The Life Cycle of Men and Women

Thre is an Eastern concept of human vitality going through cycles as essence, Jing. It happens every 7 years for women. Men every 8 years. 

Though it is a natural process of life for Jing to start to decline as we age, maintaining this essence as much as possible leads to an easier transition throughout these cycles. 

For women, Jing starts to decline at the age of 35. It shows up on our skin and hair, decreased energy and sometimes irritability or emotional instability. It’s important to check in with the flow of your Ki (気)and building blood (血) – useful foods/herbs  are beets, carrots, jujube dates, goji , Dong quai, aged orange peel, rhemmania

Consuming foods like seaweed, black beans and sesame, walnuts, goji berries, he shou wu, Rehmannia, can nourish your Jing. 

The decline of Jing in the Eastern philosophy is not seen as negative as it is in the West. 

From cycle 8 and beyond it is known to be a rebirth cycle. you want to focus on understanding what you want to cultivate and expand. it is said that this is the time a woman enters her peak spiritual development. It is where your shen (spirit) glows the brightest and shares all the wisdom that you have accumulated over the years. 

I love this. Rebirth cycle. 

I am not trying to stop ageing or going back to who I was at 28 years old. It is part of a natural cycle and as I age it gives me opportunities to direct my energies inwards to know my true self and free my forces to create the life that I desire with the most integrity. 

TCM and Kampo follow an 8 year cycle of stages for men. 

The ageing process is seen mainly due to the essence (jing) being used up. 

The Jing essence will start to decline after the peak age of 32 for men, and aged-related symptoms start to appear around 40 years old. 

The fundamental focus should be the kidney element, most closely related to the ageing process. Support for the liver and spleen is also important. 

Kidney element – the weakness can appear with symptoms including backache, grey hair, hair loss, forgetfulness, low energy, low libido, frequent urination, night sweats and cold hands and feet. 

Useful herbs and foods : Black sesame, beans, shiitake, and yin Jing herbs and yang Jing herbs. includes he shou wu, Tribulus, cistanche, goji berries, Rehmannia

Liver element – it works to circulate the flow of Ki and Blood. It is easily damaged by stress and toxins. 

The weakness can appear with symptoms including irritability, headaches, shoulder stiffness, and indigestion 

Useful herbs and foods : citrus, capsicum, buckwheat, jasmine tea, Schisandra, Reishi mushrooms, milk thistle, Siberian ginseng 

Spleen element – the weakness can appear with symptoms including tiredness, sluggishness, low motivation, weight gain, dizziness and loose stool. how to nourish your spleen is not so much about what to eat but emphasize what NOT to eat. 

Avoid foods that are too salty, sweet, cold and fatty. 

Useful herbs : Poria, Astragalus, White atractylodes, codonopsis, licorice

Read more: Monk Fruit Sweeteners: A Healthy Alternative to Sugar