Essence, qi and spirit are concepts in ancient philosophy, which refer to the original matter that constitutes everything in the universe, including the meaning of elements. Chinese medicine believes that essence, qi and spirit are the basis of human life activities. In ancient times, people who paid attention to health preservation called "essence, qi and spirit" the three treasures of the human body. As people often say, "There are three treasures in the sky: the sun, the moon and the stars; The earth has three treasures of water, fire and wind: people have three treasures of God, Qi and essence. " Therefore, nourishing essence, qi and spirit is the main principle of fitness and anti-aging, especially when essence, qi and spirit are gradually declining, people should cherish this "three treasures" when they are old. The ancients attached great importance to this. Gou Zi thinks: "If you are prepared and move, you can't get sick;" You can't move it if you raise it a little. You can't build all the Tao that day. "There are two meanings here: one is to pay attention to the material supplement of essence, qi and spirit; The second is to emphasize that the "three treasures" cannot be abused.

What is the essence? Essence is the material basis that constitutes the human body and maintains human life activities. Broadly speaking, essence includes essence, blood and body fluid. Generally speaking, essence refers to the true yin of human body (also called Yuan Yin), which not only has reproductive function, promotes the growth and development of human body, but also can resist the influence of various external adverse factors and avoid the occurrence of diseases. Therefore, the yin essence is full, which not only grows normally, but also has strong disease resistance. There are two sources of essence: the first and the second. Congenital essence depends on parents and plays the role of "the root of life" in the whole life activities. However, the innate essence needs constant material supplement to ensure that people's essence is not lacking and can play a role. This substance is the acquired essence. The essence of the day after tomorrow is a kind of nutrients from diet, also known as Shui Gu essence. With the continuous supplement of nutrients, human life activities can be maintained. The ancients said, "The kidney is the foundation of nature, and the spleen and stomach are the foundation of the day after tomorrow." Therefore, the strong function of the spleen and stomach is the key to maintain the essence, that is, Huangdi Neijing emphasizes that "if you get food, you will prosper, but if you lose food, you will die"; The ancients said: "When people are old, their true qi is exhausted and their five internal organs are weak. It all depends on his diet of qi and blood. " Therefore, paying attention to a comprehensive and balanced diet is an important means to ensure nutrition. "Dry Gold Recipe" once said: "Eating frugally in the season, greed will harm the health, the spleen and stomach of the elderly will be thin, but it will be useless, and Peng enjoys shortness of breath", which is not conducive to health. What is a "good diet"? Summarizing the experience of predecessors is nothing more than timing, quantification, fairness and non-addiction. Only on the basis of proper diet can we consider the problem of drug nourishing. When taking tonic drugs, you must "supplement according to syndrome differentiation" under the guidance of a doctor, otherwise it may be counterproductive. In a word, reasonable food supplement and medicine supplement are very important for the maintenance of the body.

What is qi? Qi is the motive force of life activities. Qi has two meanings: it is a tiny and invisible substance running in the body, and it is also the ability of various organs and tissues of the human body to move. Therefore, the qi mentioned by Chinese medicine is both a substance and a function. Breathing, breathing, Shui Gu metabolism, nutrition dressing, blood circulation, body fluid moistening, resisting exogenous pathogens and other life activities all depend on the gasification function to maintain. "A New Book on Life Support and Pension" says: "beginning of life is angry and obsessed. Supplementing qi can give them a way. " The book also summarizes some experiences of the ancients in invigorating qi: "First, speak less and replenish qi and blood;" Second, abstinence, nourishing essence, third, thin taste and nourishing blood; Fourth, pharyngeal fluid. Nourish dirty qi; Fifth, do not be angry and nourish the liver: sixth, eat well and nourish the stomach; Seven. Think less and nourish your heart more. "These seven points emphasize" cautious cultivation ":however, because qi is popular in the whole body and constantly exercises, the human body should also exercise properly to promote the rise and fall of viscera and qi. Will be conducive to maintaining the normal physiological function of the body. Therefore, the ancients advocated that "the human body wants work, but not extreme (excessive)." "All kinds of fitness exercises and qigong handed down in our country are valuable heritages of nourishing qi by moving.

What is a god? God is the supreme commander of all life activities such as spirit, will, perception and movement. It includes activities such as soul, spirit, will, ambition, thinking, anxiety and wisdom, through which people's health can be reflected. For example, bright eyes are the concrete embodiment of God. The ancients attached great importance to man's god, and "Su Wen Shifting Essence and Changing Qi" also said: "Those who gain God prosper, those who lose God die." Because God is strong when he is full, weak when he is weak, alive when he exists, and dead when he goes. When treating a disease in traditional Chinese medicine, the prognosis of the patient is judged by observing the "spirit" of the patient, and the prognosis is good if the patient is full of qi; Without pride, the prognosis is poor. This is also one of the important contents of the visit.

Essence, qi and spirit complement each other and are closely related. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the source of human life is essence, the motive force to maintain life is qi, and the embodiment of life is the activity of God. Therefore, the fine rise is enough and the spirit is prosperous; Deficiency of essence leads to deficiency, while deficiency of qi leads to deficiency of qi. On the other hand, Wang Shen means full of gas, and full of gas means full of essence. Traditional Chinese medicine evaluates a person's health, or the pros and cons of diseases, from these three aspects. Therefore, it is reasonable for the ancients to call essence, qi and spirit the "three treasures" of the human body. The ancients said that "essence, qi and spirit die, and qi and spirit die", so it is not difficult to see that "essence, qi and spirit" are the foundation of human life.