help understanding prenatal essence

[Guest guest]

I was wondering where I might look to find out more about prenatal

essence (xian tian zhi jing). I'm trying to figure out what it is

exactly that it does that postnatal essence (hiu tian zhi jing)

cannot do. IF I understand correctly, vital substances can be

transmuted into other vital substances (qi into blood, etc.) within

the body, but postnatal and prenatal energies cannot mix, and that

prenatal energy is of a limited and unreplenishable supply. Why are

these things so. Any help with understanding this would be greatly

appreciated.

 

Mbanu

[Guest guest]

Hi Mbanu,

 

A good place to start is to think congenital and hereditary....

......what you get from your parents (ancestors).....and life in the womb....

One should always try to protect it.....

Kit

 

 

At 02:02 AM 9/7/02 +0000, you wrote:

>

> I was wondering where I might look to find out more about prenatal

> essence (xian tian zhi jing). I'm trying to figure out what it is

> exactly that it does that postnatal essence (hiu tian zhi jing)

> cannot do. IF I understand correctly, vital substances can be

> transmuted into other vital substances (qi into blood, etc.) within

> the body, but postnatal and prenatal energies cannot mix, and that

> prenatal energy is of a limited and unreplenishable supply. Why are

> these things so. Any help with understanding this would be greatly

> appreciated.

>

> Mbanu

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi. I'll tell u something very simple and than u think about. You can

understand Yuan Jing (as well as Yuan Qi and Yuan Shen) as DNA. You cannot

change it ( ?) but the postnatal essence, (Shui Gu Qi and Ta Qi) can avoid

you to waste it quickly and even improve your Qi .

Supose your Yuan Jing is like 10. If your postnatal is like 8, you got 9 and

it's great !

If Yuan Jing is 4 and postnatal is 10, u got 7, and it's not so bad !

If your Yuan Jing is 10, but you usually eat junk food, smoke, make lots of

sex and so on, your postnatal is like 1 but you sitll got 5.5. It 'll make

you survive (not is such a good shape !)

That's the way it works.

Again, it's a very very simple way of thinking about it, but it works !

See you, Roberta

-

walmart_hurts <jcc

<Chinese Traditional Medicine >

Friday, September 06, 2002 11:02 PM

[Chinese Traditional Medicine] help understanding prenatal essence

 

 

> I was wondering where I might look to find out more about prenatal

> essence (xian tian zhi jing). I'm trying to figure out what it is

> exactly that it does that postnatal essence (hiu tian zhi jing)

> cannot do. IF I understand correctly, vital substances can be

> transmuted into other vital substances (qi into blood, etc.) within

> the body, but postnatal and prenatal energies cannot mix, and that

> prenatal energy is of a limited and unreplenishable supply. Why are

> these things so. Any help with understanding this would be greatly

> appreciated.

>

> Mbanu

>

>

>

>

> Post message: Chinese Traditional Medicine

> Subscribe: Chinese Traditional Medicine-

> Un: Chinese Traditional Medicine-

> List owner: Chinese Traditional Medicine-owner

>

> Shortcut URL to this page:

> /community/Chinese Traditional Medicine

>

>

[Guest guest]

>Hi. I'll tell u something very simple and than u think about. You can

>understand Yuan Jing (as well as Yuan Qi and Yuan Shen) as DNA. You cannot

>change it ( ?) but the postnatal essence, (Shui Gu Qi and Ta Qi) can avoid

>you to waste it quickly and even improve your Qi .

 

Thanks, Roberta.

 

For the benefit of those new to TCM, when you see the term " Pre-Heaven " ,

this means before birth. " Conception is a blending of the sexual energies

of man and woman to form what the ancient Chinese called the 'Pre-Heaven

Essence' of the newly conceived human being. This Essence nourishes the

embryo and fetus during pregnancy and is also dependent on nourishment

derived from the mother's Kidneys. The Pre-Heaven Essence is the only kind

of essence present in the fetus, as it does not have independent

physiological activity. This Pre-Heaven Essence is what determines each

person't basic constitutional make-up, strength and vitality. It is what

makes each individual unique. " (Giovanni Maciocia, The Foundations of

, p. 38)

 

" Post-Heaven " refers to after birth. " This is the essence which is refined

and extracted from food and fluids by the Stomach and Spleen after birth.

After birth, the baby starts eating, drinking and breathing, its Lungs,

Stomach and Spleen start functioning to produce Qi from food, drink and air.

The 'Golden Mirror of Medical Collection' says: 'The Pre-Heaven Essence

originates from the parents, the Post-Heaven Essence originates from

food'.21 The complex of essences refined and extracted from food are

collectively known as 'Post-Heaven Essence'. Because the Stomach and Spleen

are responsible for the digestion of food and the transformation and

transportation of food essences ultimately leading to the production of Qi,

the Post-Heaven Essence is closely related to Stomach and Spleen. The

Post-Heaven Essence is therefore not a specific type of essence, but simply

a general term to indicate the essences produced by the Stomach and Spleen

after birth, as opposed to the Pre-Heaven Essence which is formed before

birth. " (Maciocia, pp. 38-39)

 

Then there is Kidney Essence, which is a " more specific kind of vital

substance which plays an extremely important role in human physiology. It

derives from both the Pre-Heaven and Post-Heaven Essence. Like the

Pre-Heaven Essence, it is a hereditary energy which determines the person's

constitution. Unlike the Pre-Heaven Essence, though, the Kidney Essence

interacts with the Post-Heaven Essence and is replenished by it. "

(Maciocia, p. 39) He goes on to say that this Essence is stored mostly in

the Kidneys but circulates " all over the body " , especially the 8

Extraordinary Meridians.(p. 39) Also, it's fluid-like, as opposed to Qi

which is energy-like. It's hard to replace. It needs to be guarded through

balanced living. It changes slowly in comparison to Qi. (p. 39)

 

He goes into the functions of the Kidney Essence (Jing): 1. Growth,

reproduction, and development. (If there are developmental problems, this

is a Kidney Jing disorder.) 2. It's the basis of Kidney Qi. " Kidney Essence

is necessary for the transformation of Kidney-Yin into Kidney Qi through the

warming action of Kidney-Yang. 3. It produces Marrow. (Sometimes

concentration and memory problems are due not to Heart Imbalance, but Kidney

imbalance, in particular Kidney Jing Deficiency. Maciocia says in these

cases there will be a feeling of emptiness of the head. (My note: Though

certain headaches will a feeling of hollowness in the head can have a Root

of Qi and/or Blood Deficiency.) 5. The Kidney Essence is the basis of

constitutional strength. (Sometimes being " prone to colds, influenza and

other exterior diseases, chronic rhinitis and allergic rhinitis (hay fever) "

is not just a matter of Protective Qi being weak because the Lungs and/or

Spleen is weak. It's due to Kidney Jing (Essence) being weak.)(pp.39-40)

 

I went into more detail here because later on the Kidney Essence is going to

be important in understanding some aspects of Fluid physiology and pathology

as well as aging.

 

The important point to remember, as Roberta pointed out, is that how you

live is going to influence just how much of that Kidney Essence you are

going to have. You can't increase the Pre-Heaven Essence (at least not very

easily though some claim that it can be, the concensus is that you can't).

You can increase the Post-Heaven through wise living as well as influence

the amount of Kidney Essence since it is partially derived from Post-Heaven

Essence.

 

Victoria

 

 

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