluid and breathing air, which our Spleen, Stomach and Lungs extract as well as refine the Essence of food, fluid and air for its creation. In contrast to Pre-Natal Jing, Post-Natal Jing is deeply rooted in our choices; we may not be able to change our genetics but we are able to choose the foods, drinks and environment that we live in as well as with our everyday habits. In fact, if we understand and accept the boundaries of our constitution, we will be able to influence the unfolding of our Jing, both Pre and Post-Natal, that we may flourish and thrive in this lifetime.
 
One of the pillars of Chinese Medicine is Chinese Nutrition and Dietetics. It is a part of the medicine that requires action and/ or modification in habits from the individual; hence, is challenging. Many a time, patients come in with an enthusiasm to change the way they eat and often ask me what they should or shouldn’t eat, as they want to lose weight. Often times, they are looking for a “simple quick fix.” Then we discuss strategies from the Chinese Medicine perspective and they realize that it isn’t going to be as simple as they had imagined. Why is this? I believe one of the reasons is because food is related to culture and social conditioning, which we inherited from generations that came before us and the patterns that shape its production as well as availability are dictated by what is around us. So it is not just the individual constitution that we need to look at, but the environment, the practices of the culture, the emotional connection of this particular individual to food, their habits with food shaped early on in their lives by upbringing, etc. Short answer - THERE IS NO QUICK FIX. Food and nutrition shouldn’t be a quick fix. If we understand that food shapes our Post-Natal Jing and therefore the development of our being, then we realize that it is essential for survival and living a life of quality. Is this not worth time and effort, instead of a look-like-simple diet fad that we saw on some social-media post which may help us lose a few kilograms of weight today but gain it all back next week and some, as it was never really addressing our true essence?

I recently came across a treatise on Daoist practice by Jampa Mackenzie Stewart, Daoist-Buddhist and Chinese Medicine practitioner, which I find gives a good summary to Daoist Nutritional Therapy. First and foremost, moderation, flexibility and a diet that matches your constitution; this also means you should get to know your body well, in order for you to know your constitution. Eating and drinking in excess “dulls the mind and strains the body.” He discusses a way, and there are many other ways, to classifying food into building foods and cleansing foods:

“Building foods are those that help build the body’s substances; foods such as meats, grains, and the more starchy vegetables and fruits are building foods. Cleansing foods are the more watery fruits and vegetables; foods such as green leafy vegetables, celery, bok choy, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers and the like. In general, a diet should be made up of both categories to stay in balance, with a higher ratio of building foods eaten during the fall and winter to provide warmth and energy, and a higher ratio of cleansing foods eaten during the spring and summer for cooling and flushing.”   

Another theme that often comes up for many patients I treat is that they eat healthy but are still feeling unwell. Mackenzie Stewart distinguishes between a mountain yogi and a city Taoist.

“The mountain yogi, undisturbed by the hectic pace of the city, living in the pure air and sun with few distractions to stir the passions and emotions, usually eats a pure and light diet of simple vegetables and fruit, and eventually consuming only tonic herbs (…) If a city person tries to eat too rarefied and pure a diet, he or she may become overly sensitive to the gross influences of the city environment and may be too easily thrown out of balance and become ill. Thus city dwelling Taoists often practice “strategic impurity,” ingesting moderate amounts of meat, alcohol, caffeine, white flour or sugar in their diet. Again, moderation is the key word, and this is never to be construed as advice for those with a propensity for addiction.”

Many, if not most of the people I know and treat are city or at least urban dwellers. As such, I believe this view provided above is very applicable. Until we, including myself, city-dwelling Taoist can retreat into the mountains, it would be beneficial for us to be moderate in our intake of food as well as information, if I may add.

Many blogposts ago, I mentioned that cooking our food is actually the beginnings of the digestive process. Mackenzie Stewart supports this by providing an analogy that I find is very appropriate for our current entry into Spring. “Lightly cooked foods are preferred to raw foods. Eating raw foods is compared to burning green wood: hard to burn, lots of smoke and waste, and little heat.” As Spring arrives and the warmth of the Sun returns, our beings will show us the need for more cleansing and lighter foods, maybe even a fast. We’ll get into that in further blogposts, stay tuned. Until then, stay warm, eat in moderation, be well.
 
 
Reference
Jampa Mackenzie Stewart: Foundations of Taoist Practice. E-Book on www.holybooks.com.




Image by Ruttikal Chularom on pixabay

​If a human being were to befriend us just so s/he could use us for whatever purpose s/he found us useful for, we wouldn't be friends or even interact with this individual. We would feel used and exploited; thus, probably severing the relationship. Yet this is the way we look at and treat plants and animals much of the time in the modern world. When I do an internet search of a plant like Gingko biloba, the first things that pop up about it are, "benefits, uses and side-effects." Very little is actually discussed about who, what, where, when and how this being really is.
 
If we were to research further, we would realize that Gingko is one of the oldest living species on the Earth, unchanged for more than 200 million years. It is one of those trees that you would spot straightaway, once you came to know it, as its shape and leaves are unique. No other plant has this distinct fan-shape leaf like the Gingko does. In spring-summer, they are green, what I would describe like a fresh green. In autumn, they turn a bright golden-yellow; amazingly vivid colors. It can grow very tall, up to 35 meters and has a slender, pyramid-form when it's younger. Genetically it is old and has no other relative plants that bear its code. Imagine this, the Gingko lived in the time of the dinosaurs, which died out, but the Gingko and other plants, such as ferns, outlived them and still thrive today. They will probably also outlive us, homo sapiens and other human species, too.
 
Botanists trace the origins of Gingko biloba to China. Then it began spreading to Japan and Korea, into cities and into to the Western world. Even today, many cities in the world have streets lined with Gingko trees, which provide a welcomed shade in overheated cities, needing very little care, as it's a hardy being that can withstand cold and disease. The female plant produces fruit, that look like nuts, but the outer layer of the fruit produces butyric acid, which smells like vomit. This you will smell as you pass by the tree as it is fruiting but once the peel falls off, the smell dissipates. These nuts are often collected and eaten in Asia, this is the part of the plant that is used in Chinese Medicine. In the West, sometimes Gingko is known as Maiden Hair, a name probably inspired by how the leaves hang off its branches. The Chinese call it Yín Guǒ, Silver Fruit, (probably where the name Gingko comes from) or Bái Guǒ, White Fruit. The Chinese have known of Gingko for over 1000 years, where there are still some wild Gingko tree growing. The leaves were never used as medicine until Westerners began to market it as cognitive-enhancers. In the Chinese Materia Medica, the fruit is used for Lung conditions, like wheezing, and for astringing fluids in the lower body, like for excessive vaginal discharge (leucorrhea) or urinary incontinence. It is categorized as bitter, sweet, astringent in flavor and neutral in temperature, entering the Lung and Kidney channel. But too much of it can be toxic, as with so many things. It is medicine when used in balance and respect, poison if overused and abused.
 
But never mind its medicinal effect on humans. It is a being in its own right. Its existence does not have to be justified on the basis of its use to us human beings. IT JUST IS. The next time you walk down the street, sense its presence and just be with Gingko. Maybe greet it with respect, like coming into the presence of an elder, and wonder at its amazing beauty, longevity and resilience.



Images by Elaine

​A few days ago, I looked into a book that was passed on to me and extremely invaluable as I attended university in the 1990s - an English dictionary. Since my last post about Sweet Potatoes and Roots, I have been contemplating this word "Root." So I looked in to find the definition of Root and I find 12 different possibilities as a noun and as a verb. Most of them have something to do with having a "base" or "core" or "source," whether referring to human, plant, language or mathematics, and even to encourage. Fascinating, isn't it? 
 
Many of the Herbal Medicines in the Chinese Materia Medica are Roots. One that particularly stands out is Ginger and is listed in a few different forms. They are fresh Ginger (Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜 Shēng Jīang), Ginger peel (Cortex Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜皮 Shēng Jīang Pí), dried Ginger (Rhizoma Zingiberis Officinalis, 干姜 Gān Jīang) and quick-fried Ginger (Zingiberis Rhizoma Praeparata, 炮姜Páo Jīang).
 
In its fresh form, just like we get them here in the normal grocery store, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜 Shēng Jīang, is a food-grade herb. As such, one can cook it with other ingredients to enhance the taste of that particular food, like fish, meat or vegetables. In some Asian supermarkets, you may find young ginger, that which is yellowish in color with a green stem protruding out of the rhizome. This form is a little less warming than the older brown version. Herbal decoctions regularly containing multiple Herbs, prescribed by a Chinese medical practitioner, often includes Ginger to harmonize the Herbal Formula combinations; aiding better absorption of the Herbs into the body and to prevent possible toxic side-effects from other potent Herbs. In fact, I have read that Ginger can be used as a remedy for food poisoning, and in fact is cooked with fish in order to neutralize toxins in many traditions. 
 
In the everyday, we can grate it, make an Herbal infusion out of it just by adding hot water and letting it steep for 10 minutes just as a beverage. This can be very helpful too if you had symptoms like chills and/or fever caused by the common cold virus. In fact, making a foot-bath or a whole-body-bath with this infusion till one gets warm and sweaty would also help expel what we call "Wind-Cold Invasion" in Chinese Medicine. If you wanted to enhance the digestive effect of Ginger, then you can throw in a couple of slices of Ginger into a pot with water and cook it for at least 15 minutes. This infusion would be less spicy but more warming for the Stomach, good for stopping nausea and vomiting in pregnancy or otherwise, help relieve bloating and digestive distress. Shēng Jīang enters the Lung, Spleen and Stomach, is spicy and warm. In contrast, Shēng Jīang Pí, Ginger Peel is spicy-cool and is good for edema and promoting urination. 
 
As with anything, too much of a good thing transforms it to a hindrance. If you tend to heat in your system, then too much Ginger will overheat you. A spicy flavor will circulate Qi and too much circulation will dry out the body. Use moderately or speak with your practitioner, if Ginger is appropriate for you. I find that this is one of the many simple Herbal foods that I almost always have at home or with me when I travel. One of our favorite meals is rice with chicken, cooked with Ginger, soya sauce and Sesame oil; a simple but scrumptious recipe passed down to me from my mother. Like so much around the world, people have used food as medicine since time in memorial. It is only us modern urban-dwelling, city-folk, who are often times disconnected from nature, who question the validity of food as being able to affect our health or never really realizing that what we put into our bodies might affect who we are. Just because something doesn't come in a form of a pill, doesn't make it less potent. In fact, it is this that I challenge; something in its purest form, like the Ginger Root, may be the strongest medicine as it is whole. In its wholeness, it helps us to find unity in ourselves, to reconnect us to our source, to our core. 
 
 
 
 
Image Ginger Root by Engin Akyurt on pexels.com
 

When I was in my Chinese Medicine studies in San Francisco, I had a classmate who was of Japanese ethnicity but grew up in Hawaii. We laughed about how we thought that Pears were meant to be eaten crunchy. Where we both grew up, Pears were imported so when it was shipped to us, they were not yet ripened. This is how I got to know Pears as a child, as sweet, juicy, crunchy beings.
 
The Pear is called 棃子 lí zi in Mandarin. There are 3000 known varieties of Pyrus around the world. We have come to know Pears as "pear-shaped," but there is also the Nashi Pear which is rounder. In Chinese Medicine, Pears are cooling in temperature, with sweet and sour flavors. They enter the channels of Lung, Large Intestines, Gallbladder and Spleen. Like Apples, Pears are from the Rosaceae family, the same family of the Rose. Their main function is to tonify Yin and moisten dryness, especially in relation to the Lung with symptoms like thirst, dry throat as well as skin. They may also help with constipation, specifically when the stools are hard and dry, indicating a Yin deficiency, which can often happen when we get older. Another function of Pears is to cool heat in the Lungs and dispel phlegm. Here we have once again food that is medicinal. One of my teachers in Chinese Medicine school gave us a recipe for a lovely dessert with Pears for the Autumn to help moisturize the Lungs that tend to get irritated in this season. Simply steam the Pears on a plate for 15 minutes and then remove from heat. Then drizzle a teaspoon of honey over the steamed Pears to enhance the Lung moisturizing effect. Definitely drink the juice that has been released from the steaming process. 
 
I have a Pear tree growing in my garden, which my husband and I planted when we moved into our home a few years ago. Last year, as the Spring and Summer were warm and sunny, our young, tender-branched tree bore an incredible amount of fruit, something like 30. Its branches began to bend from the load of the fruit, we had support them with sticks. This year was a totally different story; it was raining in Spring and the Summer cool, as such, we had ONE Pear growing, which has already been harvested. The fruit harvest was meager but the life lesson rich. I learned that Nature is intelligent, a lot more intelligent than us humans. When it produces too much in a year, the next year's harvest will be milder. Sometimes even no fruit. In this way, the being, whether plant or animal, will be able to conserve its life energy for a longer period of time. Thus, ensuring a higher chance of survival for the coming years. We humans, unfortunately do not understand this concept of respecting limits and Nature's rules. We push things to extremes, "bigger and more is better," making bigger cars, buildings, cities and even more as well as bigger humans. We don't just want a 100 percent, we want a 110 percent! So, what happens then is that we overdraw on our resource account and then we have a deficit, which we will be paying back for generations or even the possibility of not surviving. It is simple math that even a primary school child can solve but we adults just can't seem to figure it out. 
 
The answer is simple, USE LESS. Find balance, just take enough and put back what we take. Treat every being with respect, even the common Pear. It has many lessons to teach us.  


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Image by Elaine