01As one reaches middle age, it is inevitable to add goji berries to the thermos. This phrase captures the helplessness and exhaustion of many middle-aged individuals.It is said that as one enters middle age, life becomes shorter, marking a watershed moment. The physiological maturity leads to increased silence, and the decline in bodily functions makes one feel increasingly powerless.
This formula is recommended from the Song Dynasty’s “Sheng Ji Zong Lu” known as “Ling Xian San”.This formula is a miraculous remedy for those after middle age, capable of nourishing the essence of the five organs; it is considered a tonic for middle-aged individuals.
This formula nourishes the kidneys, supports the liver, supplements the lungs, and benefits the spleen, calming the heart and invigorating the blood. It is effective for middle-aged individuals suffering from deficiency of the five organs’ essence, weakness, premature graying of hair, dental issues, dry intestines, and more…The entire formula consists of Bai Fu Ling (White Poria) 1 liang, Ji Sheng Zi (Sesame) 1 liang, Tian Men Dong (Asparagus Tuber) 1 liang, Bai Zhu (Atractylodes) 1 liang, Tao Ren (Peach Kernel) 1 liang, Huang Jing (Polygonatum) 1 liang, and these six herbs should be ground into powder and taken 2-3 times a day, 3-5 grams each time.Why is this formula called Ling Xian San? The ancients had their reasons for using powders. Many people prefer pills, perhaps thinking they are more sophisticated. If you prefer pills, you can cook honey until it reaches a drop that forms a bead, then mix in the powdered herbs to make honey pills. The usual ratio is 10 (herbs) to 3 (honey).
02Next, let’s delve deeper into the effects of these herbs:As the saying goes, all herbs have spirit, and everything has feelings; one might inadvertently cultivate (essence), such as the herb “Huang Jing” that we will introduce today.Huang Jing (Polygonatum) is sweet and neutral, entering the spleen, lung, and kidney meridians. The ancients believed that Huang Jing belongs to the category of medicinal herbs, absorbing the essence and spirit of the earth, thus referred to in the “Wu Fu Jing” as “Wu Ji Zhi”. The famous physician of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Tao Hongjing, also called it “Xian Ren Yu Liang” (the food of immortals).
For men, frequent late nights, overtime work, and socializing can damage the essence in the kidneys. Taking Huang Jing can replenish kidney qi, improve fatigue, strengthen the waist, and nourish the bone marrow.According to the “Bencao Gangmu”, Huang Jing can replenish various deficiencies, generate essence and qi, prolong life with long-term consumption, and is considered a sacred food for men (meaning Huang Jing can replenish various parts or regulate the weakness of certain internal organs).For women, it nourishes yin, moistens the lungs, supplements qi and blood, improves anemia, nourishes the skin, and eliminates wrinkles. Additionally, it has a good regulating effect on symptoms caused by kidney essence deficiency, such as lower back and knee soreness, dizziness, tinnitus, fatigue, and premature graying of hair.
Huang Jing is a health supplement that nourishes both qi and yin, fills essence and marrow, moistens the lungs and generates fluids, and supplements the deficiencies of the five organs. Its properties are gentle, making it very suitable for regular consumption by middle-aged and elderly individuals, as they often have weak yang and insufficient yin fluids.Speaking of Ji Sheng Zi, many may not be familiar with it. If we mention black sesame, everyone knows it. The “Medicine King” Sun Simiao once recorded in the “Qian Jin Fang”, “In the world, only sesame is good, but unfortunately, ordinary people eat it raw”.This saying is widely circulated in Taoism, and sesame has long been regarded as a top health food. Taoist health practices in our country have reached a high level but are not easily shared.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the kidneys are the foundation of congenital essence. As a person grows, kidney essence gradually depletes, leading to symptoms such as lower back and knee pain, hair loss, weakness in the legs, irritability, insomnia, and acne. If kidney qi declines, one reaches old age.When “Xian Ren Yu Liang” Huang Jing is combined with “Bu Shen Gu Ben” black sesame, their combined effects in replenishing qi, darkening hair, and nourishing kidney essence become even more powerful!
03Next, we have two herbs, Bai Zhu (Atractylodes) and Fu Ling (Poria).Many tonics are rich and greasy; we have all heard the saying “deficiency cannot withstand tonics”, meaning that if the body is weak, it cannot bear the power of tonics.When the body is weak, qi and blood cannot circulate normally, and with spleen and stomach deficiency, digestion and absorption are poor, leading to the inability to process nutrients. After taking tonics, one may experience abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, or even heat symptoms…At this time, Bai Zhu can tonify the spleen and strengthen its function, enhancing the spleen and stomach’s ability to transform and transport, preventing the tonics from being too rich and causing deficiency to be unable to withstand them.
Bai Zhu is warm in nature, with a bitter and sweet flavor, and is a key herb for tonifying the spleen. The spleen belongs to the earth element in the five elements, located in the middle jiao of the human body, and the earth can give rise to all things. “The spleen is the foundation of postnatal life and the source of qi and blood transformation”. After birth, all life activities rely on the nutrients absorbed by the spleen and stomach. Those with congenital deficiencies can replenish through postnatal nourishment, which can also prolong life.Many talented individuals in the past ended their lives prematurely, which we now call “heavenly jealousy of talent”. If they had learned some TCM in their early years, such situations could have been avoided.Bai Zhu not only tonifies the spleen but also dries dampness and promotes urination, helping to transform the fluids in the middle jiao.
Li Shizhen’s “Bencao Gangmu” and other TCM records state that Bai Zhu has the effect of removing spots, and it is described as “extreme”. The ancient text “Yao Xing Lun” also states: “It is the master of facial radiance and spot removal.”TCM states that the spleen governs the muscles; a person’s muscle firmness is related to the spleen. All symptoms of sagging muscles, drooping eyelids, facial muscle relaxation, breast sagging, stomach drooping, abdominal fat sagging, and uterine prolapse are due to the spleen’s inability to govern the muscles.Bai Zhu and Fu Ling are also known as gentleman’s herbs, frequently appearing in formulas for strengthening the spleen and eliminating dampness.Fu Ling is sweet, bland, and neutral, entering the heart, lung, and spleen meridians. It has the effects of promoting urination, strengthening the spleen and stomach, eliminating dampness and phlegm, and calming the heart and mind.
Fu Ling has almost no flavor; in TCM, it is called bland. Bland flavor has a special ability to promote urination and invigorate the spleen and stomach’s ability to transform and transport water and dampness, clearing excess water and fat from the body, which can also help reduce weight.For those who have oily hair and excessive dampness after washing their hair, Fu Ling can guide the dampness down from the hair roots, thus treating seborrheic alopecia. The famous physician Yue Meizhong’s Fu Ling drink for hair loss has been widely circulated.Tian Men Dong (Asparagus Tuber) is sweet and bitter, with a cold nature, entering the lung and kidney meridians. It excels at nourishing kidney yin, while its bitterness helps to drain and reduce fire. Its cold nature can clear heat, thus having the effect of clearing the lungs and reducing fire.
Tian Men Dong is thick and fatty, moistening and cooling, clearing metal and transforming water, nourishing kidney yin from the lungs (metal) and irrigating downwards, nourishing the muscles.Since the lungs govern the skin and hair, many people with large pores, oily hair, and easily reddened skin sweat a lot due to the leakage of kidney essence.If the lung’s water is sufficient, the moisture in the skin will also gradually become abundant, so Tian Men Dong can also whiten the skin and reduce spots, leading to a radiant complexion with long-term use.
04The last herb is Tao Ren (Peach Kernel).Tao Ren, the seed of the peach, is bitter and sweet, neutral in nature, and enters the heart, liver, and large intestine meridians. It can break blood stasis, moisten the intestines, and relieve cough and asthma.
All medicinal seeds have oiliness; Tao Ren can relieve constipation. For elderly individuals with dry stools and insufficient body fluids, it is like a machine that rusts without oil; adding some oil will get it running again.Tao Ren can also moisturize the skin, alleviating dryness and itching, especially at night when many elderly individuals experience itchy skin due to warmth from blankets, resembling snake skin, with pants and socks appearing like snowflakes.According to the “Ming Yi Bie Lu”, it can “break masses and unblock menstrual flow”; Li Dongyuan referred to it as “moving the blood stagnation in the skin”. The “Bencao Gangmu” states it “dominates blood stasis”, indicating that Tao Ren has a strong effect on invigorating blood and resolving stasis.
Tao Ren can break blood stasis with great strength, clearing useless blood clots and unblocking stagnation, allowing new blood to be reborn, and can also eliminate spots and wrinkles, making it a superior beauty herb.The entire formula consists of six common herbs, but there are a few points to note:The first point is, there is a saying that goes very well, “Good herbs make good medicine; try to choose organic and proper herbs.”The second point is, “Those who understand the preparation of Chinese herbs should use traditional methods for natural processing”. Although using traditional methods may be time-consuming and labor-intensive, it allows the entire formula to be more balanced, achieving nourishment without stagnation and tonification without greasiness.
