A Clinical and Philosophical Exploration of Jing 精

The Concept of Jing

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Jīng 精 is said to be the vital essence that sustains both physical and mental energy, forming the core of our constitutional health. According to the CM system, Jing is housed in the Kidneys, and governs growth, development, reproduction, and the aging process. Clinically, Jing is associated with the body's resilience, the ability to recover from illness, and to maintain overall vitality. When Jing is depleted from stress, overwork, poor nutrition, etc., the result can be chronic fatigue, compromised immunity, hormonal imbalances, and premature aging. Preserving and replenishing Jing is essential for long-term health, requiring specific lifestyle choices, dietary practices, and herbal therapies. Exploring the concept of Jing provides valuable clinical insights, touching on genetic, epigenetic, metabolic, and lifestyle factors that influence well-being. This article aims to delve into Jing’s significance in clinical treatment, highlighting the importance of balance to optimize health and prevent disease.

“On the left-hand side of the character for Essence, Jīng, 精, we find the grain of rice or husked seed, 米 / mǐ, ready to be ground, kneaded and cooked. On the right, a green color is added, 青, qīng. This is the green of young growing plants, 生 / shēng, fed by rich sap; its life’s fluid, 丹/ dān, similar to the blood of human beings. Qing, 青, is the color that symbolizes the strength of a plant’s internal vitality that spreads to the furthest external parts.” (Rochat, 2015)

Given the importance of rice throughout Chinese history, the image of a lush green rice sprout bursting forth from seed is a culturally significant symbol of the generative power of life. Jing, in English, is most often translated as “‘Essence,” which illustrates the concept as something primal, vital, and inseparable from life. Essence is the most basic of all bodily substances. It represents both the vitality and movement of life through the body, as well as the basic fabric of the physical form. Jing is the concentration of the basic substance that contains the potential for life. It is Qi in concentrated form, and serves as the essential raw material needed to shape and sustain life. On one hand, it carries specific qualities, much like a tree's seed, that originate from earthly sources—such as the genetic material and essence inherited from both parents. On the other hand, it is infused with an immaterial, heavenly source that provides the vital spark of life.

San Bao 三寶 Three Treasures

A very old Taoist metaphor illustrates the concept of the Three Treasures (Jing, Qi, and Shen) using the imagery of a candle. Jing represents wax and the wick, the dense energy that forms the material substance. Qi is the flame, symbolizing the energy that fuels life and allows the candle to burn. Shen is the light that radiates from the burning candle. This analogy emphasizes that Jing is a finite resource, like a candle that gradually burns down.

In Chinese philosophy, the dynamic interplay of Yin and Yang form the foundation of all manifestations and vital activities of life. This is embodied in the relationship between Jing and Qi, and this interaction gives rise to all forms of life, shaping their unique qualities and characteristics. Jing and Qi, often referred to as Jing Qi 精氣, drive the central processes of life.

All activities of living use Qi. We cultivate Qi from the food, drink, and medicine that we consume, the rest we get, and the cultivation practices we keep. We need Qi to perform all biological processes that take place within the body, and when we become Qi deficient but need to keep going, we must convert more Qi from our Kidney Jing. We can think of Kidney Jing as a reserve fuel tank, and Kidney Qi as our daily fuel tank that is easily refilled. If one continues to use up their daily Qi tank, and then pull from the reserve tank, they will experience consequences to their health from Jing Deficiency.

The Yin and Yang of Jing

In a broad sense, Jing belongs to Yin because it is substantial and has material properties, whereas Qi belongs to Yang because it is intangible, and has more active, functional properties. Jing is the material fuel for the functional activities within the viscera, and Qi is the motive force that uses the fuel to create movement and regulate the physiological activities. Jing Qi can then be understood to be a Yin/Yang pairing where the Yang (Qi) and Yin (Jing) operate inseparably.

As stated by Daniel Maxwell (2012) in his writing on Jing and Reproductive Medicine, “Jing is frequently portrayed as a kind of anabolically-potent source material from which semen, blood, bone marrow, brain, and the spinal cord originate, and as such represents the earthly base of a continuum of increasingly subtle physiology that culminates in Shen.” It must be pointed out that Jing, as a material substance, is only the Yin aspect, and where there is Yin, there must be Yang. Where Yin is solid and tangible, Yang is immaterial and potential. One potential manifestation of the Yang aspect of Jing is seen through stem cells, which give rise to all other substances and cells within the body (Damone, 2008). We can also consider human gametes; sex cells that contain thousands of times more mitochondria (potential energy) than ordinary human cells. What’s more, these energy-generating mitochondria have been found to respond positively to Jing nourishing Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) (Leung et. al, 2005).

Prenatal and Postnatal Jing

Chinese Medicine typically divides Jing into three types: Pre-heaven (or Prenatal) Jing, formed at conception from the merging of the parents’ essences, Post-heaven (or Postnatal Jing), acquired from the nourishment taken in from eating, breathing, and cultivation practices, and lastly Kidney Jing, which is ultimately what Postnatal Jing becomes during life. According to CM, Postnatal Jing is stored in the Kidneys to govern growth, development, sexual maturation and reproduction, and aging.

When it is associated with Heaven, Jing is the power that organizes all life and enables form to begin on Earth. Jing organizes the critical patterns that control everything manifest into physical reality. When Jing is associated with Earth, it represents the vitality of the bodily substances that ceaselessly transform in order to perpetuate life. From this point of view, Jing is so similar to the CM concept of Spirit (Shen 神) that the two terms are often used together to mean Vital Spirit, or Jing Shen 精神.

Kidney Jing

In TCM, the Kidneys encompass more than just the organs; they also include the bone marrow, central nervous system (referred to as the "Sea of Marrow"), reproductive system, and its fluids. The Kidneys are also tied to reproductive potential and the aging process. After birth, Prenatal Jing combines with Postnatal Jing to form Kidney Jing.

In children, Kidney Jing supports the growth of bones, teeth, and hair, as well as brain development and sexual maturation, with deficiency causing congenital disorders, stunted growth, and poor bone development. After puberty, Kidney Jing regulates reproductive functions and fertility, laying the foundation for conception and pregnancy. As Jing declines naturally over time, it results in reduced sexual energy and declining fertility, with the process of aging itself reflecting this gradual exhaustion of this vital substance.

Postnatal Jing is renewed through digestion, with Qi driving the process. It is derived from the food one eats (Gu Qi 谷氣) which is then digested and transformed by the Spleen / Pancreas, then combined with the Qi received from the air one breathes to generate and renew Postnatal Jing. This dynamic substance then continually transforms into Qi, which circulates through the body to nourish and sustain all physical and mental activities. The Qing Dynasty medical text, Yi Zong Jin Jian 醫宗金鑑 (1981), “Golden Mirror of Medical Collection” states, “Pre-Heaven Jing originates from the parents, the post-Heaven Jing originates from food.”

Kidney Jing, when converted to usable energy, becomes Kidney Qi. When Kidney Jing is strong, so is Kidney Qi. This ensures healthy, robust sexual energy, mental clarity, and inner strength, allowing for optimal well-being, growth, and longevity. When Kidney Jing is depleted and leads to Kidney Qi Deficiency, patients may experience poor sexual function, impotence, weakness in the lower body joints (knees, lower back, ankles), nocturnal emissions, tinnitus, hearing issues, cognitive decline, and renal or urinary problems. Both Kidney Jing and Qi influence the entire life cycle from birth to death by facilitating life growth, experiences, and healthy reproductive activity. Recognizing the wide-reaching impact of abundant Jing helps in identifying the clinical symptoms of Jing deficiency.

In clinical practice, we need to consider Jing, which provides insight into the patient’s constitution and the relative strength of their Qi. This is important, because any treatment-oriented medical intervention requires the body to use Qi in order to respond effectively to that treatment. The condition of Jing can often be inferred from the patient’s childhood medical history, their lifestyle, pulse and symptomatology.

Immunity and Constitutional Strength

In TCM, it is said that Wei Qi 衛氣 (the defensive Qi that circulates on the body’s surface) is derived from Jing. While Wei Qi primarily protects against external pathogens, its functional strength is rooted in Kidney Jing. Clinically, this is evident in patients with Kidney Jing deficiency who frequently experience colds and other illnesses. When viewed as the source of constitutional strength, the link between abundant Jing and strong immune defenses becomes clear. Patients with Jing deficiency are more susceptible to head colds, viral infections, and external pathogens. They may also be prone to wind-related symptoms like allergic responses and autoimmune conditions. In Su Wen Chapter 4 (Unschuld et al., 2011), Qi Bo explains, “…the Essence, it is the basis of the body. Hence, if there is storing of Essence, there will be no warmth disease in spring,” illustrating the connection between immunity and Jing storage.

Metabolic Health

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is an increasingly common metabolic disorder, with its prevalence expected to reach 370 million worldwide by 2030 (Li, 2017). T2DM remains a complex chronic disease with no known exact cause in Western medicine. However, bioenergetic dysfunction, in which energy production and usage become impaired, can lead to metabolic disorders. Bioenergetic function involves the processes by which cells generate and manage energy, primarily through ATP production in the mitochondria. This energy supports vital cellular activities like growth and repair, is central to metabolic health, and can be thought of as having Qi-like properties. Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a significant role in metabolic disorders like obesity and T2DM, contributing to insulin resistance and impaired glucose regulation (Gao et. al, 2014). Comparisons between ATP and Qi, both essential forms of energy from two unique diagnostic systems of thought, are often made in integrative medicine circles.<.p>

In Chinese medicine, the Kidneys are key to understanding the development of T2DM, because they store Jing, and a deficiency of Kidney Jing and Qi are seen as factors contributing to the disorder. This deficiency can impair the Kidneys' ability to manage fluid balance, leading to symptoms like frequent, excessive urination and thirst. Because Jing is a vital source of energy (Qi), its depletion can negatively impact cellular energy production (ATP), disrupting normal metabolic processes and contributing to the development of T2DM.

Jing and Fertility

Chinese Medicine has a rich history of using acupuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion, and food therapy treatments to support reproductive health and fertility, with good success rates. As a pattern-based medicine, there is no single treatment for infertility from a TCM perspective, rather the patient is thoroughly evaluated, a diagnosis of the primary imbalance is made, and the appropriate treatment is applied to correct that imbalance. There are, of course, certain patterns that are most often involved in the treatment of infertility, one of which is very commonly Kidney Jing deficiency, whereby the patient cannot produce enough Kidney Qi, so reproductive hypofunction will occur leading to potential infertility, low libido, erectile dysfunction, low sperm count, premature ovarian failure and more. Other common symptoms related to reproduction include infertility, recurrent miscarriage, and cognitive disabilities in children.

Jane Lyttleton, influential Chinese Medicine fertility specialist, author, and researcher states, “what the doctors in China 2000 years ago were referring to when they described the Kidney Jing is what modern Western medical science refers to as the gametes or eggs and sperm themselves” (2013). From this perspective, a Jing deficiency corresponds to a pathological lack of reproductive substance. We might see this clinically in the case of azoospermia or premature ovarian failure.

In a broad sense, Jing is the seed and the sustenance of life, and in a narrow sense Jing can be thought of, for men, as semen. Chinese and Taoist thought teaches that Jing deficiency can be induced from excessive sexual activity, most specifically, excessive ejaculation in men. The decline of Jing throughout a person’s life is evident in the changes that occur in reproductive capacity (Maxwell, 2012). In men, this is reflected in sperm, with production decreasing by 50–70% between the ages of 60 and 80. For women, Jing diminishes naturally through the menstrual cycle as ova are gradually depleted over the course of the reproductive years. This concept aligns with biomedical findings (Gilbert, 2000), which show that at birth, each ovary contains more than 1 million primary oocytes, of which only around 400 will mature and be ovulated during a woman’s reproductive lifetime.

While the Chinese concept of Jing doesn't directly or exclusively align with biomedical concepts like gametes, DNA, or stem cells, there are intriguing similarities worth exploring. Increasing evidence, both anecdotal and scientific, suggests that acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) can yield positive clinical outcomes (Carrell & Peterson, 2010). Treatment strategies focused on supplementing Kidney Jing are now being studied for fertility-related conditions like high DNA fragmentation, low egg reserve, sperm disomy, and premature ovarian failure. A TCM treatment strategy for these patients would be to tonify Kidney Jing with the intent of nurturing and exerting a positive clinical influence over the gametes. Animal studies have demonstrated that CHM treatments aimed at nourishing the Kidneys can stimulate ovulation and increase ovarian luteinizing hormone receptor expression in infertile rats (Wang & Xiong, 2009). Additionally, the treatments can effectively support fertility related to luteal insufficiency (Zhong, 2003). Practitioners should be aware though, that while it serves a clinical purpose within fertility medicine, simplifying the concept of Jing to mean only “human gametes” significantly reduces its overall clinical impact in other aspects of health.

Genetic and Epigenetic Implications of Jing

Prenatal Jing contains the power to organize life and enable it to take on specific characteristics. We can understand this through a more Western lens, such as DNA and genetics, by saying that Prenatal Jing provides the genetic makeup that informs the specifics of human life. Postnatal Jing, associated with Earth, is extracted from the substances and energies of life, concentrated and embodied by an individual. Humans transform this essence from their food, air, habits, and environment, and they are also transformed by it. In this way, we can theoretically compare Postnatal Jing to epigenetics.

Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child (2020) explains the role of epigenetics: “Variations in DNA sequences between individuals influence the way in which genes are expressed and how the proteins encoded by those genes will function. …The environment in which one develops provides powerful experiences that chemically modify certain genes which…Thus, while genetic factors exert potent influences, environmental factors have the ability to alter the genes that were inherited.”

Using this line of thinking, alteration of the genetic expression of gametes is being explored within the field of Chinese Medicine. Early studies have suggested that this may be possible using Jing nourishing Chinese Herbal Medicine. For example, a study by Tempest, et al. (2005) shows a significant reduction of sperm disomy, the proportion of sperm with an extra chromosome, in six men after undergoing CM herbal treatment. Though further research is needed to be conclusive, this study explores the possible therapeutic applications of CHM on genetic expression.

Declining Jing: Aging and Longevity

The natural decline of Kidney Jing is central to understanding many age-related conditions. Jing, the essence stored in the Kidneys, is linked to both physical and mental health, supporting overall vitality and resilience. As Jing depletes, it weakens the brain, bones, and nervous system, leading to common aging symptoms such as diminished strength, cognitive changes, and sensory decline. This decline can contribute to conditions like osteoporosis, infertility, anemia, dementia, and metabolic disorders.

Jing nourishes the Sea of Marrow, which includes the bone marrow, brain, and spinal cord. A deficiency in Jing can affect concentration, memory, and balance, while also leading to nervous system imbalances, dizziness, and brain fog. Hair health is similarly impacted—blood nourishes hair, and blood is partly produced by the Marrow, which relies on Jing. Studies have shown that individuals with Kidney deficiency have thinner hair with larger gaps between cuticles, in contrast to those with robust Jing. (Tang, 2008)

Kidney Qi also governs hearing, with age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) often seen as a sign of "Kidney Qi deficiency deafness." Research has found correlations between hearing loss in the elderly (Katavetin et al., 2016) and Kidney Deficiency in CM, and ear length, a marker of longevity tied to Kidney Jing, has been shown to decrease with reduced kidney function. (Katavetin et al., 2016)

Preventing Jing Deficiency and Supporting Postnatal Jing

In this famous passage of the Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen 黃帝內經素問 (Unschuld et al., 2011), the Yellow Emperor, Huang Di 黃帝, seeks wisdom from the master physician, Qi Bo 岐伯, on how the preservation and nurturing of Jing impacts human aging and reproductive ability. Qi Bo describes for him the natural maturation and aging process. Then Huang Di asks Qi Bo, “Now, those who follow the Way, they all reach a number of one hundred years. Can they have children?” Qi Bo replies, “Although their body has lived a long life, they are still able to produce children. Now, those who follow the Way, they can drive away old age and they preserve their physical appearance.”

This conversation illustrates the traditional Chinese belief, which has become a founding principle within Chinese Medicine, that Jing can be preserved through cultivation practices and balanced lifestyle habits, described here as “following the way of nature”.

Jing is viewed as a precious substance, to be protected above all to preserve health and long-life. This is demonstrated by the menstrual-ceasing Qi Gong practice of Daoist nuns and female practitioners (Despeux & Kohn, 2016). Because they did not possess the precise biomedical knowledge of eggs and sperm, the female analogue to male Jing (semen) was believed to be menstrual blood. Fu Qingzhu 傅青主, Qing-dynasty Chinese Medicine gynecologist, explains, “Menstruation is not blood but heavenly water or the Tian Gui. Originating in the Kidneys, it is the essence of consummate yin” (Fu & Yang, 1995). As such, menstruation was viewed as severely depleting to the Kidney Jing, and the practice of Qi Gong was used to preserve Jing. It is traditionally held that in the cultivation of Daoism, women must first eliminate illness, regulate menstruation, and then train themselves to “cut off the Red Dragon” (stop menstruation). A similar male Chinese sexual cultivation practice, huánjīng bǔnǎo 還精補腦 “returning the essence to replenish the brain,” was documented in ancient texts dating back to the Warring States period (475-221 BCE) (Harper, 1987). This technique involves abstaining from or limiting ejaculation (though not sexual activity) with the intent of feeding that vital life essence back into one’s own Jing and Qi reserve.

While there is a natural decline of prenatal Jing through reproductive and other biological activities, which contributes to the process of aging, Chinese Medicine teaches that Jing can be continuously supplemented by nurturing one’s Postnatal and Kidney Jing. Preventing Jing deficiency is twofold: 1) living in harmony with ourselves and the natural world to allow the candle to burn down as slowly as possible, and 2) actively cultivating postnatal Jing. Although we cannot alter the amount of Prenatal Jing inherited at conception, we can adopt practices to slow its depletion and build additional reserves that transform into Kidney Jing and Qi for daily use. We can also observe the tangible, clinical effects of nourishing Jing by using specific herbs, foods, and cultivation practices such as Qi Gong and meditation. There is a long East Asian medical tradition that gives us plentiful anecdotal evidence in favor of nourishing Postnatal Jing to counteract clinical signs of Jing deficiency. This demonstrates that while we cannot completely refill depleted Jing stores, we do have the ability to improve our patient’s clinical outcomes by applying these treatments in order to help our patients live long and vibrant lives.

Conclusion

Traditionally, Chinese Medicine views Jing as the distilled essence of life, derived from Heaven and Earth. By living in harmony with one’s nature and protecting this precious essence, one cultivates vitality which can be passed onto offspring. Jing refers to the vital substances inherited from parents and acquired through life that constitute the body's Zang-Fu and tissues. It is the fundamental material supporting all bodily functions and is the source of human life. By understanding the foundational principles of Jing, we become more effective clinicians for our patients. As practitioners, living within the worldview that encompasses Jing provides us with the vantage point necessary to not only correctly diagnose and treat our patients, but to understand the underlying constitutional energy with which they respond to treatment. When we consider Jing as a key factor in generation of Qi and transformation within the body and teach patients to live according to Jing-nourishing principles, it creates more profound positive treatment outcomes in the clinic.

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