🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Expert Profile
Zhu Jinlong
Born in 1965, from Qingyang, Gansu Province. Founder of Beijing Baijuntang TCM Health Preservation Research Institute, dedicated to studying TCM health preservation theory for nearly two decades.
Health Philosophy: Just like managing a career or family, health requires cultivation. People are not healthy because they are beautiful, but beautiful because they are healthy.
- Personal Secrets
One weekly fast to cleanse the intestines
Having one day of fasting per week benefits the body. One day prior, eat more low-quality foods such as various vegetables to expand the stomach. On the next day, consume nothing or only a small amount of fruit. This enhances gastric motility and promotes intestinal cleansing and detoxification.
One major workout per week
In addition to daily exercise, perform one moderate intense workout per week to promote sweating and detoxification. However, excessive frequent intense workouts may lead to qi and blood deficiency.
For Zhu Jinlong, TCM health preservation is a systematic endeavor. Though profound, he advocates simplifying complex practices. He is confident in his own health and promotes combining emotional well-being, dietary habits, physical activity, and sleep hygiene.
Fast Walking During Commute for Fitness
Regarding exercise, Zhu Jinlong believes there is no fixed form. You can move while watching TV or commuting. After long TV viewing, stand up and mimic jump rope movements. Take extra bus stops when commuting. When fatigued at work, press your nose against the wall and squat down and stand up.
"The body needs movement, but not random movement. Gentle, regular, sustained aerobic exercise lasting 30–50 minutes is ideal—too short lacks effect, too long is not advisable." For Zhu Jinlong, even walking has its science. While others emphasize "heel-first contact," he advocates "big strides." On the road from Shiliupu Huatang Mall to Dongdaqiao, you often see Zhu Jinlong briskly walking, covering over 7 kilometers in just 40 minutes. He says fast walking during commute is actually aerobic exercise—a pleasure and a path to health.
Avoid Tea Before and After Meals
"After work, no matter how big the issue, I forget it and eat at the scheduled time," is another principle Zhu Jinlong strictly follows besides exercise. "Eat slowly and chew thoroughly—it's easy to do but often overlooked," he says. He discourages drinking tea or beverages before and after meals because "the finest elixir is actually in your mouth"—saliva mixing with food between teeth breaks down food into easily digestible substances via enzymes. Drinking tea before meals or sipping beverages while eating dilutes gastric juices, impairing nutrient absorption and potentially causing nutritional deficiencies. The correct approach is to avoid drinking water (including soup and drinks) for half an hour before and after meals to maintain sufficient concentration of digestive fluids.
- Expert Dialogue
Do things seriously, live carefree
Reporter: With rising living standards, many people feel increasingly tired. What do you think?
Zhu Jinlong: In the past, people were physically exhausted but mentally free. Now, it's mental exhaustion. Causes include career stress, family pressure, fear of unemployment, and unfulfilled pursuit of fame and wealth. Ancient wisdom holds that health begins with mental well-being—meaning one must learn self-regulation. My philosophy is: Do things seriously, live carefree.
Reporter: In your view, what defines a healthy person?
Zhu Jinlong: Good sleep, good appetite, smooth bowel movements, abundant energy. From a TCM perspective, this means "four畅通 and one balance": unblocked blood pathways, unblocked qi pathways, unblocked meridians, unblocked food passage, and balanced five zang organs.
Reporter: What is the core of your TCM health preservation philosophy?
Zhu Jinlong: Balance. TCM emphasizes three key balances: emotional equilibrium, harmony between humans and nature, and balance among internal organs. Balance leads to self-healing; imbalance breeds multiple illnesses. The fundamental elements of the universe—metal, wood, water, fire, earth—must be balanced for favorable weather and flourishing life. The human body is akin to a miniature cosmos, where the functions of the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney must also maintain relative balance. Disruption leads to illness.
TCM health preservation is not forced; it follows natural laws—not torrential rain, but gentle drizzle.
Spring Health Tips
Warmth is Crucial
At the beginning of spring, when temperatures fluctuate, many women wear skirts already. However, warmth in spring is vital. Cold legs may impair spleen and stomach function, leading to stagnation of blood and qi, triggering menstrual pain, irregular menstruation, etc. During seasonal transitions, when heating stops, pay attention when sleeping. Too thin a blanket draws yang energy from the body to resist cold. Too thick a blanket causes overheating, forcing legs and feet outside, allowing cold to enter, disrupting food passage, impairing digestion and absorption, increasing risk of gastrointestinal diseases.
Consume More Yang Foods
Reduce intake of cold and raw foods. Deficiency of yang leads to internal heat, weak stomach yang may result in kidney qi deficiency and blood deficiency. Some people suffer from damp-cold accumulation; they need to strengthen the spleen to boost righteous qi. Eat warming yang foods, such as nourishing hotpot.
Choose Appropriate Exercise Timing
Spring exercise is beneficial. For middle-aged and elderly people, morning 9–10 AM is ideal, as it is the peak of yang energy. For young people, late afternoon 3–5 PM is suitable, as it is yang-in-yin, helping regulate bodily qi and blood flow.