Qi - life energy in TCM

What is Qi? And what role does Qi play in TCM nutrition?

In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), Qi is what is known as life energy. For the yogis among you: Qi is comparable to prana.

Qi is said to be omnipresent and to be the manifestation of Yin and Yang in our bodies. It exists in material (the physical body) and immaterial (intellect, mind, spirit) form and has many tasks: Qi protects, transforms and transports, lifts and holds the organs and the blood in place, warms and keeps the metabolism active. In short, everything is Qi. Imagine Qi as the body's basic currency, the one everything has to be paid with. Without Qi, nothing in the body works.

Where does Qi come from?

There are different kinds of Qi. First, there is prenatal Qi (YuanQi), which we receive from our parents and which is like a basic stock of Qi. Since YuanQi alone is not enough for a lifetime, we have to build up Qi after birth. In TCM, this is said to happen through food (GuQi), breathing (DaQi) and movement (QiGong). In the body, GuQi and DaQi are transformed into true Qi (ZhenQi), which is then available to us.

Why is Qi so essential, and what does it have to do with food?

Let's stay with the comparison to a basic currency. Every metabolic process costs Qi, but we don't have unlimited Qi, so we have to keep producing and taking it in. As mentioned above, Qi is very precious and can be gained through QiGong, breathing and food.

This is where the link between Qi and food comes in. We take in food, and Qi is gained from it. In nutritional science, we speak of extracting the nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals etc.) that the body needs to function at all. So you can think of food Qi (GuQi) as the valuable nutrients in food.

To be able to extract Qi, however, digestion has to work well. If digestion isn't working well, not enough Qi can be gained from food. So what and how we eat affects our Qi and above all our life energy – in other words, how we feel physically and mentally.

What are the signs of Qi deficiency?

Signs that digestion, and with it the uptake of Qi, is suffering include irregular bowel movements, soft stools and undigested food in the stool. Qi deficiency can also be recognised by fatigue, a dull complexion, low drive and greater susceptibility to infections.

How can I strengthen my digestion and therefore my Qi?

Food is your daily medicine, your foundation. That's why it plays such a big role in TCM. It is recommended to eat regularly and above all to favour warm meals, ideally three times a day. It also makes sense to reduce bread-based meals, dairy products and (simple) carbohydrates such as wheat pasta.

Lea Sophie Büchele, TCM nutritional consultant, will be happy to advise you on Qi deficiency and other questions about nutrition.