The ancient Chinese book of medicine, Huangdi Neijing (黄帝内经), translated into English as The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine, is the most important ancient text on Chinese medicine, as well as a major treatise on Taoist theory and lifestyle. In this book, there is a very clear explanation of how important the Five Elements are in relationship to the prolongation of human life.
In this book, it was recorded that, “From ancient times [it has been thought that] the root of life is closely bound up with the heavens, and the root is Yin and Yang.” Only with Yin and Yang in balance can we live a long and healthy life. To keep Yin Yang in balance, the Qi of Heaven and Earth must be in balance. Qi in Chinese means the energy or natural force which fills the universe. The Chinese believe in three powers of the universe: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Heaven has Heaven Qi, Earth has Earth Qi, Humans have Human Qi. Of the three, Heaven Qi is the most important, consisting of forces exerted by heavenly bodies, such as sunshine, moonlight, gravity, and energy from the stars. Weather, climate, and natural disasters are governed by Heaven Qi. Not following the rules of Heaven Qi will give rise to the invasion of Evil Qi into the body, damaging our health.
Because Heaven Qi’s key is the relationship of the Five Elements, to keep a healthy balance between Yin and Yang in our body requires following the rules of the Five Elements. Following the rules of the Five Elements to keep our body in healthy balance requires focusing on three major principles:
Knowing which organs relate to which of the Five Elements.
Knowing which seasons relate to which of the Five Elements.
Knowing which of our emotions relate to each of the Five Elements.
Knowing how to control the emotions using Five Element theory is also important to keep our Qi in the healthy balance.
After understanding how the Five Elements relate to the human body, and which teas correspond with each of the Five Elements, we can then accurately choose a tea to brew properly to keep our health well-balanced.
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