Essence in Chinese Medicine
Let’s talk about Jing!
Jing (translated to “Essence” or “Vital life force”) in Chinese medicine is an extremely dense form of Qi and the densest of the 5 vital substances (Qi, Blood, Shen, Essence, and Body Fluids)
We get our Essence from two sources: Preheaven Essence and Postheaven Essence
Preheaven Essence is the dense ancestral biological blueprint we inherit from our parents - it is finite, heavily predetermined, and often likened to our genes. Some may have a stronger reserve of Preheaven Essence than others; this looks like a robust and hardy constitution. Others have less Preheaven Essence and are thought to be more disposed to illness, issues with tissue repair, and metabolic issues. Because Chinese medicine views preheaven essence as finite, when it runs out we start to see body processes degenerate and deteriorate.
Preheaven Essence is thought in Chinese Medicine to be like a deep reserve, it is naturally depleted overtime as we age, but it can be “used up” so to speak when we are either
dealing with toxin overload - this can look like high processed food intake, environmental toxins, drug use, or even aggressive pharmaceutical treatments
engaging in irregular eating patterns - chronic overeating and undereating both create stress on metabolic systems
running on chronic stress - high stress hormones deplete our reserves and impact our immune function
not getting adequate sleep and rest - deep sleep is one of the most restorative and neuroprotective things we can do for our health - a lack of sleep longterm means chronic stress on immune, hormone, circulatory, and metabolic systems
Postheaven Essence is not finite and we can replenish this. Postheaven Essence is the product of the deep refinement of what we intake and how we take care of ourselves - the foods we eat, the air we breathe, the enriching experiences our souls have, and the rest we take to integrate these fully.
The concept of Essence in Chinese medicine makes me think about genetics and epigenetics. We think of Preheaven Essence in Chinese Medicine in close association with the Western concept of genetics. Some of us have robust stores of Essence (strong genes) while others may be predisposed to issues with tissue regeneration, metabolic dysfunction, premature aging, etc., due to having a deficiency in Preheaven Essence.
But, we have learned from studying gene expression that lifestyle and environmental factors play a large role in disease manifestation. Even with genetic predisposition to certain diseases we can impact whether those genes get “turned on” by protecting our Preheaven Essence and fostering the distillation of Post heaven Essence.
This looks like
Stress management
Deep sleep
Adequate nutrition
A stable and clean environment (physically and emotionally)
A balanced diet and lifestyle is often one of the first disregarded aspects of healthcare - its easily said in clinic setting without its weight being conveyed to patients. Balancing our intake with our output yields not only a balanced life emotionally, but physically as well. The concept of Essence in Chinese medicine emphasizes our personal power in our health outcomes, and highlights how we can live our life in support of our system or against it.
