During the Warring States Period, the so-called health regimen began to become popular. Confucius advocated "continuous self-improvement" and Laozi's view of health preservation was "purity and inaction." Although the Chinese health regimen did not put forward specific actions, However, many theoretical steps were proposed. Later, the so-called "food nourishment" also became popular in various dynasties in China. In different ways, we can achieve what humans have wanted to achieve since ancient times - immortality. The true meaning of immortality is whether it literally means "living forever", or whether the view of things around you can turn the execution and pursuit of Tao into an endless pursuit like Laozi and Zhuangzi. In this regard, we will divide it into three parts - elixirs, medicines, and ingredients, conduct systematic analysis and discussion, and find out how to mix and match ingredients and medicines, and the reasons why this is done. Choosing "food" as the gateway to immortality is because of the all-encompassing wisdom we have in "food". Starting here, we can see China's long-established view of health. 1. Alchemy In China, alchemy can be roughly divided into two types: elixir and gold refining. The former is for longevity, and the latter is for wealth. People who are addicted to this believe that the quality of gold and silver minerals is not easy to decay and change. Therefore, if a person takes their essence, they will certainly be immortal. Li Bai, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, and Su Dongpo, who suffered a lot of troubles in the Song Dynasty, are all fans of this art. The first king of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han who led the prosperity of Han also left records of searching for elixirs. Naturally, there was also the first Emperor Ai of Jin who died from elixirs. 01. Development The development of taking elixirs is almost directly proportional to the power of the country. People with higher positions and greater desires naturally want to prolong their lifespan. This is why the art of elixirs was so popular in the Han and Tang Dynasties. A. Before the Han Dynasty, alchemy was not popular. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, people were still visiting foreign countries for elixirs. King Qin once sent Xu Fu to Penglai. During the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, although many people submitted golden elixirs to the emperor, However, Emperor Wu did not put himself in danger, so although it was popular at that time, it can still be seen that people at that time still held a wait-and-see attitude towards elixirs. B. Change - a deeper understanding of minerals. After seeing Emperor Xuan, the atmosphere changed greatly. The reason for the change was Liu Xiang, a famous scholar in the Western Han Dynasty. Some of the immortals in "The Biography of Immortals" became immortals after taking homemade elixirs. For example, Renguang from Shangcai, Henan, and Chiaxe. This can also prove that at the time of Emperor Xuan, the understanding of minerals such as cinnabar deepened. C. Silence Alchemy was slightly silent at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. Perhaps it was because of the politics and economy at that time that there was not enough money and time to cultivate it. For elixirs that were costly and time-consuming, there were less than Avoid the grain and vomit. a. Five Stone Powder is strongly advocated by He Yan. The elixir he takes is called "Wu Shi Powder", which is made by heating other cinnabar together with other minerals and taking it directly. However, the ingredients in "Wu Shi Powder" contain many toxic chemicals such as mercury, which accumulate in the body and cause vasodilation and mild inflammation. But because it was popular among nobles, everyone still took it as usual. b. Ge Hong's theoretical basis. In the early years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Ge Hong completed the theoretical construction of Taoism, and made alchemy into immortality and medicine for health more rational. The book "Baopuzi" explains his own theory of immortal Taoism. "Baopuzi" is divided into "Inner Chapter" and "Outer Chapter". The "Inner Pian" mainly talks about magical prescriptions, while the "Outer Pian" talks about gains and losses in the world. He affirmed that the best way to become an immortal was to take Huandan Gold Liquid, and he summarized the classification of immortal medicines, which provided a theoretical basis for future generations. c. First trial of elixirs. The first emperor to become king by taking elixirs was Emperor Ai of Jin Dynasty. He was also the first emperor to try elixirs himself since Ge Hong completed his theoretical basis. After this, Emperor Daowu of the Northern Wei Dynasty also died under the influence of elixirs. At this time, it was a big blow to those who supported taking elixirs. Perhaps because of this, elixirs during this period were slightly silent. D. Popular development. Although Xuanzong supported Taoist health-preserving methods in the Tang Dynasty, in the middle and late period, he gradually became impatient to work on this method, so he began to rely on golden elixirs to immediately become indestructible. Such as Xianzong, Mu Zong, and Wuzong. After the Tang Dynasty, the fact that the external elixir was too hot and poisonous finally aroused alarm, and the methods of alchemy also changed in terms of materials. The inner alchemy method also became popular from this time on. 02. Ingredients A. Baopuzi a. The first type of elixir: cinnabar, gold and silver are the best. Mica, pearl, realgar, Taiyi Yu's leftover grain, stone yellow seeds, quartz, stone sulfur, Zeng Qing are also very effective. b. The second type of elixir Wu Zhi - Shi Zhi, wood Zhi, grass Zhi, meat Zhi, fungus Zhizhi c. The third type of elixir is Chinese herbal medicine with tonic effect, such as rehmannia glutinosa, Ophiopogon japonicus, wolfberry, and sesame. B. Five Stone Powder contains white quartz, amethyst quartz, stalactite, red stone fat, and a small amount of cinnabar. 2. Health-preserving medicine 01. Medicine bait A. Qi-enhancing function Qi has various meanings, but in summary, it is nothing more than the essence of water grains, breathing Qi, as well as the true essence of organ tissue activity and disease resistance. gas. Since the qi of water grains is related to the spleen, the qi of breathing is related to the lungs, and the qi of true energy comes from the kidneys, Chinese medicines that replenish qi and prolong life are all closely related to these three internal organs. The traditional Chinese medicines for replenishing qi recorded in "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" mainly include ginseng, dangshen, astragalus, atractylodes, poria, yam, meat, lentils, jujube, licorice, etc. Among them, ginseng is the eternal leader of tonics. B. Blood-nourishing function Among the blood-nourishing medicines, Rehmannia glutinosa, Polygonum multiflorum, longan, Angelica sinensis, peony, Ziheche and other medicines have long enjoyed a high reputation.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "qi is the master of blood." Qi can promote the growth of blood, so qi-tonifying medicines such as ginseng, astragalus, and jujube also have the effect of nourishing blood. C. Yin-nourishing function: True yin originates in the kidneys, so most yin-nourishing medicines also have the function of nourishing the kidneys, especially kidney yin. From the perspective of health preservation, the popular medicinal baits for nourishing yin mainly include Polygonatum, Ligustrum lucidum, Asparagus, donkey-hide gelatin, turtle shell, etc. D. Function of assisting yang The opposite of nourishing yin is assisting yang. The more well-known ones include dodder, psoralen, walnut kernels, Morinda officinalis, Cistanche deserticola, dogwood, Eucommia ulmoides, deer ear, aconite, and cinnamon. The relationship between the five internal organs and yin and yang qi and blood. The heart governs blood, the lungs govern qi, the liver blood, the spleen governs blood and governs qi, and the kidney essence is the root of yin and yang. Therefore, blood-tonifying drugs are mostly nourishing the heart and liver, and qi-tonifying drugs Many medicines are good for the lungs and spleen, and many medicines for tonifying yin and yang also tonify the liver and kidneys. 02. Medicinal porridge Porridge is a kind of food that is easy to digest and beneficial to the body. Add medicine or nutritious food to the porridge and eat it together. It is especially suitable for the elderly and the sick and weak. It is also often eaten for the purpose of immortality. It has been recorded in books since ancient times and is widely used by people. Su Juxian is a famous calligrapher. His diet is: eat porridge for three meals a day, breakfast, lunch is thicker, and dinner is thinner. And adding a certain amount of barley flour to the porridge further improves the nutritional value of the porridge. 03. Medicinal wine - the first of a hundred medicines. It can be regarded as the oldest medicine in the world. The word "wine" has not been found in the oracle bone inscriptions of the Yin and Shang Dynasties around 1,000 BC, but there are pictures that have been handed down. No matter what kind of wine, it can dispel cold, activate blood, promote circulation, relax muscles, relieve pain and warm the body. Most of the users of medicinal wine are soju, which soaks single or several kinds of medicines with various curative effects in the wine and drinks them to treat diseases or health. Medicinal wine is often used to treat frozen shoulder, rheumatism, neuralgia, paralysis, cold hands and feet, etc. In the "Compendium of Materia Medica" written by Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty, it is recorded that there are Acanthopanax bark wine, Angelica sinensis wine, wolfberry wine, ginseng wine, deer ear wine, deer bone wine, etc. There are 2,000 kinds of medicinal wines from long time ago. 04. Medicinal tea. The first secretary of "Taiping Shenghui Fang" written in the third year of Chunhua in Song Dynasty (published in 992 AD) recorded the names of eight kinds of medicinal tea (mint tea, gypsum tea, etc.) in "Medicinal Tea Prescriptions". "Heji Bureau Prescription" compiled by imperial physicians of the Song Dynasty records that "Ligusticum chuanxiong tea" is also used in modern times to treat autonomic nervous system disorders such as migraine, nasal congestion, fever and limb pain, and women's pain. Medicinal tea is recorded in "Yinshan Zhengyao", which shows that medicinal tea was used in the palace. It was also widely used in the court of the Qing Dynasty. Mountain dregs tea, Chuanxiong tea, wolfberry tea, ebony tea, salvia tea, moxa leaf tea, ginger tea, cassia seed tea, persimmon tea, polygonum multiflorum tea, calamus tea, chrysanthemum tea, etc., all put a single flavor into the water. After boiling, you can drink it instead of tea, so you can get the medicinal effects of each single flavor. 3. How to maintain health through diet 01. The source of maintaining health According to the records of "Zhou Li Tianguan", the court doctors at that time were divided into four types: food and clothing, disease doctors, injury doctors, and veterinarians. Among them, food doctors are nutrition doctors who manage the diet of emperors. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, our country had a thorough understanding of the relationship between diet and health. Confucianism said in "The Analects of Confucius Xiangdang Chapter 10": "You will never tire of fine food, and you will never tire of fine food. If you eat the food, you will be tired of the fish and the meat will be rotten. You will not eat it. Although there is a lot of meat, it will not make you tired of eating, but if you drink too much, it will not cause chaos." Do not eat preserved fruits when selling wine. Do not eat too much ginger." This can be regarded as the earliest written record of dietary hygiene in ancient my country. Confucius believed that not only should people choose fresh ingredients for their diet, but they should also pay special attention to cooking. Confucius also mentioned: "A gentleman has nothing to eat to satisfy himself, and a home to live in peace." It can be seen from the above that Confucianism attaches great importance to the issue of diet. However, regarding the issue of diet, although later generations of Confucianism have developed their own ideas, Confucius's description is the most comprehensive. 02. Food supplements with light tea and light meals are an iron rule in the development of traditional health care in my country. Food supplements not only include dietary therapy and replenishing essence after illness, but the original intention of health preservation is also to regulate daily diet. Among so many meat and vegetarian options, traditional health practitioners seem to focus more on light vegetarian options. From a nutritional point of view, vegetables and soy products are helpful for digestion. These light and nutritious vegetarian foods are more suitable for the elderly. If they can eat vegetarian food to a certain extent, they can effectively inhibit heart disease and high blood pressure. When diseases come, the large amount of fiber contained in vegetarian food can also remove the dirt in the intestines in time and keep the body healthy. Back to modern times, although the diet is still mainly vegetarian, not all meat and fishy foods are avoided, because in terms of nutritional content, animal foods contain a large amount of protein and lipids, so a proper combination of meat and vegetables is also included in the diet. Health care is valued. Zhu Xi also said: "Don't be full, don't be greedy, eat at the right time, and eat without shame." In short, the diet should be simple and simple, and don't eat too much.