🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Sexuality, or sexual activity, is a distinctive feature of ancient Chinese health preservation. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that “sexual activity can nurture life or destroy it—like fire and water. Those who understand how to use it can preserve life; those who misuse it will perish immediately.” Sexual relations should follow natural principles, avoiding harm, requiring skillful practice, and forming an essential part of longevity cultivation. Practical experience shows that moderate and enjoyable sexual activity benefits mental and physical health. However, human sexuality is influenced not only by biological factors but also by social environment, psychology, genetics, and disease. Therefore, correct understanding and healthy management of sexual life are vital for well-being.
Do Not Engage in Sex While Drunk
Alcohol is a strong stimulant that easily causes genital engorgement and excitement, impairing self-control and leading to excessive sexual activity, thereby depleting kidney essence. Ancient wisdom repeatedly warns: “Never engage in sex while drunk. Intimacy after drunkenness or overeating leads to pallor, coughing, shortness of breath—severe cases cause organ failure and death.” “Sex while intoxicated exhausts the liver and intestines. Men suffer reduced semen and erectile dysfunction; women experience weakened menstruation and prolonged vaginal discharge.” Modern medicine confirms that chronic drunken sex weakens immune system regulation. Clinical cases of erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and menstrual disorders are often linked to sex after drinking.
Abstinence Preserves Essence for Longevity
The *Inner Canon* states: “Essence is the root of life.” Essence is fundamental material constituting the human body and sustaining life activities. Preserving essence is crucial for strengthening health. Essence belongs primarily to the kidneys. Excessive indulgence damages kidney essence and further harms other organs, affecting health and accelerating aging or shortening lifespan. Modern medicine indicates that excessive sexual activity reduces the immune system’s regulatory capacity—because intercourse induces intense whole-body excitement, consuming vast energy and diminishing organ adaptability. Statistics show that among 209 ancient Chinese emperors whose birth and death dates are recorded, average lifespan was only 39 years, with 31 dying before age 20. Qing Emperor Qianlong learned from the tragic fates of short-lived predecessors and adopted the health practices “Don’t get drunk, don’t overindulge in sex,” living to 88. Tang Dynasty physician Sun Simiao lived to 102, famously advising: “Avoid excessive cold and heat; don’t indulge in lust. Don’t have sex when drunk or full. Overstimulation disrupts the five zang organs. Let desire burn slowly—remain celibate alone.”
Practice Strengthening Kidney Exercises
Many methods exist to strengthen the kidneys. Here are several simple, effective ones:
(1) Teeth Clenching and Saliva Swallowing with Perineal Contraction
Each morning, clench teeth 100 times, then lick the palate and gums with the tongue, collect saliva in the mouth, and swallow it repeatedly, directing the flow to the lower abdomen (dantian). “Perineal contraction” means tightening the anus during inhalation and relaxing during exhalation—one cycle counts as one. Repeat 50 times. This method nourishes yin, reduces fire, strengthens teeth, preserves essence, and prevents sexual dysfunction.
(2) Massage Yongquan Point
Sit comfortably. Rub both feet’s Yongquan points (located on the sole, near the ball of the foot) 100 times each, focusing awareness on the point with rhythmic motion. This technique harmonizes heart and kidney, guides fire downward, effectively treating insomnia and nocturnal emission.
(3) Palms Rubbing the Waist
Adopt a seated position. Place palms on the Shenshu points (near the waist), with middle fingers aligned with the Mingmen point (second lumbar vertebra). Focus attention on Mingmen. Rub palms from top to bottom 40–100 times, generating warmth in the area. This method warms the kidneys, retains essence, and helps prevent male conditions like nocturnal emission, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and female conditions like cold leukorrhea and menstrual irregularities.