Your Starting Point

What you've just stepped into is a lineage of herbalism that goes back thousands of years, and it looks at your health very differently to the modern approach. Rather than starting with a symptom and trying to make it go away, this tradition starts with the treasure in your body that's calling out to be cultivated. Tend to that, and health has a place to radiate out from.

You've been drawn to one of these treasures as your starting point. It's not a label and it's not a diagnosis, it's simply the place we begin to build from. Here's what the old Taoist herbalists understood about it.

Deeper reserves: Yin Jing, the reservoir

Yin Jing is the deep, cool reservoir you were born with: your essence, your inherited capacity, the stores that everything else in the body quietly draws on. When it's full, life feels resourced and you recover well. It gets drained by years of running on adrenaline, chronic stress, poor sleep, overwork, too much stimulation and never truly resting.

When it starts to fill back up, there's a groundedness and steadiness that returns. You can go hard and actually bounce back, and you don't feel like you're borrowing from tomorrow just to get through today. In the tradition this is the territory of the Kidneys, bones, marrow and brain. In Western language you might think of your hormonal and adrenal reserves, deep restorative sleep, and the resilience of your nervous system.

Herbs traditionally reached for here: rehmannia, goji, schisandra.

Try exploring JINGTry exploring Rehmannia

Fire back: Yang Jing, the spark

Yang Jing is the pilot light that sits within your reserves. It's the warmth, drive and potency that turns potential into action, and it's what gives you that get-up-and-go and a sense of strength in your body and libido. It gets drained by burnout, cold and stagnant living, chronic exhaustion, and simply pushing past empty for too long.

When it's lit again, you feel warm, potent and motivated. Your willpower comes back without needing to force it, along with a strength and confidence that's physical rather than just mental. Traditionally this is Kidney Yang, the fire of the lower back and the reproductive system. In Western terms think of vitality, healthy hormones, circulation and stamina.

Herbs traditionally reached for here: deer antler, eucommia, cistanche, cordyceps.

Try exploring Deer AntlerTry exploring Eucommia

Feel electric: Qi, the current

Qi is the energy you live on day to day. It's made fresh each day from the food you digest and the air you breathe, then sent out to power every system you've got. It gets drained by irregular eating, constant snacking on the run, shallow breathing, sitting all day and over-thinking, all of which wear on the digestion that makes your Qi.

When Qi is flowing you get that warm hum through the body. Momentum builds easily, your afternoons stop collapsing, and you feel like your whole system has come online. In the tradition this is the Spleen and Lungs, the engines of digestion and breath. In Western terms think of metabolism, absorption, immunity, and steady energy through the day.

Herbs traditionally reached for here: astragalus, white atractylodes, poria.

Try exploring QITry exploring Gynostemma TeaTry exploring Lion's Mane

Fully nourished: Blood, the river that feeds the treasures

In Taoist herbalism, Blood is the rich river that carries nourishment to every treasure. It moistens, warms and anchors you, and it gives colour and life to the skin, hair and eyes. It gets drained by under-eating, poor absorption, heavy cycles, overwork and long stretches of giving more than you're taking in.

When the Blood is rich again, it shows. There's colour in your cheeks, lustre in your hair and skin, and warmth in your hands and feet, along with a settled, embodied feeling of being more fully yourself. In the tradition this is the Liver, Spleen and Heart working together. In Western terms think of iron status, circulation, the menstrual cycle and the health of the skin.

Herbs traditionally reached for here: goji, rehmannia, dong quai.

Try exploring Women's RhythmTry exploring Dang Gui

A clear mind: Shen, the navigator

Shen is your spirit and awareness, the captain who knows where the ship is going and why. When Shen is settled there's clarity, presence and a quiet sense of direction. It gets disturbed by constant stimulation, screens late into the night, unresolved stress, and a life lived without much stillness in it.

When Shen comes back home, the mind slows enough for you to actually hear yourself. Sleep deepens, the noise drops away, and decisions feel clear rather than agonised. In the tradition this is the Heart, which houses the spirit. In Western terms think of the nervous system, sleep quality, mood and the ability to focus.

Herbs traditionally reached for here: reishi, schisandra.

Try exploring SHEN

Wherever you've started, the treasures are all connected, and as one is tended the others tend to follow. Head back to the email for the rest, and I'll keep building on this with you from here.

Mase