Nourishing Yin, Yang, Qi and Blood
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a whole systems medicine that focuses on bringing balance to the body to promote harmony and healing. This approach has been used for over 3 thousand years and uses acupuncture, bodywork, herbal medicine, breathwork, diet and lifestyle changes to bring this harmony and healing.
At the core of TCM the focus is on nourishing or bringing balance to yin and yang, nourishing our Qi, and nourishing the blood. In this article we will focus on how we can use the principles of TCM to nourish these vital energies and substances.
Nourishing Yin | Our vital substances, fluid, watery
Yin energy is watery by nature and embodies fluid. Common signs of a yin deficiency include dry skin, vaginal dryness, decreased estrogen levels, dry hair, light menstrual flow, decreased cervical fluid, brittle nails, constipation and hot flashes or night sweats. If these symptoms feel familiar to you, let’s chat about how we can nourish yin energy with TCM.
To nourish yin energy in your body, you will want to focus on increasing your intake of certain foods and herbs. Watery fruit like melons, mango, pineapple, seafood, eggs, pastured organic meats, collagen, seaweed, leafy greens and sea salt are all foods which nourish yin. Certain Chinese herbs, adaptogens, CoQ10, and NAC are herbs you can take to nourish yin also.
In addition to foods and herbs, you will want to focus on supporting and regulating the central nervous system while avoiding activities that cause the loss of fluids. Avoid hot yoga and other activities that cause sweating and instead focus on yin yoga, meditation, therapy, rest and mindfulness activities.
Nourishing Yang | Movement and Vitality, flow and action
Yang energy embodies movement, flow and action. Common signs of yang deficiency include feeling cold, having a sluggish metabolism, weight gain, low back and knee pain, painful cramps that are improved with heat, fatigue, and chronic loose stool or diarrhea in the morning. If you experience these symptoms, you may be dealing with a yang deficiency. Let’s talk about how the principles of TCM can help you.
To nourish yang energy in your body, you will want to focus on what you eat and on staying warm. Jing nourishing foods will also be helpful and include oysters, clams, roe, organ meats, royal jelly, seeds and healthy fats. Additionally, root veggies, pastured meats, walnuts, onions, leeks, and garlic are nourishing foods for yang. You can also add spices such as ginger, cinnamon, paprika, clove and cayenne to increase the yang energy in your body.
TCM also teaches us that we can nourish our yang energy by staying warm by eating warm foods, consuming warm beverages like warm water, tea, etc., and hot foot soaks and wearing socks and slippers inside to keep the feet warm.
Nourishing Blood | A vital substance in our bodies
Our blood is a vital substance, and the teachings of TCM are clear about the importance of nourishing our blood. Our blood is derived from the foods we eat, then to be transformed into blood by our spleen. In TCM, the spleen is viewed as an organ of digestion. Knowing this, it makes sense that to make healthy blood we have to optimize our digestion and support our gut health for nutrient assimilation and utilization.
Many foods that build blood also build qi. Foods you will want to prioritize are pastured meat, bone broth, collagen, liver, eggs and leafy greens. In addition to foods, there are Chinese herbs that build blood that you can incorporate. Desiccated liver capsules, iron supplements like Floradix iron, and Chinese herbs such as Da Zao, Go Qi Zi, and Long Yan Rou are great places to start. These herbs also calm the mind and spirit.
TCM for Health and Healing
As we talked about earlier, nourishing the yin and yang energies and nourishing our blood are core methods in TCM to bring balance and harmony to the body. A Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner can work with you to determine which energies are out of balance and give insight into how you can nourish any depleted system in your body. TCM practitioners have a holistic approach to wellness, taking into account the whole body and all of its interconnected systems when diagnosing problems.
If you are interested in learning more about TCM or any of the information shared here, we would love to connect with you!