As an acupuncturist and herbalist, I mainly treat problems of qi and blood. You may have heard of the concept of qi before. The Chinese character is seen to the right. What is qi? Simply put, qi is a concept used to describe everything in the universe. Finely scattered qi has many of the properties of energy. Condensed qi has many of the properties of matter. Qi is constantly moving and transforming, and this movement and transformation forms the basis for all processes in the universe. Here’s Yan De-Xin to describe the medical aspect, from his book Aging and Blood Stasis, translated by Tang Guo-Shun and Bob Flaws.
Qi is the material basis for maintaining the activities of human life. Qi in the body is a minute substance invisible to the naked eye. This minute substance possesses the characteristics of constant change and motion. Like irrigation by a mist or dew, qi passes through the body to perform the numerous physiological functions of steaming the skin, filling the body, and moistening the hair. Ancient people referred to this process of motion and transformation as qi hua or qi transformation. It is due to the constant, unceasing function of qi transformation in the body that such matters as qi, essence, blood, fluids, and humors in the organism are normally produced, transformed, utilized, and discharged so as to meet the needs for the activities of one’s life.
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