Goji Berry/Wolfberry
Latin: Fructus lycii
Pinyin: Gou Qi Zi
Energy and Flavor: Sweet and neutral
- Yin Jing and Blood tonic
- Tonifies Blood and Yin of the Liver and the Yin of the Kidneys and Lungs
- Believed to impart happiness and optimism
- Deeply nourishing the body, promoting health and longevity
- Immune system enhancing
- Promotes flexibility of the joints and muscles
- Sexual tonic
- Helps improves vision
- Antioxidant rich
- Full of vitamins B1, B2, C,
- Contains 18 amino acids
- Rich in zinc, iron, copper and many other minerals
Yin is the form, while yang is the function. Yin includes all of the physical material of the body, including hormones. It is moistening, lubricating and cooling. To tonify Yin is to deeply nourish and hydrate the body, down to the cellular level. Yin has a rooting and grounding energy. It relates to the parasympathetic nervous system and experiences exhaustion from the over stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. The depletion of yin is directly tied to the signs of aging.
Signs of Yin Deficiency: Anxiety, "burn out", dryness, premature graying of hair, low endurance, chronic dehydration, a feeling of heat in the chest, palms of hands, and/or palms of feet, night sweats, tinnitus, insomnia, scattered mental energy, poor memory. Not all of these symptoms need to be present in order to support the analysis of Yin deficiency.
How to Build Yin:
Sleep: Sleep is the ultimate Yin tonic. Sleep is when we repair our body. Yin cannot be sufficiently rebuilt without adequate sleep. Get 8 hours of sleep a night for proper tonification.
Herbs: He Shou Wu, goji berry, american ginseng, asparagus root.
Supplements: Collagen, magnesium.
Diet: Bone broth, beans, milk, meat, and healthy fats like butter, ghee, coconut and avocado oil.
Lifestyle: Mediation, compassion, Qi Gong. Avoid excessive strenuous exercise.
Digestion: New Yin (Post-Heaven Yin) is created through the process of digestion. If digestion is weak, nutrients cannot be sufficiently extracted from food and herbs. Following all 5 of these steps can restore balance to this vital process.
1. Greatly reduce or eliminate refined sugar, and refined carbohydrates, including flour products from the diet.
2. Reduce the consumption of raw fruit and vegetables, especially during winter and when digestion is weak.
3. Consume digestive bitters before meals.
4. Consume a high quality probiotic and/or fermented foods daily.
5. Ingest Spleen Qi tonics like astragalus, codonopsis,white atractylodes and gynostemma.