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Romance plays an important part of our lives. Connecting deeply with another human being physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually is a challenging and, hopefully, rewarding experience. The Taoists held this to be true and cultivated techniques for harmonizing the relationship between two people. At the core of their philosophy was the protecting, nourishing, and balancing of the Three Treasures, Essence (Jing), Energy (Qi), and Spirit (Shen).
Within our Essence(Jing), "the giver of life," resides the most primal energy the human body houses, our reproductive energy. For women and men, the ovum and semen are considered the pure distilled essence of Essence (Jing) and they are the most precious form of energy in the body. There is both a Yin and a Yang component that must be tonified and balanced for optimal sexual function.
In both men and woman, the Yang aspect of Essence (Jing) is reflected in the sex drive. The Yang energy drives the production and fluctuation of the reproductive hormones and fluids. A strong libido reflects an adequate supply of Yang essence while a weak libido reflects a deficient supply of Yang essence. When we think of the term "frigid" as it relates to sex drive, we can see how this makes sense in terms of the Yin and Yang paradigm. Frigidity, or feeling cold, would coincide with an absence of an adequate quantity of the warming Yang energy. Chinese tonic herbs are very effective with addressing this low energy. Herbs such as Deer Antler, Epimedium, Red Ginseng, Cistanches, Eucommia, and Morinda tonify Kidney Yang energy and support sex drive.
Kidney Yin is important in several ways for sexual function. For women, sufficient Kidney Yin is required for adequate levels of sexual fluids. For men, keeping the reservoir full after sexual activity is done by nourishing the Yin. He Shou Wu is famous for maintaining semen levels as excessive sexual activity can deplete this vital energy, leaving men feeling "drained."
