Essence and Blood (Jing-Xue)

Essence and Blood (Jing-Xue) is a fundamental physiological concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) rather than a discrete molecular target such as a protein or receptor [3, 8]. According to the central TCM principle of 'Essence and Blood Homology' (Jing-Xue Tongyuan), Essence is stored in the Kidneys and governs growth, development, and reproduction, while Blood is stored in the Liver to provide systemic nourishment to the body's organs and tissues [1, 4, 12]. These two vital substances are considered to share a common origin and are capable of mutual transformation to maintain homeostatic balance [4, 11]. Deficiency in Essence and Blood is clinically linked to a variety of conditions, including infertility, osteoporosis, anemia, and age-related neurodegeneration [2, 12, 14]. While modern network pharmacology research seeks to map this concept to molecular networks involving pathways like PI3K/AKT and cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha, 'Essence and Blood' does not correspond to any single targetable biochemical entity in modern molecular biology [6, 16]. Consequently, it is classified as an 'incorrect' target for drug development in the standard Western pharmacological sense [10].

Other names

Jing and XueJing-XueEssence and Blood HomologyJing-Xue TongyuanVital Essence and Blood

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, 'Essence and Blood' are mutually transformable vital substances that sustain physiological functions; therapeutic agents (herbal tonics) work by replenishing these substances, which modern research suggests may involve the regulation of systemic signaling pathways like PI3K/AKT, MAPK, and Jak2-Stat3 in stem cells and target tissues to promote regeneration and homeostasis [1, 12, 16].