Qi Stagnation combined with Yang Deficiency Constitution

Manifestation Characteristics

• Physical Signs: The primary characteristics are the stagnation of Qi, emotional depression, anxiety, and fragility. It can also be accompanied by an aversion to cold and cold hands and feet.

• Body Shape: The muscles are soft and not firm.

• Common Manifestations: Listlessness, a depressed mood, emotional fragility, and unhappiness. Some individuals may also experience a general aversion to cold, cold hands and feet, and a preference for hot food and drinks.

• Psychological Characteristics: The personality is mostly quiet and introverted, but can sometimes be unstable, sensitive, and prone to overthinking.

• Disease Tendencies: Susceptible to phlegm-fluid retention, edema, diarrhea, globus hystericus (Mei He Qi), Lily disease, and depression syndromes.

• Adaptability: Poor ability to adapt to mental or emotional stress; does not adapt well to overcast and rainy weather. Tolerates summer but not winter; easily affected by pathogenic wind, cold, and dampness.

Conditioning Methods

• Environmental and Lifestyle Adjustments: Pay special attention to keeping the feet, back, and the Dantian area (the region below the navel) warm. Keep indoor spaces well-ventilated, and home decor should be bright and cheerful. It is important to regulate one’s mood on overcast and rainy days. In winter, avoid cold and seek warmth. In spring and summer, focus on nurturing and supplementing Yang qi. Sunbathing is beneficial. Avoid exposure to adverse weather conditions like wind, cold, fog, and snow.

• Physical Exercise: Focus on practicing breathing exercises (Tu Na) to open up and guide out stagnation. It is better to be active than sedentary, as movement generates Yang. Engage in physical exercise once or twice daily. Gentle and slow exercises such as walking, jogging, Tai Chi, the Five Animals Frolics, and Ba Duan Jin are recommended to promote the circulation of Qi and blood.

• Mental Adjustment: Individuals with this constitution often experience low moods and are prone to fear and sadness. It is important to dispel negative emotions. Following the principle that “joy overcomes worry,” one should proactively seek happiness and participate in more social activities to cultivate a cheerful and open-minded disposition.

• Dietary Conditioning: Consume more foods that move Qi, such as bergamot, orange, citrus peel, chives, cilantro, and garlic. It is advisable to eat foods that warm and supplement Yang, such as lamb, dog meat, venison, and chicken. Eat fewer raw and cold foods like watermelon. A small amount of alcohol can be consumed to activate blood circulation and lift the mood.

• Medicinal Conditioning: One can choose herbs that soothe the liver, regulate Qi, and relieve depression, such as Xiang Fu (Cyperus Tuber), Wu Yao (Lindera Root), Chuan Lian Zi (Sichuan Pagoda Tree Fruit), and Yu Jin (Turmeric Tuber). Additionally, herbs that supplement Yang, dispel cold, and warm and nourish the Liver and Kidneys can be used, such as Lu Rong (Velvet Antler), Hai Gou Shen (Seal Penis and Testes), Ge Jie (Gecko), and Du Zhong (Eucommia Bark).

• Commonly Used Patent Formulas: Xiao Yao Wan (Free and Easy Wanderer Pill) or Jin Kui Shen Qi Wan (Kidney Qi Pill from the Golden Cabinet).