As one reaches middle age, it becomes necessary to add goji berries to the thermos. This phrase encapsulates the helplessness and exhaustion of many middle-aged individuals.It is said that upon entering middle age, life becomes a turning point, and the physiological maturity leads to increased silence. The decline in bodily functions makes one feel increasingly powerless.A few days ago, when I met a friend for dinner, he immediately complained that I lacked vitality and looked utterly exhausted. Spending 7 to 8 hours a day in front of a computer or phone, dealing with various matters, leaves one feeling fatigued and haggard, and by nightfall, even sleep becomes elusive.The pressures of family and work, irregular lifestyles, scattered hair on the floor, deep-set eyes, unavoidable insomnia, sleepless nights, and increasingly thicker thermal underwear have become the standard for middle age. 
Middle age is one of the most challenging periods in life, filled with many unavoidable responsibilities. With aging parents and young children, along with the pressures of cars, houses, and finances, we must continuously strive and fight!Living in middle age feels like a journey through the “Journey to the West,” bearing the pressure of Wukong, the physique of Bajie, the hairstyle of Sha Seng, while inheriting Tang Seng’s incessant nagging,but one thing is certain: we are getting closer to the West Heaven. Today, I am fortunate to share a formula recommended by Brother Jie, derived from the Song Dynasty’s “Sheng Ji Zong Lu”, known as Ling Xian San.This formula is a miraculous remedy for those in middle age, capable of replenishing the essence of the five organs; it is truly a tonic for middle-aged individuals.The formula nourishes the kidneys, supports the liver, supplements the lungs, benefits the spleen, calms the mind, and invigorates the blood. It is effective for middle-aged individuals suffering from deficiency of the five organs’ essence, physical weakness, premature graying of hair, dental issues, and dry intestines.The complete formula consists of 1 liang of Bai Fu Ling (White Poria, peeled), 1 liang of Ji Sheng Zi (Sesame, peeled and cooked for one day), 1 liang of Tian Men Dong (Asparagus, pitted and roasted), 1 liang of Bai Zhu (White Atractylodes), 1 liang of Tao Ren (Peach Kernel, peeled and roasted), and 1 liang of Huang Jing (Polygonatum). These six herbs are ground into powder and taken 2-3 times a day, with each dose being 3-5 grams.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 the consistency of dropping pearls, then mix in the herbal powder to form honey pills. The usual ratio is 10 (herbs) to 3 (honey).
Next, Brother Jie will take you deeper into the effects of these herbs:As the saying goes, all herbs have spirit, and everything has feelings. One might inadvertently cultivate (essence), for example, the first herb I want to introduce is Huang Jing.Huang Jing has a sweet taste and a neutral nature, entering the spleen, lung, and kidney meridians. The ancients believed that Huang Jing belongs to the category of medicinal grasses, embodying the essence and spirit of the earth, hence “Wu Fu Jing” refers to it as “Wu Ji Zhi.” The famous physician of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Tao Hongjing, also called it “the food of immortals.” For men, frequent late nights, overtime, and socializing can damage the essence in the kidneys. Taking Huang Jing can replenish kidney energy, improve fatigue, and strengthen the waist and bone marrow.According to the “Ben Cao Gang Mu”, Huang Jing can replenish all deficiencies, generate essence and energy, prolong life when consumed regularly, and is considered a sacred food for men.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, capable of replenishing essence and marrow, moistening the lungs and generating fluids, and supplementing 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.
Ji Sheng Zi, you may not be familiar with it, but everyone knows black sesame. The “Medicine King” Sun Simiao once recorded in the “Qian Jin Fang”, “In this 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 China have reached a high level but are rarely shared.Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the kidneys are the foundation of life. As a person grows, kidney essence gradually diminishes, leading to symptoms such as lower back pain, hair loss, weakness in the legs, irritability, insomnia, and acne. When kidney energy declines, one approaches old age.When “the food of immortals” Huang Jing is combined with “kidney-tonifying” black sesame, their combined effects on replenishing qi, darkening hair, and benefiting kidney essence become even more powerful!
Next, we have Bai Zhu and Fu Ling.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 a weak spleen and stomach, digestion and absorption become poor, leading to issues such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and even heat symptoms after taking tonics.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 greasy nature of tonics from causing deficiency.Bai Zhu is warm in nature and has a bitter-sweet taste. It is a key herb for tonifying and strengthening the spleen. The spleen belongs to the earth in the five elements and is located in the middle jiao of the human body, which is also associated with earth. Earth can give rise to all things, and “The spleen is the foundation of postnatal life and the source of qi and blood transformation.” After birth, all life activities depend on the nutrients absorbed by the spleen and stomach. Those with congenital deficiencies can be supplemented through postnatal nourishment, which can also prolong life.Many talented individuals in the past met untimely ends, which we now call “heavenly jealousy of talent.” If they had learned some traditional Chinese medicine in their early years, such situations could have been avoided. Bai Zhu not only tonifies and strengthens the spleen but also dries dampness and promotes urination, helping to transform the water and fluids in the middle jiao.Li Shizhen’s “Ben Cao Gang Mu” and other traditional Chinese medicine records mention Bai Zhu’s ability to remove spots, using the term “extreme.” Ancient texts like “Yao Xing Lun” also state: “It brightens the face and removes spots.”Traditional Chinese medicine states that the spleen governs the muscles; a person’s muscle tone is related to the spleen. All symptoms of sagging muscles, drooping eyelids, facial muscle relaxation, sagging breasts, stomach prolapse, 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 and frequently appear in formulas for strengthening the spleen and eliminating dampness.Fu Ling has a sweet, bland, and neutral nature, entering the heart, lung, and spleen meridians. It has the effects of promoting urination, strengthening the spleen and stomach, eliminating dampness, resolving phlegm, and calming the mind.Fu Ling has little flavor; in traditional Chinese medicine, it is called bland. Bland flavor has a special ability to drain dampness and invigorate the spleen and stomach’s ability to transform and transport water and dampness, clearing excess moisture and fat from the body, which can also help with weight loss. For those who wash their hair and find it greasy and heavy with dampness, 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 gained widespread acclaim. Tian Men Dong has a sweet and bitter taste and a cold nature, entering the lung and kidney meridians. It excels at nourishing the kidney yin and clearing heat. 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 above and promoting the connection between the lungs and kidneys, achieving harmony between water and heaven to nourish the muscles.Since the lungs govern the skin and many pores are enlarged, those who sweat easily and have oily hair and red skin often experience this due to the leakage of original qi from the kidneys.If the lung’s water is sufficient, the moisture within the skin will gradually become abundant, so Tian Men Dong can also whiten the skin and reduce spots, leading to a radiant complexion with long-term use.The last herb is Tao Ren.Tao Ren, the seed of the peach, has a bitter and sweet taste, neutral nature, and enters the heart, liver, and large intestine meridians. It can break blood stasis, promote bowel movements, and relieve cough and asthma.All fruit kernels in traditional Chinese medicine have oiliness; Tao Ren can promote bowel movements. For elderly individuals with dry stools and insufficient body fluids, it is like a machine without oil rusting and unable to function. Adding some oil allows it to start working again.Tao Ren can also moisturize the skin, alleviating dryness and itching, especially at night when many elderly individuals experience increased itching due to warmth from blankets. Symptoms resemble snake skin, with pants and socks appearing like snowflakes.
The “Ming Yi Bie Lu” states that it can “break masses and unblock menstrual flow.” Li Dongyuan referred to it as “promoting the blood stagnation in the skin,” and “Ben Cao Gang Mu” states it “dominates blood stasis,” all 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 allowing new blood to regenerate, thus removing spots and wrinkles, making it a superior beauty herb.The entire formula consists of six ordinary 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,” so try to choose organic and reputable herbs.The second point is that those who understand the preparation of traditional Chinese medicine should try to use ancient methods for natural preparation. A few days ago, Brother Jie made some for personal health use. Although using ancient methods can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, it allows the entire formula to be more balanced, achieving “tonifying without stagnation, nourishing without greasiness.”
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