Wise Woman's Well

Menopause is a process of metamorphosis during which a woman reorganizes the functional life of her body. This transformation can begin as early as the third decade or as late as the fifth. The Nei Jing specifies that at seven times seven years, or age 49, a woman’s Kidney Qi alters its trajectory. The Penetrating Vessel (Chong Mai) ceases to overflow with a surplus of Blood and Moisture known as Heavenly Water (Tian Gui), bringing a halt to menstruation and fertility. Freed from the imperatives of family-building, a woman’s Essence (Jing) turns inward, and her interior life can become as compelling as her engagement with the external world. While a gradual decline or concentration of Kidney Qi and Essence is a normal and expected part of biological maturity, menopause does not necessarily presage an unwarranted loss of vital substances unless there has been prior diminution of Moisture, Blood and Essence.

According to Western physiology, the progressive decline of ovarian function − that is, the natural decrease in the secretion of estrogen and progesterone − is believed to induce peri- and post-menopausal concerns. In Chinese traditional thinking, estrogen is merely one of a class of internal secretions grouped under the heading of Essence (Jing). Each organ produces its own Essence: the Liver, tears; the Gallbladder, bile; the Heart, sweat; the Spleen, saliva; the Lung, mucus; the Urinary Bladder, urine; and the Kidney, spittle, sexual secretions, synovial and cerebrospinal fluid. All these bodily fluids are subsumed within the category of Moisture (Jin-Ye), the thin and thick secretions, that, along with Blood and Marrow, arise from Kidney Essence (Jing). Declining Moisture and Blood can precipitate Dryness and thirst, which, in turn, can lead to Internal Heat.

The uncomfortable sensations of heat known as hot flashes are generally considered to result from Dryness due to Yin deficiency as well. Yin deficiency of the Liver and Heart can also trigger the upward movement of Yang Fire, causing warmth to rise from the belly to the chest and head. However, hot flashes may also result from Yang deficiency or weakening of the Life Gate Fire governed by the Kidney. When the Yang of the Kidney is weak, the Spleen becomes unable to transform food and fluids into the Yin Essences required to generate Moisture and Blood. This lessening of the essential Fire of the Life Gate undermines the Kidney’s power to anchor the Qi, permitting the True Yang to leave its proper place in the Dan Tian (the Elixir Field) located in the Lower Burner, floating upward and outward in the form of flushing and perspiration. The Heart and Shen-Mind may become unsteady due to the weakened anchoring power of the Kidney and the consequent loosening of the bond between Psyche and Soma (Shen and Jing). Deficiency or insecurity of both Yin and Yang Essences of the Kidney, Liver and Heart can lead to fluctuating waxing and waning of Qi. 

Wise Woman’s Well replenishes Moisture, Blood and Essence. Its primary objectives are to strengthen the Kidney, secure Essence, nourish the Liver, support the Spleen and harmonize the pivotal relationship between the Kidney and Heart.