Glossary

Returning the Essence to Restore the Brain (還精補腦, Huan Jing Bu Nao) is a technique commonly associated with sexual alchemy, where the orgasm was delayed in the understanding that the Essence contained within the semen could be reversed and ascend through the spine and achieve "spirit brilliance" (神明, Shenming), leading to transcendence and longevity.

Later practices internalised this symbolism to occur entirely within the practitioner during Neidan meditation sessions. It is possible that this could have merit to it, especially if Huan 還 is understood as "returning" instead of "reverting" and Bu 補 is understood as "repair, augment or benefit" rather than its usual translation of "nourish," then the process is one of restoring brain function by returning it back to its youthful state. The principle by which this might aid longevity is as follows:

• The practitioner inhales, drawing Qi into the lower abdomen.
• Jing is a condensed form of Qi (Rochat de la Valée, 2015), so the practitioner draws the perineum up and the abdomen in, to compress the Qi and concentrate it in to Jing.
• As they exhale, the generated Jing is visualised travelling up the spine, to the brain.
• Upon reaching the brain, the practitioner holds the out breath, while visualising the Jing replenishing what is depleted.
• This process is repeated.

The reason why this would help restore and maintain health into old age is twofold:

1. The practice of compressing Qi the lower abdomen will help to strengthen the pelvic floor reducing some age related issues like urinary issues (Stenzelius et al., 2015), lower back pain (Kazeminia, Rajati & Rajati, 2023) and sexual dysfunction (Jorge et al., 2024); Myers & Smith, 2019)), all signs of Kidney deficiency.
2. The long breathing cycle, which involves a considerably longer time holding the breath or exhaling than inhaling will induce a state of brief, intermittent hypoxia. This kind of exposure to hypoxia triggers a hormetic stress response, prompting the brain to build cellular resilience, improve vascular function, and stimulate neuroprotection without causing damage (Burtscher et al., 2021). It could also have induced a state of euphoria (Chater, 2021) that may have been interpreted as "spirit brilliance" (神明, Shenming), especially if the result was an improvement in cognitive function.

This means that, paradoxically, brain function is being repaired through starving the brain of its essential nutrient, oxygen, which then forces it to adapt. This makes the traditional translation awkward since it is doing the exact opposite of nourishing the brain with reverted Jing, but it is repairing the brain, which is understood in Chinese medicine to be composed mainly of Jing.

References

Burtscher, J., Mallet, R. T., Burtscher, M., & Millet, G. P. (2021). Hypoxia and brain aging: Neurodegeneration or neuroprotection?. Ageing research reviews, 68, 101343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2021.101343

Chater A. M. (2021). Does intentional asphyxiation by strangulation have addictive properties?. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 116(4), 718–724. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15247

Jorge, C. H., Bø, K., Chiazuto Catai, C., Oliveira Brito, L. G., Driusso, P., & Kolberg Tennfjord, M. (2024). Pelvic floor muscle training as treatment for female sexual dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 231(1), 51–66.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2024.01.001

Kazeminia, M., Rajati, F., & Rajati, M. (2023). The effect of pelvic floor muscle-strengthening exercises on low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis on randomized clinical trials. Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 44(3), 859–872. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-022-06430-z

Myers, C., & Smith, M. (2019). Pelvic floor muscle training improves erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation: a systematic review. Physiotherapy, 105(2), 235–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2019.01.002

Rochat de la Valée, E. (2015). Jing (Essence): Understanding a Key Concept in Chinese Medicine. Pacific College of Health and Science, July 21, 2015. Available at: https://www.pacificcollege.edu/news/blog/2015/07/21/jing-or-essence-a-brief-attempt-at-elucidation-of-a-key-notion-in-chinese-medicine [accessed 27 May 2026]

Stenzelius, K., Molander, U., Odeberg, J., Hammarström, M., Franzen, K., Midlöv, P., Samuelsson, E., & Andersson, G. (2015). The effect of conservative treatment of urinary incontinence among older and frail older people: a systematic review. Age and ageing, 44(5), 736–744. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afv070