Benefits of opening up the Ren and Du meridians

In many martial arts novels, the Ren and Du meridians are two relatively important acupuncture points in the body. It is said that only by opening up these two meridians first can one practice the most superior martial arts. Of course, this does not exist in real life. In traditional Chinese medicine, the Ren and Du meridians do exist and have exact locations, but the so-called opening up of the Ren and Du meridians does not exist, because in the traditional Chinese medicine meridians, the Ren and Du meridians are originally open.

What are the Ren and Du Meridians?

The Ren meridian starts from the perineum point between the legs at the bottom of the human body, and goes up along the center from the front of the body to the Chengjiang point under the lips. The Du meridian starts from the perineum point (some people say it is the Changqiang point) and goes up along the spine backwards, reaches the top of the head and then goes forward through between the eyes to reach the Yinjiao point on the upper palate of the mouth.

The Ren meridian controls blood, the Du meridian controls qi, and they are the main meridians of the human body. If the Ren and Du meridians are unblocked, then all eight meridians will be unblocked; if the eight meridians are unblocked, then all meridians will be unblocked, which will improve physical fitness, strengthen muscles and bones, and promote circulation. The Ren and Du meridians are very important in Chinese medicine pulse diagnosis and Taoist health preservation. They are also the most well-known names of meridians because of the exaggerated descriptions in martial arts novels, such as that the Ren and Du meridians can be opened by people with high martial arts skills. Once the Ren and Du meridians are opened, the martial arts skills will improve by leaps and bounds.

The Ren and Du meridians originally belonged to the eight extraordinary meridians, but because they have clear acupoints, doctors call them together with the twelve main meridians the fourteen main meridians. The Ren meridian governs blood and is the sea of ​​yin meridians; the Du meridian governs qi and is the sea of ​​yang meridians. In other words, the Ren and Du meridians play a dominant role in the six yin meridians and six yang meridians of the hands and feet respectively. When the twelve main meridians are full of qi and blood, they will flow into the Ren and Du meridians. On the contrary, if the Ren and Du meridians are full of qi, they will also circulate in the twelve main meridians. Hence, it is said: "If the Ren and Du meridians are unblocked, all meridians will be unblocked."

Theoretical basis of traditional Chinese medicine

The eight extraordinary meridians are the collective name for the Ren meridian, Du meridian, Chong meridian, Dai meridian, Yin Qiao meridian, Yang Qiao meridian, Yin Wei meridian, and Yang Wei meridian. They are different from the twelve regular meridians. They are not directly related to the internal organs, nor do they have any exterior-interior coordination relationship. They run in a different and unusual way, so they are called extraordinary meridians. Its functions include: 1. Communicating the connection between the twelve meridians; 2. Regulating the accumulation and infiltration of Qi and blood in the twelve meridians.

What are the benefits of opening up the Ren and Du meridians?

What are the benefits of opening up the Ren and Du meridians? What are the Ren and Du meridians?

The Ren Meridian runs along the midline of the abdomen. Its meridians intersect with the three Yin meridians of the hands and feet and the Yinwei Meridian many times. It can connect all the Yin meridians of the body, so it is called the "Sea of ​​Yin Meridians." The Ren meridian originates in the womb and is related to female pregnancy, hence the saying that "Ren governs the fetus".

The Du meridian runs along the middle of the back. Its veins intersect with the three yang meridians of the hands and feet and the Yangwei meridian many times. It can govern all the yang meridians of the body, so it is called the "sea of ​​yang meridians." The Du channel runs along the spine, ascends into the brain, and branches out from the spine to the kidneys. It has close connections with the brain, spinal cord, and kidneys.

The effect of opening up the Ren and Du meridians

As for "opening the Ren and Du meridians", it can be discussed from the perspectives of traditional Chinese medicine and Taoist health guidance. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, we can understand the circulation sequence of the twelve meridians and the Ren and Du meridians from the description in Lingshu.Yingqi Chapter. The flow of the meridians starts from the lung meridian and circulates to the liver meridian in turn; then it enters the chest through the liver meridian, ascends through the forehead to the top of the head, then descends along the governing vessel to the coccyx, passes through the genitals and ascends through the ren meridian, and then flows back into the lung meridian. The "Nutritional Qi Chapter" says: "This is the natural law of the movement of the Nutritive Qi in the human body, as described in the medical classics.

From this we can understand that, for normal people, the Ren and Du meridians are already open, so why do we need to open them up? From the Taoist point of view of guiding and preserving health, the so-called "opening the Ren and Du meridians" means opening the three gates (the coccyx, the lumbar spine, and the occipital bone) and performing the "circulation of the body". The Taoist book "Taiping Jing" believes that the maximum human lifespan is 120 years. As long as one practices inner alchemy to seize the creation of heaven and earth in a "reverse" direction, condense essence, energy, and spirit, and improve the quality of life, one can challenge the limit of lifespan.

About the Ren and Du meridians: From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, opening up the Ren and Du meridians only makes Qi and blood flow more smoothly and the body healthier, but this goes against scientific and medical common sense.