When reserves run out faster than they are replenished
Deep-seated fatigue that returns despite rest, a lower back and knees that lack strength, a feeling that energy escapes instead of building up, unrefreshing sleep… In TCM, these signs may be associated with Kidney Qi that can no longer hold. According to tradition, the Kidney is the root of what the body keeps and stores, as the earth keeps seeds through the winter. When its Qi weakens, what it should preserve slips away.
Jin Suo Gu Jing Wan was recorded under the Qing, in 1682, by Wang Ang (汪昂) in the Yi Fang Ji Jie (《医方集解》), a collection of more than seven hundred formulas arranged by category. It appears there among the formulas that ‘astringe and retain’ (收涩之剂), of which it has remained the best known. Its logic is simple: here there is nothing to disperse, only something to keep.
Support the foundation, then retain
Our version combines lotus, sweet and astringent, with astragalus root, sweet and warm. According to tradition, sweetness supports and astringency retains: the formula helps the body keep what it replenishes. Astragalus takes care of the foundation, lotus stamen of the closing, and lotus seed links the Heart and the Kidney.
Tonifies Qi: Astragalus, sweet and warm, is the great Qi herb in TCM. According to tradition, it is Qi that keeps everything in its place: by supporting it, astragalus strengthens the function that holds, rather than merely closing.
Supports comfort in the lower back and knees: Tradition calls the lower back the ‘residence of the Kidney’ (腰者肾之府). By supporting its Qi, the formula accompanies periods when the lower back and knees lack strength.
Harmonises the Heart and the Kidney: Lotus stamen and lotus seed both enter the Heart and the Kidney. Tradition considers this link essential: when the Heart is calm and the Kidney is supported, the whole regains its footing, and sleep becomes calmer.
