🌿 Folk Prescriptions

TCM health preservation has been a focal point of study among generations of physicians. Based on my over thirty years of medical practice and personal experience, I offer brief insights on the concept of health preservation, its alignment with the Dao, and its connection with moral cultivation.
1. Concept of Health Preservation
In simple terms, health preservation means adapting to nature and systematically organizing lifestyle. Under the guidance of TCM theory, using appropriate means (including medication), adapting to natural laws to sustain life—this is TCM health preservation. Its purpose is to achieve "yin and yang balanced, spirit tranquil" and "serene and empty, true qi flows freely." The key lies in strengthening zang-fu organs, reinforcing the body’s foundation, preserving true qi, thereby serving preventive and anti-aging functions.
2. Health Preservation Must Follow the Dao
TCM health preservation stems from ancient Daoist philosophy—following nature, returning to simplicity. Laozi’s statement: "Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows nature," where "Dao" is central to his philosophical system. The Dao De Jing states: "One gives rise to two, two gives rise to three, three gives rise to myriad things. All things carry yin and embrace yang, and harmony arises from the interaction of opposing forces." Huainanzi·Yuan Dao states: "Dao gives rise to one, one gives rise to two." Here, "one" refers to the general term for qi in the universe. "Two" represents yin and yang. The Inner Canon states: "One yin and one yang is called Dao; deviating toward yin or yang is disease." "Yin and yang are the ways of heaven and earth." The Miaozhen Jing states: "People lose the Dao, not because the Dao loses people; people abandon life, not because life abandons people. Thus, those who preserve life must never lose the Dao; those who pursue the Dao must never lose life. Let Dao and life coexist, and life and Dao protect each other." "Dao" corresponds to the modern philosophical term "natural law" or "natural order." It reflects the evolution of all things, containing primitive dialectical thought. Thus, one must follow the Dao.
Human evolution occurred through adapting to and transforming nature, learning to follow the Dao. The interdependence and mutual reinforcement of health preservation and following the Dao—how they should "coexist" and "protect each other"—has long been advised to humanity. The earliest TCM classic, the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon, records: "Ancient people who understood the Dao followed yin and yang, harmonized with techniques, ate with moderation, lived with regularity, avoided excessive labor, thus achieving harmony between body and spirit, living to their full natural lifespan, reaching a hundred years before death. Today’s people are different—they treat wine as broth, recklessness as normal, indulge in sex after drunkenness, exhaust their essence through desire, dissipate their true qi, fail to maintain balance, do not regulate their spirit timely, seek only momentary pleasure, defy the joys of life, and live without rhythm, hence declining by fifty." This is the ancient health preservation rule.
3. Moral Cultivation Is Essential in Health Preservation
China’s renowned thinker and educator Confucius had a distinctive approach to health preservation: "Virtue nourishes the body; benevolent people live long" and "Those with great virtue inevitably attain longevity." His concept remains inspiring today. "Benevolent people" refers to those of noble character and high moral standing. Good interpersonal relationships are central to "benevolence"—benevolent people love others!
The theory that "health preservation relies on moral cultivation, and high virtue leads to longevity" has been validated by medical practice. Cultivating virtue means focusing on mental health—mental hygiene. TCM has long emphasized mental hygiene. As early as two thousand years ago, the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon stated: "Calm and serene, empty and tranquil, true qi flows freely, spirit guards inward—how could illness arise?" This clearly underscores the importance of mental care in health preservation. People of high virtue exhibit three main traits: First, they possess good interpersonal relationships—a key indicator of mental and physical well-being. Second, they have kind personalities—upright, open-minded, optimistic, resolute, emotionally rich. Third, they have strong social adaptability—able to accurately understand themselves and adapt to complex social environments. As ancient wisdom says: "A good physician must first heal the heart, then the body."
With the shift in medical and healthcare models, modern health is defined as a comprehensive integration of physical health, mental health (psychological well-being), and sound social adaptation—comprehensive health. Correctly understanding mental hygiene includes cultivating healthy personality traits and maintaining a positive mental state, thereby enhancing the quality of life.
4. Health Preservation and Detoxification
Modern toxicology defines toxins as substances that, when introduced in small amounts, chemically or physicochemically interact with body tissues, disrupting normal physiological functions and causing temporary or permanent pathological states. Toxins include external and internal sources. External toxins include bacteria, viruses, pesticides, fertilizers, drugs, air pollution, water pollution, heavy metal pollution, electromagnetic wave pollution, noise pollution, etc. Internal toxins are waste products generated during metabolism, accumulating and reactivating within the body.
TCM holds that "toxins" invading the body obstruct qi movement, deplete blood and qi, disrupt the normal functioning of zang-fu organs, channels, blood, qi, and defensive qi, leading to disease and aging. Modern medical research shows that long-term accumulation of toxins inevitably causes dysfunction in multiple tissue cells, posing serious threats to human health. Toxins can induce various diseases—including cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, digestive and urinary system disorders—and impair the immune system.
To achieve disease prevention, strengthening the body, and health preservation, detoxification and neutralization must be employed to minimize toxin damage. Detoxification refers to the process of expelling toxins, maintaining clear elimination pathways and unobstructed routes. Particularly, keeping the digestive tract unblocked is crucial—the ease of defecation is a key indicator of whether the digestive and detoxification pathways are clear. From a medical standpoint, bowel movements are the simplest and most effective way to eliminate toxins. Ancient Jin Dynasty physician Ge Hong said: "If you wish to live long, keep your intestines clean; if you wish to avoid death, keep your bowels free of feces." This illustrates that eliminating waste through defecation leads to longevity. Detoxification means neutralizing and resolving toxins. It has two meanings: First, direct detoxification—using drugs to directly neutralize and resolve toxins. Second, indirect detoxification—utilizing the body’s own organ functions to achieve toxin neutralization and resolution.
5. TCM Health Preservation and Sub-Health States
What is a sub-health state? According to modern medical standards distinguishing health and disease, the intermediate state between health and disease is called a sub-health state, also known as the third state of the body. TCM health preservation embodies the preventive philosophy of "treating pre-illness rather than illness." Pre-illness is similar to the current concept of sub-health but not identical. Because the TCM concept of pre-illness includes four aspects: prevention before illness, changing course after illness, early treatment of illness, and remission phase of chronic illness. Since TCM health preservation aims to prevent disease and strengthen the body, it necessarily improves sub-health states.
Approximately half the population exists in a sub-health state—this is a broad, significant issue worthy of study. Sub-health states can develop in two directions: toward health or toward disease. TCM health preservation aims to promote the body’s transformation toward a healthy state (including mental health).
6. Conclusion
TCM health preservation encompasses behavioral, environmental, physical, dietary, and other cultural practices. More importantly, it must follow the Dao, prioritize moral cultivation, employ detoxification and neutralization, and promote transformation from sub-health to physical and mental well-being—achieving the ultimate goal of TCM health preservation: strengthening the body, preventing disease, and resisting aging. With growing recognition of concepts like "pre-illness" and sub-health, combining TCM health preservation techniques—such as herbal decoctions, food therapy, qigong, daoyin, and massage—with rational improvements in diet and nutrition and enhanced self-care awareness can play a crucial role in improving and adjusting sub-health states. Due to evolving times and societal progress, the connotation and scope of "health" and "wellness" have deepened and expanded. True health and wellness are no longer merely about treating illness but about promoting human health, enhancing life quality, and preventing disease. Ensuring everyone enjoys a high-quality, vibrant, meaningful life.