🌿 Folk Prescriptions

I. On the Name of the "Inner Canon Diagram":
The "Inner Canon Diagram" or "Inner Scene Diagram" differs significantly in content and intent, though related. Strictly speaking, the "Inner Scene Diagram" depicts internal organs’ anatomy, aiming to visually guide learners in human anatomy and visceral relationships. In contrast, the "Inner Canon Diagram" clearly serves as a visual guide to Daoist health cultivation methods. Both may originate from relevant content in the "Huangdi Neijing," and the name "Inner Canon Diagram" may imply "classical text on inner alchemy cultivation."
II. Relationship Between the "Inner Canon Diagram" and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Daoism
From the essence of the "Inner Canon Diagram," its depiction of visceral physiology and anatomical locations relates closely to TCM’s health, longevity, and cultivation knowledge—possibly evolving from TCM content. However, its re-naming and re-defining of visceral functions, along with illustrated training techniques, shows stronger Daoist theoretical characteristics.
TCM’s historical development has been closely linked with Daoism in China. Especially TCM’s health cultivation theories and techniques are deeply intertwined with Daoist immortality ideals and practices. Daoist thought profoundly permeates the foundational texts of TCM—the "Huangdi Neijing" and the "Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing." In other words, Daoist ideas on health and longevity partially guided the development of Chinese medicine. For example, the opening of "Huangdi Neijing·Suwen" asks: "I hear that in ancient times, people lived to a hundred years, yet their movements didn’t decline; today’s people, half a century old, already show signs of decline—why?" Qi Bo replies: "Ancient people who understood the Dao followed yin-yang, harmonized with numerical arts... thus living out their full lifespan, reaching a hundred years. ... The Dao can delay aging and preserve the body. Thus, one can live as long as heaven and earth, with no end." The "Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing" categorizes herbs into upper, middle, and lower grades. Upper-grade herbs describe those that, when consumed, lighten the body, extend life, and grant immortality—almost entirely reflecting Daoist alchemy and elixir practices aimed at health, longevity, and even immortality.
Renowned ancient TCM physicians such as Ge Hong of the Jin Dynasty, Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty, Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty, and Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty were not only great physicians but also profound scholars of Daoist philosophy, deeply versed in Daoist health cultivation. They made major contributions to TCM’s development and significantly advanced TCM’s health, longevity, and wellness by integrating Daoist cultivation philosophies and methods.
With societal progress and scientific development, Daoist health cultivation increasingly mystified its content—body organs, meridians, positions, and functions—during the late Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties. It developed a subtle, cryptic style, with riddles and metaphors proliferating, and naming and theories became increasingly diverse, making it harder for ordinary people to understand and master. It became the exclusive domain of a few Daoist masters and priests. Influenced by Daoist health ideas, TCM gradually freed itself from the goal of immortality, absorbing and developing beneficial aspects for human health and disease prevention, becoming a more scientific model of health cultivation.
III. Daoist Health Cultivation and the "Inner Canon Diagram"
Daoist pursuit of health and longevity is concentrated in:
1. Cultivating elixirs for immortality, hoping to achieve immortality through consuming elixirs—known as the outer alchemy school;
2. Practicing inner alchemy, later developed into stillness cultivation (qi gong), incorporating some theories and terminology from outer alchemy into body-based stillness practices—now known as qigong.
3. Guiding exercises like Wu Qin Xi and Tai Chi Quan.
Outer alchemy flourished in the Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin periods. Due to widespread poisoning from elixir consumption, it faced opposition from physicians and academics and eventually declined. Stillness qigong and dynamic exercises like Wu Qin Xi and Tai Chi Quan continued to develop and enrich.
The "Inner Canon Diagram" represents the essence of Daoist stillness cultivation, featuring abundant cryptic language, riddles, and metaphors in its illustrations and explanations—typical of Daoist styles from the Song and Ming dynasties.
Analysis suggests the "Inner Canon Diagram" was likely painted by Daoist artists from the Qing Dynasty’s Royal Studio. Its conceptual basis probably originates from the "Xingming Gui Zhi" compiled by an anonymous disciple of the Ming Dynasty qigong master Yin Zhen during the Wanli era (1573–1619). Comparing the "Inner Canon Diagram" with the "Xingming Gui Zhi," some believe the former directly inherited the latter’s intricate, riddle-like artistic style, making the visualization of the small-circle method (inner alchemy cultivation) more obscure, vivid, and artistic. The entire human body is concealed within a "landscape painting," using riddles and metaphors combined with exquisite artwork to vividly convey the Daoist "inner alchemy cultivation" doctrine, methods, and techniques.
Inner alchemy: Using the human body as a furnace, essence and qi as medicine, and spirit to manipulate essence and qi through mental cultivation to form the elixir—called inner alchemy or "sacred embryo." Su Xuanlang of the Sui Dynasty called breathing and guiding exercises "inner alchemy." Wang Fu Zi revealed the characteristic of inner alchemy: "It uses obscure language, metaphorically referring to dragons, tigers, lead, mercury, and their union, allowing self-realization."
Small Circulation: Full name "Yin-Yang Cycle—Small Circulation." The practitioner closes eyes and sits quietly, inhaling fresh air through the nose, directing it downward to the lower abdomen (Dantian), passing through the anus and ascending along the Du Meridian from the tailbone (lower gateway) to the spine (middle gateway), then to the occiput (upper gateway), reaching the crown (Baihui), entering the brain (Shangdan Tian, or between the eyebrows as Shangdan Tian), descending along the face to meet the Ren Meridian, proceeding to the chest’s Zhongdan Tian (Chest Middle Dantian), then descending to the lower Dantian, and retracing the original path—this completes one small circulation. The practitioner can determine where to retain the breath and focus their mind based on their physical condition and illness, aiming to strengthen the body, prevent disease, and prolong life.
According to Daoist belief: Once the upper, middle, and lower Dantians and the upper, middle, and lower gateways are opened, the Ren and Du meridians can circulate continuously, enabling enhanced vitality, disease resistance, longevity, and even immortality.