Poor Kidney health and depleted Jing is becoming more and more common among the general population.  There are various factors that can contribute to poor kidney health; lifestyle and diet being the biggest factors.  In fact, fast paced lifestyles which are deficient in adequate rest can quickly deplete the energy stored in ones kidneys.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, kidney energy was often referred to as “Jing.”  Chinese Medicine describes Jing as the life force of the individual, or the physical aspect of the person.  Good Jing energy results in the following:

• Balanced mood
• Drive/motivation
• Positive outlook on life
• Strong sex drive
• Vigor

Lacking in any of these qualities is a sign of low Jing energy and possibly poor kidney function.  Luckily, there are various steps that can be taken in order to enhance ones Jing and restore the body to an optimal state.

Lifestyle Choices vs. Hereditary

There are two types of people who experience depleted Jing in the body:

1. Individuals with poor lifestyle/diet
2. Individuals who have inherited low Jing

Those who fall under category one have no one to blame but themselves and these types of people often ignore the signs that body attempts to give them to slow down and/or eat better.  On the contrary, those who fall under category two were born with low Jing due to their parents.  Unfortunately, Jing energy is one of the traits we naturally inherit from our parents.

With that being said, in both cases, Jing can be corrected and increased through proper diet and the use of Chinese Herbals.  Many of these practices and techniques that will be discussed have been used for centuries by ancient Chinese Qigong masters in order to preserve Jing and enhance longevity.

Eat a More Jing Diet

Through the many centuries of Traditional Chinese Medicines existence, practitioners have studied the effects of food on the body.  Overtime, foods started to become categorized by the energy in which they produce in the body.  Jing, Qi, and Shen are the three treasures in Chinese Medicine and can describe the various energies.

Jing: Source of Life, Health, longevity

Qi: Energy, Breath

Shen: Spirit

Those with poor kidney function want to focus on foods that build the body and strengthen it.  Typically, foods that are black or dark in color are described as being Jing building in Chinese Medicine.  Below is a small list of the Jing Building food:

• Grass-fed Beef/Lamb
• Pastured Eggs
• Black Sesame Seeds
• Organ meats – heart, kidney, liver
• Bone Broths
• Black Beans
• Pollens such as Pine
• Seaweeds
• Royal Jelly
• Fish Eggs

This is just a small list of Jing building foods that can help aid you in restoring the body.  It can be observed that the majority foods listed are animal foods.  This is because animal protein can build the body in ways in which the plant foods cannot.  Although plants are great, vegans and vegetarians may find it difficult to restore Jing energy on plants alone.

Be sure to use the search tool found on this website in order to learn more about diet and what foods are ideal for optimal health.

Consume Food that is Hot

Consuming too many raw foods can actually hinder the body’s digestion process.  Chinese Medicine describes the stomach as a cauldron that must always be kept warm.  When an excessive amount of raw food is ingested, this forces the body to heat the food up so that it can be properly digested.

Often, those who follow a raw food diet will begin to experience several digestive issues.  Some get carried away by the whole cleanliness factor that is often attached to raw food veganism and write off their poor digestion as “detox.”  If these types of diets are followed long enough, they can damage a person’s spleen.  This can lead to a compromised digestive system and several other unwanted symptoms that can take immense effort to reverse.

By consuming hot food you are taking a burden off the spleen and effectively maintaining digestive fire.  When this fire is strong, symptoms of low Jing energy tend to improve. It’s for this reason that you will never see raw salad recommended as “health food” in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Take Time to Meditate

Life is stressful and as a result the body needs an outlet to channel any negative thoughts or energy that has built up over the day.  A buildup of negative thinking and energy can all contribute to subpar kidney function.

Long and mindful movements work best for calming the body and releasing negative thoughts and energy.  It’s for this reason that Qigong Masters often live extremely long and healthy lives.  However, if Qigong isn’t your thing, taking long mindful walks in nature is extremely effective as well.

Despite popular belief, intense exercise isn’t really that healthy for the body long term.  Overtime, if intense enough, exercise such a long distance running and bodybuilding will naturally contribute to a loss in Jing energy.  Many athletes will describe this loss in energy as over training and ignore the fact that what they may be doing could be counterproductive to overall health.

Increase Jing with Reishi Mushroom

If there was only one Chinese herb that could be recommended for restoring proper kidney function, Reishi mushroom would be it.  In fact, it was well noted in Traditional Chinese Medicine that Reishi is in the same shape as the human kidney; perhaps signifying its actions in the body.

Reishi is one of the only herbs in Chinese Medicine to nourish all three treasures making it extremely valuable and useful for various disorders in the body.

Research published in Scientific Reports found that Ganoderma Lucidum (Reishi) is extremely effective at preventing blood deficiency in the kidneys and protects against oxidative stress in the body (1).  It’s for this reason that Reishi was often prescribed as blood builder in patients with deficient blood and kidney function.

Further research suggests that Reishi protects the kidneys from damage through restoration of the renal antioxidant defense system (2).

Simply consuming a Reishi tea or a high quality powdered Reishi extract, in combination with good diet and lifestyle habits, is an excellent strategy for building and persevering Jing energy.

Conclusion

If you suffer poor kidney health due to lifestyle choices, or if you have inherited weak kidneys from your parents, changing your diet and lifestyle can have dramatic effects on overall Jing energy.  It’s vital that as you change your diet and lifestyle you begin to cut out all negative people from your life.  These types of people can effectively slow down the healing process due to their constant negative energy.

Furthermore, you must make time to meditate each day so that the body is able to release any negative thoughts or beliefs that is stopping it from fully healing.   Lastly, incorporating medicinal herbs into the diet such as Reishi mushroom is an excellent strategy for increasing kidney strength and nourishing all three treasures.