The Importance of Essence, Qi, Blood, and Body Fluid

“Essence, qi, blood, and body fluid” are the four basic substances that make up the human body and ensure its vitality. The viscera, meridians, internal organs, and other tissues of the human body are composed of these four basic ingredients, and they all rely on the nourishment of essence, qi, blood, and body fluid to conduct normal physiological activities.

Essence

(I) The Basic Concept of Essence

“Essence” literally means focus and subtlety, and refers to all the subtle substances, which are the most basic ingredients that build the human body and maintain the activities of it.

Essence in Chinese medicine can be named differently and implies different things according to its various sources, distribution, and functions. The most encountered ones are:

1. Congenital Essence: Inherited and derived from the parents pre-natal. It is innate in nature and is the most primitive substance that constitutes the embryo and from there the origin of life.
2. Reproductive Essence: It is stored in the kidneys and comes from the kidney essence. It is transformed from the congenital essence and with the help of the acquired essence, performs the function of reproducing the next generation’s offspring. The male and female reproduction essence come together to form an embryo as a product to reproduce the next generation’s offspring.
3. Water and grain essence, also known as “acquired essence.” It is formed after absorption by the spleen and stomach and other viscera through the metabolism of water and grain after birth and is an important ingredient to maintain all human life activities.
4. Viscera and internal organs essence: it is the essence stored in the five viscera and six internal organs, from which this term is derived. The functional activities of all visceral and internal organs not just need to be stimulated and promoted by the innate essence, but also need to be nourished by the acquired essence. Therefore, the essence of viscera and internal organs contains both congenital, as well as acquired essence. This derived essence from the two primitives is needed in maintaining the functional activities of the five visceral and six internal organs.

(II) Generation of Essence

The source of essence can be divided into congenital (innate) essence and acquired essence.

The innate essence is endowed by the parents, derived when the reproductive essence of the parents is combined into one. And when the preliminary embryo is formed, the pre-natal essence is transformed to become the primary essence of the embryo (the next generation). The fetus, while still inside the amniotic sac going through its pre-natal development phases, is dependent entirely on its mother’s energy and blood for nourishment. Therefore, the innate essence also includes the nutrients that the fetus received from its mother.

Acquired essence comes from water and grain. After one is born, the spleen and stomach work in unison to transport and absorb all the subtlety of water and grain and distribute it to the five viscera and six internal organs to become the essence of them, and to maintain their physiological activities. Those of the best quality are stored in the kidneys to keep the essence in the kidneys full.

In other words, the source of the essence of the human body starts with the innate essence, which is continuously nourished after birth by the acquired essence. This combination of the essence of the past and present work in harmony, enhancing and assisting each other to maintain the full capacity of essence within the human body at all times.

(III) Function of Essence

1. Reproduction
   “Reproductive Essence” is the most primitive substance of life, which has the function of reproducing offspring.
2. Growth and development
   Essence is the material basis for human growth and development.
3. Marrow production to make blood
   Kidneys store the essence, and the essence produces the marrow in turn. The marrow is further subdivided into the brain, spinal cord, and bone marrow, all of which are based on kidney essence to start with.
   Essence is the main substance that makes blood, and it is done in two ways. One is by transforming water and grain essence into blood; the other is the transformation of kidney essence (generating marrow) into the blood. When the essence is full, there will be a sufficient blood supply.
4. Humidification
   Essence has the effect of moistening and nourishing all the viscera and internal organs, and other tissues within the human body.