05 Properties of Goji
Why can goji nourish the kidneys so effectively? How can it nourish both yin and yang simultaneously?
Typically, medicinal materials either nourish yin or support yang, and it’s rare for a single herb to do both. Each medicinal material has properties such as warm, hot, cold, and cool. Warm and hot materials help the vital yuanqi rise, while cold and cool materials help it fall. Hot medicines support yang, and cold medicines nourish yin. Medicines are used to correct imbalances in the body’s warmth, heat, coldness, and coolness. If the body is too cold, it should be warmed; if too hot, it should be cooled to treat the disease.
Goji nourishes the kidneys, balancing both yin and yang, and can help the vital yuanqi rise as well as fall. Goji is neutral in medicinal properties, slightly warm but generally neutral, so consuming goji does not cause internal heat. Goji is called goji-seed because it is the seed of the plant, with the fruit on the outside and the seed inside.
In traditional herbal medicine, seeds generally have the effect of tonifying the kidneys. This is referred to as “all flowers ascend, all seeds descend.” For example, rose petals, which are yang in nature, have a warm tonification effect, helping the vital yuanqi rise from the liver to the heart. Lian-qiao, a seed, is cold in nature and helps with heat cooling and detoxification.
06 Kidney Deficiency
If the spleen and stomach function well and the kidneys are not leaking, there is generally no need for additional tonics to replenish the kidneys. Normally, vital yuanqi is produced from food with the help of the spleen and stomach. After the heart, liver, and lungs consume what they need, the leftover vital yuanqi is used by the kidneys. Any excess is stored by the kidneys, ensuring they have sufficient energy for normal functions.
Why does kidney deficiency occur then? There are three main reasons:
Spleen Deficiency: The spleen is responsible for producing vital yuanqi. If the spleen does not function well, there will not be enough vital yuanqi, leading to kidney deficiency.
Excessive Consumption: People with chronic inflammation or those living in environments with harmful bacteria or pathogens need to expend more vital yuanqi to fight these factors, eventually leading to kidney deficiency.
Leaking Kidneys: If the kidneys are unhealthy and leaking, it will lead to kidney deficiency if not treated in time.
Herbal medicine emphasizes treating symptoms based on individual conditions and studying the cause of the disease. For kidney deficiency, a professional practitioner will prescribe the right medicine according to the reasons giving rise to the symptoms. If the cause is spleen deficiency, kidney-tonifying medicine will be harmful because the root cause is the spleen. For chronic inflammation, treating the inflammation will naturally cure the corresponding kidney deficiency. For simple kidney leakage, goji is the best choice.
The effect of goji is not as fast as hot and dried drugs like seahorse, but it is very stable. As the saying goes, “slow work makes fine work.” With persistence for one or two months, noticeable changes will occur, and the effects will last long-term.
07 The Story of Goji
Goji originally grew in Gansu and Ningxia, China. In ancient times, these places were far from the Central Plains, so people there initially did not know about goji. There are many legends about goji, one of which is as follows:
During the Song Dynasty, a court official was sent to Xixia for work. Near Zhongwei, Ningxia, he saw a graceful girl with black hair chasing a white-haired old man. The old man, who looked to be in his eighties or nineties, did not fight back or scold the girl but kept dodging and running away.
The official, a filial son, was angry and intervened, saying, “How can you, a young girl, hit your old man?”
The girl, rolling her eyes, replied, “I am teaching my grandson a lesson! It is not your turn to intervene.”
The official, confused, said, “You are obviously a little girl; how can he be your grandson?”
The girl explained, “I am 140 years old this year, and I look young by eating goji every day. My grandson looks so old at such a young age because he refuses to eat goji. Who should I hit if not him?”
The official was dumbfounded: “Oh my God! She is actually 140 years old! Goji berries are so magical; I must bring some back.”
The official developed a strong interest in goji and brought goji berries back to the Central Plains after finishing his business. From then on, goji has been included in traditional herbal medicine.
Of course, this story is just a legend, but it is certain that goji is beneficial for the body. Developing good health habits by eating goji is essential.
(To be continued)