The Chinese people and many Asian cultures have learned to tap nature’s marvelous resources for what some call Radiant Health. They have studied the effects of natural products upon themselves over several millennia and have discovered some truly remarkable ways to prolong life. Some enhance the powers of thought and psyche, others strengthen the body, and have been found to increase virility and fertility.
A Spring Tonic for Health and Vitality
Thousands of years ago the Taoists (those who believe we must live within nature’s guidelines and rejoice in the bounty that is ours for the taking) would make a Spring tonic using Rice Wine and carefully selected herbs placed into a gourd and buried on the full moon in December. On the full moon in April, the gourds would be uncovered and family and friends would gather to drink this precious elixir and then return home to enjoy a night of great intimacy with the hope that babies would be made. The earth’s cooling in the evening and warming during the day allowed the herbs to be processed perfectly while buried.
It is not surprising then to find that the Spring Tonic contained herbs that increase libido, blood making, and energy. After being inactive during the winter, we need to move forward in our lives and these herbs nourish the body and promote health.
Recipe
A Simple Spring/Sexual-Energy Tonic Tea can be made using the following herbs: Ho Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) 2 parts: Gou Qi Zi (Lycium berries, or Chinese Wolf Berries) 2 parts: Bai Shao (White Peony Root) 2 parts Sheng Ma (Cimicifuga) 1 part Epimedium (Horny Goat Weed) for Libido, 1 part: Panax Ginseng for vital energy, 1 part: Bupleurum for the smooth spreading of all emotion and cycles, 1 part.
Add the herbs to 8 cups of water, bring to a gentle roll, and simmer until the tea has dissipated to about 4 cups. Strain this tea into a large container and add another 8 cups of water to the used herbs. After you again have just 4 cups of tea, mix the two brewings together. The 1st brewing is to build Qi (life giving force) and the second is to build Blood. Drink one cup a day. You may make the tea once a week and keep it in your refrigerator. The tea is carefully balanced to have no side effects and can be used by most any relatively healthy individual.
It was not at all from a “spirit of lust” that these tonics were discovered and created but from an honest attempt by the herbal doctors to attain pure health for their patients. They found that an enriched sex life between couples brought more harmony and happiness along with good health, now that they could sustain it. Many of those who took these tonics also achieved a very long life, good eyesight and healthy beautiful skin through their old age.
Longevity Tonics were always prized for the ‘side effect’ of beautiful skin, good eyesight and strong sex energy and were much in demand by the wealthy of the day. The emperors (many with 30-50 wives), governors, and high society paid a large price for these tonics whose formulas were kept secret by the enterprising herbal doctors of old.
Viagra vs. Overall Health
Today, we find that these formulas share the dual actions of Chinese herbal aphrodisiacs AND longevity. The Chinese have invested a few thousand years of research in perfecting herbal formulas for preserving sexual vitality. Herbal aphrodisiacs can fortify your sexual vitality by gently strengthening the health of your entire body; it is not measured by just how often you want to engage in sexual activity, it is so much more. The three most studied longevity herbs are Reishi Mushroom, Astragalus & Cordyceps. All continue to be investigated for more and more health benefits and all can be used in foods or taken as teas or supplements. While these three ‘tonic herbs’ represent a small fraction of the many tonic herbs that have passed the tests of time, they do serve as excellent examples of how nature can provide safe, effective methods of improving health and quality of life.
Laura Mignosa is a Certified Chinese Herbologist and director of the Connecticut Institute for Herbal Studies for over 2 decades. She is both Western and China trained and offers an annual study on this amazing tradition of healing each year starting in January. Call 860-826-2705 or visit the website www.ctherbschool.com for more information on this clinically based program of wellness or for Appointments for Care. Facebook: laura.mignosa5, or contact Laura by email at Laurachina@aol.com