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One characteristic that distinguishes Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) from modern medicine is the existence of various tonics. When are tonics needed? When certain parts of the body are deficient, deficiency means insufficiency. When a certain state falls below the general level, it is called deficiency. Raising this insufficient state to a normal level is called tonifying deficiency.

The tonics in TCM are not as dry-heat or as heaty as commonly perceived. TCM categorizes deficiency into many types, and tonifying is also divided into many types, such as tonifying qi, tonifying blood, tonifying yin, tonifying yang, warming and tonifying, cooling tonification, neutral tonification, hot tonification, etc., and cannot be generalized. For example:

• Low energy is called "qi deficiency," manifested as lack of spirit, easy fatigue, weak speech, and weak limbs. Taking qi tonic can enhance energy levels, or increase the rate or efficiency of oxidative energy production, or increase blood oxygen content, making one energetic and physically strong.
• When energy is so low that it cannot maintain basic metabolism, symptoms such as cold hands and feet, undigested food in stool, fistula disease urine, seminal emission, etc., occur. TCM calls this "yang deficiency." Taking yang tonic can boost the basal metabolic rate and restore the basic functions of the organs.
• If you have a pale complexion, or pale lips and tongue, prone to dizziness, excessive menstrual flow, TCM calls this "blood deficiency." Taking blood tonic can enhance blood and qi.
• The various basic nutrients used to maintain the basic structure and function of the human body are classified as yin. Any deficiency is called "yin deficiency." Overworking the body (such as staying up late, working overtime) can easily deplete certain nutrient groups, leading to many symptoms of yin deficiency, characterized by heat signs, such as feverish palms and soles, redness, rapid heartbeat, but body temperature may not be higher. This is because the deficiency of yin causes the body to self-regulate and compensate, not real heat, also known as deficiency heat or deficiency fire. TCM further divides yin deficiency into many types, such as heart yin deficiency, stomach yin deficiency, kidney yin deficiency, liver yin deficiency... each with its corresponding syndromes, reflecting the excessive depletion of certain zang-fu organs. Yin deficiency must be tonified with yin, nourishing yin, just like a car running out of gas, jerking along, quickly refueling it can restore normal operation.

Neijing says, "Only when yin is at peace and yang is compact can essence-spirit be normal," meaning "the state of yin-yang balance is the most spirited and healthy." Normal people actually do not need to randomly tonify, as incorrect tonification may cause yin-yang imbalance, leading to harm. However, certain groups particularly need tonification, as briefly described below.

The human body has changed very little over the past few thousand years, but human life, diet, labor, and work patterns and content have undergone tremendous changes. For example, thousands of years ago, human life focused on labor, gathering, and hunting, while modern humans sit for long periods, stare for long periods, use their brains more, and labor less. Sitting for long periods leads to poor circulation, stiff and sore muscles and bones, staring for long periods leads to eye fatigue and soreness, evolving into many eye diseases, overthinking, excessive brain use, or excessive stress leads to brain fatigue, mental exhaustion, forgetfulness insomnia, evolving into many mental disorders and brain degeneration.

That is, modern special lifestyles and stress can cause excessive depletion of certain tissues and organs of the human body. First, the materials that nourish these tissues are depleted, and the body becomes deficient in production and replenishment, forming a state of yin deficiency, like a car running out of gas. Then, functions begin to decline, problems start to arise, forming deficiency damage, turning into yang deficiency. Using appropriate materials to tonify these deficient parts is the expertise of TCM tonics. In the high-pressure modern world, you need TCM tonics even more.

Those who frequently work overtime, stay up late, or students under heavy academic pressure consume a lot of energy in terms of physical, mental, and visual strength. If they do not replenish the deficient consumption, they are prone to gradually develop a yin-deficient constitution. Therefore, it is advisable to regularly take some mild yin-tonifying and yin-nourishing substances. Examples include Barbary Wolfberry Fruit, Chrysanthemum Flower, Chinese Date, Chinese Yam, Ophiopogon Tuber, Polyghace Seche, and Lily Bulb. These are all yin-tonifying items with no obvious hot or cold properties, and long-term use will not cause excessive heat or coldness.

Starting from middle age, as one grows older, the body's functions gradually decline. The zang-fu organs' functions diminish, and the efficiency of cellular oxidative energy production also worsens, making it easy to develop qi deficiency, blood deficiency, yin deficiency, yang deficiency, and even a state of dual deficiency of qi and blood, or deficiency of both yin and yang. Although TCM cannot stop aging, it can "significantly" slow down this process. Treating deficiency with tonification requires first identifying the type of deficiency in the individual, as incorrect supplementation may not only be ineffective but also harmful.

The decline after middle age is comprehensive. Most people tend to notice changes on the body's surface, such as worsening vision, hearing loss or the onset of tinnitus, slower mental reactions and memory, soreness and degeneration in areas prone to wear like the neck, lower back, and knee joints, numbness and pain from nerve compression, difficulty in urination and defecation, constipation or prostate enlargement, and so on. Frequent urination, fistula disease—after taking Chinese medicinals, the urination is no longer frequent and the fistula disease is gone; loose teeth—after taking Chinese medicinals, the teeth no longer loosen; hair falling out in clumps—after taking Chinese medicinals, the hair loss stops; insomnia—after taking Chinese medicinals, sleep improves. Successful cases are as numerous as the hairs on an ox, too many to enumerate. Taking TCM to tonify deficiency at the onset of mild symptoms can greatly delay the decline.

While others suffer from qi deficiency, blood deficiency, yin deficiency, or yang deficiency, feeling physically and mentally exhausted and powerless, you can always maintain yin-yang balance and have abundant essential qi with the help of Chinese medicinal tonics! No matter how much wealth you accumulate, only those who remain healthy, live long, and laugh last are the true winners.