Qi, Blood and the fundamental substancesLesson 4 of 5 · Reading · 14 min

Five fundamental substances

• Qi: vital energy; warms, moves, protects, holds and transforms
• Blood (Xue): nourishes and moistens; the residence of the mind
• Jin-Ye: body fluids, thin and thick
• Jing: essence; prenatal from the parents, postnatal from food
• Shen: spirit and mind; housed in the Heart

Signs of Qi deficiency

Fatigue, weak voice, breathlessness on exertion, spontaneous sweating and poor appetite.