This funda­
mental practice of ancient Taoist sexology , when practiced with 
self-discipline and finesse, bccan1e a delightful and useful art. According to the ancient sages, a n1an who n1astered it could 
satisfy up to ten wornen in a single night sexually. And the prac­
tice, comn1on in ancient and rnedieval China, was not lirnited to 
young n1en. EJACULATION AND ()RGASMIC BIHNKMA NSHIP 
In Tht' Class ic <�{the IiletiiCtltal A1tzid, the Iridescent Maid asks Peng 
Tsu a very natural quest ion . How, she wonders, since the joy of 
sexual intercou rse lies in ejacula ting , could a nun enjoy sex without 
disc harging his sernen? The old sage replies that after a n1an ejacu­
latc.·s, his cars ring, his eyelids droop, his throat dries up, and his 
joints ache. Whatc.·ver plea sures he takes in ejaculating are only mo-rnentary. But if he reaches the brink without ejaculation. he can 
preserve his erH. 'rgy and will thirst pt·rpctually �vith love and pas­
sion tor his partner. The Elen1ental Maid tells the Yellow Emperor 
about the benefits of reaching the brink without t:jacubting. She is 
the san1e therapist who \Varns the en1pcror that celibacy is harrnful. Th e Mystic M aster reco nlnlt 'tH.is that when the nun wants to 
ejaculate, he should \Vait until his partner reaches orgasn1. The 
Tang dyn asty physician Sun Szu-n1o ((lO r-6X.z), author of the 
tnedical classic Prcs cripti<liiS <�f,, TlwiiStllld c;o/dpiacs, took a sitnila r 
stand. He \Vrote that if a nun has great sexual statn ina, he should 
not hold back fron1 tjaculating for too long, or he will suffe r con­
gestion and illness. Frequency of ejaculation, Sun said, should 
depend on a rnan 's age and general health, and the season. The ancient classics agree in general in their reconllnenda­
tions for n1ale ejaculation schedules. Son1e of them give alter­
natives for the n1ore vigorous and the less so. The Classic of the 
Elemeutal Afa id says that virile young n1en between the ages of fif­
teen and twenty may ejaculate once a day, or several tin1es a day if 
they are strong. At thirty a man may ejaculate once a day if he is 
strong, every two days if he is not. Men of forty may ejaculate 
once every three to four days; men of fifty once every five to ten 
days; men of sixty once every ten to twenty days; and men of sev­
enty once every thirty days-or not at all if they are weak. Pre­
scriptiatzs of a Thousand Goldpieces gives these recommendations: 
At age twenty, men may ejaculate once every four days; at thirty, 
once every eight days; at forty once every sixteen days; at fifty, 
once every twenty-one days; and at sixty, once every month--or 
not at all if they are weak. The Secret Art of the Jade Chamber gives 
this advice: At age twenty, men may ejaculate once every two days; 
at thirty, once every three days; at forty, once every four days; at 
fifty, once every five days; and at sixty, not at all. The Essnz tials of 
Nurturirzg Life, quoting the Taoist Liu Ching, recommends an 
ejaculation once every three days in spring, twice a month in sum­
mer and fall, and none at all in winter. In the spring, Liu reasoned, 
a man's sexual essence is strong, while in winter it is weak. The 
book gives no recommendations according to age, so presun1ably 
these prescriptions are for the middle-aged. Orgasmic brinkmanship -going to the brink but not over­
as taught in ancient Chinese classics etnploys both psychosomatic 
and purely physiological techniques. The fanner arc recom-C/(luds tmd Ra;, 
I I 7 THE ART OF THE BEDCHAM BEH 
n1ended when the rnan feels the approach of orgasm; the latter arc 
applied as an emergency measure when ejaculation is imminent. Below is a sumn1ary of the recornmendations in various classics: 
In his Prescriptions of a Thousand Goldpieces, Sun Szu-mo teaches 
that whenever a man feels he is ncar ejaculation, he can control 
hin1self by opening his eyes wide, closing his mouth, and breath­
ing through his nose with his diaphragm. Then, using his index 
and n1iddle fingers, he should press firmly the pin,{? i acupoint 
(found one inch above the right nipple) and gnash his teeth a thou­
sand times. Essentials of the Jade Ch amber , quoting Tlze Class ic of the Immor­
tals, teaches that a man n1ay surmount the crisis by pressing his 
fingers on the hui-yi11 acupoint (found on the perineum between 
the anus and the penis) while breathing deeply and gnashing his 
teeth several dozen times. The Secre t Art of the jade Chamber, quoting the second -century 
B.C. sexologist Wu Tzu-tu, says that a man may control himself 
by raising his head, stopping his breathing momenta rily, shout­
ing, and glaring left and right while contracting his abdomen. The text also prescribes pressing "below the genitals" with the 
left hand. The Mystic Master of the Grotto advises the n1ale partner 
to wait and time his own orgasm to coincide with that of the 
wom an. He suggests these delaying tactics: The man should with­
draw his jade stalk so that the insertion is only one or two inches 
deep-"like a nipple in an infant's n1outh." Then he should close 
his eyes and concentrate while pressing his tongue on his palate, 
hunch his shoulders and stick out his head, dilat e his nostrils and 
inhale deeply. This will not only delay his ejaculati on but litnit it 
to twenty to thirty percent of the nonnal ctnission when it does 
take place. A Ming dynasty sexual-alchetn ical treatise with the fornlid­
abk title lntc rprt'ttlliotl t�{thc Cultil',ltioll t�f 7ha h hy the Gn·,lt Immor tal 
t�f the Purple-Gold C/t1r}' echoes Wu Tztt-tu's recon1n1endation s. 
During copulat ion , it says, when the nun is nuking three-shallo w, 
one-deep thrusts and feels he is about to ernit, he should with ­
draw his jadl· stalk so that i t is only one or two inches det'p, and 
wai t until he caltns down. Then he nuy resurnc his thrusting. Tht • 
nun is adv ised further to adopt a deliber ate attitu dt· of indiftcr­
ence towa rd his partner in order not to excite his passion. Acupressure tnethods arc very effective, but they should he 
only as an en1crgcncy n1casure, since apparent non tjaculation nuy 
n1can an internal ejaculation into the bladd er. This defeats the 
purpose of the exercise and tnay han n the nun. The ancients practiced orgasn1ic brinknunship for two pur­
poses. One was health-which included preserving the nun's life 
essence and pron1oting longevity. The other involved the sex act 
itself-prolonging n1alc activity and bringing the won1an to her 
din1ax, repeatedly if desired. Which purpose was mor e itnpor­
tant was-and is-a n1atter of pt·rsonal choice. What is significant 
is that this technique is workable, even though it takes son1e prac­
tice and plenty of self-discipline. For modern lovers this opens 
new vistas on the erotic horizon. If a n1an is skilled in this art, 
with the cooperat ion of his partner he can create ecstatic pleasure 
for both of then1 in their lovemaking . Sexologists in ancient China believed that blood and semen 
were different n1anifestations of chi, or life-energy. To their minds, 
semen was a much more concentrated form of life essence than 
blood. Any indiscriminate squander ing of semen, and to a lesser 
extent, blood, would bring ill health, even death. Significantly, 
they used the terms "return alive" to describe the unejaculated 
phallus after coitus, and "return dead" to describe a spent phallus. Most earlier sexologists advocated limited male ejaculation, cer­
tainly for improved procreation, generally for health, and often 
for pleasure. The consensus of ancient Chinese sexologists was 
that both men and women must have sexual intercourse regularly 
for health and longevity, but that limited male ejaculation was es­
sential. Female sexual essence was inexhausti ble, according to the 
Taoists, and thus female orgasm and ejaculation would not harm a 
woman's health. In light of this theory, rabid dogmatists, especially later sex­
ual alchemists, took the extreme view that every ejaculation of 
male semen was a dire catastrophe. Out of this belief was born the 
bizarre-and at times hilarious-sexual practice of "pluck-and­
nurture," described in the next chapter. Clor4ds and Rain 
I I 9 9 
The Sexual Duel of 
Pluck-and-Nurture 
Battling /or the Elixir o/ Li/e 
LIKE AN UNDULATING DRAGON, tlze wlzite wa/1 with its war1y, tiled top 
ell closes the secluded gardcu. On tlze_far side, bamhoos sway iu the refresh­
ing breezes of a summer el'enitlJ!· Gol�fish swim lmzguidly in au irre,g­
ularly shaped pond fritlJ!,Cd with greenery and spmmed by a uarrow, 
archt•d bri�! !,C ,�f brilliant vermilion. Otl OtiC side is a low, r,u,Mifl,! !, /wriSt' 
with curl'ed ea11cs and upswept ro<.�{ wnzers. Thcfr,l._! !,r,mce_ti·om tl clump 
t{jasminc hushes lends an iur,,xicatill,! !, scllsrwusllcss to the 11ir. A Hltlll ,md ,, ll'Otlltltl sit by t1 table tH't1r ,, ,! !,i,mt boulder. They sip 
warm rict· u•i11c ji·om little porcclaill cups ,md s,mrple dc/ic,lcies from 
sel'cr,zl p/,Jtes. Tlze ,,,,;dsal',mt ll'lzo /Jn,u,l!,lzt the dishes h,lS promptly dis­
''PJ'Ctlrnl. The ttltltl ,,d wo"""' (tlrll'tTse ;, hushed roues. As tile ,,w 
folltitmcs r,zlkillg, o11c ,�(the hlll.l!,, ft,,,sc slar•cs ,�(his tlluslill robe bruslzrs 
''.! ?.ai11st a pair ��r d�t,pstifks, sc11di".!?. rlzem ,�tr the t,,b/e. He stoops dow11 
,wd a,,ud�t·s rmdcr the ,,,/,fc r,, rrtrin•e tlzntt. lllstc,,d his lw11d t,,uclzcs lza 
s""'"· d,,;,ry.f�''''· 
"()lz!" The lf'''"""' .l!,tlsps ;, ''l'l'''n'llf c''"stertlatit'tl. The m,w hc­
,! !,itls ,,,J,dlc lzcr_lt·cr. HcrJz(C hluslzes ,, slzockillg pi11k. He stmuls up awl 
u•,r/b ''' lzcr side. H,,fdill,! !, her aill,!!,ill,! !, slwuldcrs u•ith his I"Huls, ht' puts 
Iris "''Sf lit' XI r,, tlzt' "''JH' ��(lzcr llt'(k ,,, sll�tf:kiss hn. "Pif,Hc! P/c,,scf L),,'t!" She tl'lu"spers u•c,lk prMt•st,lti''"-'· Tlzt'll, ''-' 
1.:!0 The Sexual Duel of Pluck-and-Nurture 
his sniff-kisses reach her check, she suddn1ly trlrtls her face m1d kisses him 
ji1ll on the mouth. · 
She always has appeared dcmun· cmd ladylike, hut hr knows better. These U'omen are all alike, with their cold shoulders a11d hot lips, their soft 
,glances and hard nipples. Oftetl he has sensed a hidden ''oluptuousness in 
this beautUill ymmg widow, and he has rPorked _{tJr mot1ths to trap her. Their mating dance has hectl protracted. Veiled with traditional etiquette 
and expressed in subtly coded words, their time-consmning exchan._f!es of 
signalsJinally made her Wtlsetlt to this dim1er i11 his ele._f!atlt garden. Ajter he made a pilgriPnagc to a Taoist mystic high in the mountains a 
few years ago, his l!fe has Pler.Jer been the same. He has been transformed 
from a decorous, book-wise scholar to a master in bedroom kung fu-the 
kind that makes women die without killing them. The mountain recluse 
taught him the secrets of Taoist sexual alchemy, priceless for health and a 
delight to practice. The most potent elixir of l!fe, he learned, is the essence 
that the opposite sex secretes at the height of sexual ecstasy. If one can 
pluck this essence at the crucial moment, one can nurture one� own sexual 
potency and longevity-perhaps even become an immortal. The secret of pluck-and-tmrture, the mystic told him, lies in exciting a 
womm1 sexually and bringing her to a climax, more than once if possible, 
then absorbing her orgasmic fluids. But he was warned: uMost impor­
tant: Never emit yourse[f It would be a great calamity." Since then he has used his skills on women of various vintages. He 
plays with them; leads them on; pushes them over the brink. While the 
women enjoy their ecstasy, he gets their elixir. He has succeeded with all 
the women he has taken to bed, driving them wild with his nearly perfect 
self-control. This has given him a certain reputation. He is no lecher, just 
a zealous loller of the ultimate health food. The man and the woman walk it1to the house, murmuring to each 
other all the way. Soon they enter a bedchamber. Dominating it is an 
enormous traditional bedstead, almost a miniature room by itself. An in­
tricately carved ebony latticework frame guards three sides of the bed. In­
side the latticework hangs a wraparound muslin curtain; its two front 
flaps are secured with a pair of large silver hooks, from which dangle beads 
and semiprecious stones. As soon as they sit otl the bed, the matl and the woman resume their 
kissin� . He slowly disrobes her-the sash arout�d her waist, her silkgou'n, 
her chemise, her hod ice, finally her trousers. The woman� haif-resistiug, 
half-yielding responses only excite his ardor. When they are both naked, he casts his eyes 011 the luscious feast of 
121 THE ART OF THE BEDCHA MB ER 
122 tonic food spread before him: her almond eyes, her cherry mouth, her bare 
arms that remind him of clean-scrubbed lotus roots. Her breasts are like 
two mounds of newly congealed tofu, each topped with a freshly peeled 
lotus seed. Now he is about to sample the delicacies. In so doing, he will 
enrich her essence for his purpose. This will be the most sumptuous dish of 
his feast of longevity. He pays homage to every part of her delectable body with a hundred 
fingers and a thousand lips, altenzathzg subtle tenderness with brazen 
boldness. She retreats like a fleeing animal, but every once it� a while stops 
to tease and taunt him. For a long time their whole world is a tangle of legs 
and loins, of soft warm flesh and dripping tongues. He pauses to look at this amazing woman. Her translucent, porcelain 
skin, moist with perspiration, exudes a delicate female aroma. She is 
breathing deeply, giving little sensual tremors to her dimple of a navel and 
her willow waist. Just beneath these, her cinnabar field bulges ever so 
slightly with its abundant essence. She spreads before him a freshly 
opened pomegranate with crimson pulp. Now that Yin and Yang are in perfect harmony for a joyous ut�ion, he 
begins his sacred mission into the grotto of love-the mystic grotto out of 
which babies come, and into which grown men strive to euter. As he be­
gins his journey, her dark eyes, up to rzow ha[f closed in a velvety languor, 
suddenly open with a glazed stare of sharp desire. His swordsmanship has been called magnificeut. His thrusts, par­
ries, and ripostes have vanquished the deadliest of boudoir adversaries. Soon she respouds-uNo.1 No! No! No! "-and .t. !asps to his rhythm. The silver hooks of the bed curta it� tinkle ever so_{t11'ntly as the dauce ofltfe 
goes on. To him this is em exercise iu pleasure, but out• <�fsupr twze importance. It is ez,eu better thau gitlseu,g, and muc h mor e jim. Ht• tumbles her around 
in various positious tau.S!ht b)' tilt• masters, to brill.\! the desired e..Oect 
on her. He recites sih·ntly to llimse[ ( the srcn·t pclssttgt•s from that amaz­
inJ! book ou sexual alclln11 y: .. Tilt• wll ite t('c!cr swiu.\?s hither atzd you. Tht• bl��t· drcl.\?011 lti<Jl't'S up mul clowu. Tht' IIW< m gr<lftc.> clost'S cmd opetls. Tht· heavculy root thrusts m1d strum s .... I must wutr act my rectum, 
hold my breath, d<>St' clll my <>rificcs. Now the dm.\?llll st•izes tht• tiger but­
tocks, pn·sst·s the t('c!a bosom, sucks the t(\?t'r tc.m.l!ue, clttsps the t(S!t'r 
wt�ist, cmd raist•s tht' tiger km·t·s .... Lt·t tht' t(�er ttZ<ll't'. Let it sway. Lt•t it emit. �YIIt'll the t(�t·r �� ,goldt•u cyt·s .flc.>at upward in t'cstasy, it is 
t•mittiu .�." It St't'ms to ll'c.>rk wdl, ht· tdls himsc!f: The st•dclte chrysmuhemum is The Sexua l Dm·l <!f Pluck-and -Nurture 
turnill,(! into a dew-dreuched pe<my quiPcri"J! helplessly itl the u•it�d. JVhen the t((!er �� ,(!oldcll cycs jltJtlf upu•ard, he ccm plud. : her elixir. Soo11. J (·ry StltlH. She u•i/1 drown in her ou•tljuin·s. Sht' mus t bc tht' most u•cm­
ton womcm this side <�ftlrc Great �1'�11/. The pcmry is drippi11,(! ll'ith dcu•, but it is tlot yicldi".l! its dixir. This 
dclic,ltc, ltwcly u•tmran is stroll,(!t'r tlw11 he thou .l!ht. Tht· hattie m��lrt be a 
ltmg llllC. The best rcpcrt<lirc <�flris bedroom krm .l!fu must be illl'okcd. Ht· 
mtwes 011 to tlrt' de1'asta ti11g tcdmiquc <!f l'tlrit:(?ated thrust s. From llitle­
slwllou•, oue-deep he shUis to e(�ht-slou•, two-fast. It must be lf'(lrkit�g. Her l'oicc at1d t�wuemetlt s betray a string of tiny 
sensual ripples iu her, but the big explosio11 does not come. She remains at 
the ed�(?e of the precipice but does not fall o.lf. He must U'ork harder. The 
lwrl'est will be hormt!ful. Sudde11ly, shrill alarms sormd througlzout his body. He himself is on 
the brink. Immediately he stops and holds 011 to her to check her motions. Nou/ they art' like two statues frozen in a weird dance. He will resume the 
battle after this respite and, in the next round, surely push her over the 
c�to: 
Her bod)', like his, is now perfectly still, but he feels some little 
tremors in her moon grotto. The tremors grow into spasms. The cinnabar 
grotto of tlzis lascir,ious woman seems to lzave a life of its ow11. It is open­
ing and shutting and squeezing in a most utmerving manner. ltz seconds, tlze Yellow Rit,er is breachit�g its dikes. He finds himself 
ejaculating. His jade stalk, hitherto an in11incible corzqueror in the arena of 
pluck-and-nurture, is being milked helplessly by the pulsating wall of her 
moon grotto, while the flower heart deep i11side her is voraciousl y draining 
his essence. His defeat is total-and humiliatitzg. He collapses onto tlze bed, feel­
ing like a fly sucked dry by a voracious spider. Weakly lze moans: 11 What 
have you done to me! Years of cultivation and nurture, all gotze!" She replies quietly: "As a man, sir, you halle a reputatiou for pluck­
ing us women. For mor e than two hours you did your best to extract my 
nectar. Instead, l,(!,Ot yours." He groans in despair. She contim�es: "So what's wron'-(?for a woma11 to pluck a man? ltz the 
battle of pluck, my dear friend, one must aaept de_fea t as well as victory." I( You've ruined me, " he whimpers. uYou-yo u wanton fox demon! '' ((Nonsense! Don't you believe those shamans. You're not ruined­
unless you do it too often. We both enjoyed what has happe11ed. And it 
will kee p us both youtl,(!,." 123 THE ART OF THE BE DCHAM BER 
124 As she puts her clothes back on and darkens her eyebrows with the 
charred tip of a willow twig, she smiles beatifically. She is once more a 
demure lady. PLU CK- AND -N URTURE 
The above re-creates a popular sexual practice that took place in 
countless bedrooms in China from the fourteenth through the 
sixteenth centuries. In this deadly serious health practice, called 
tsai-pu (pluck-and- nurture), one partner tried to "pluck" the or­
gasmic secretions of the other to "nurture" his own sexual po­
tency and health, while refraining from reaching orgasm. The idea of extracting nutrients from one's bedmate was be­
lieved eagerly but practiced surreptitiously in China; attempts at 
pluck-an d-nurture had results ranging from the farcical to the 
tragic. Although this sexual vampirism was performed mostly by 
men on female partners, willing or not, some women were known 
to be virtuosas. When both partners were practitioners, inter­
course became a sexual duel , in which the unsuspec ting "plucker," 
usually the man, might end up the "pluckee." The cult of pluck-and-nurture, however , was an aberrant out­
growth of the vast repertoire of Chinese sexual practices advocated 
by various ancient Chinese sexology schools. The mainstr eam 
Art of the Bedchamber taught of health benetits fron1 the mutual 
absorption of sexual secretions and sexual energy by both partners 
during frequent but prudent sexual unions. Thus the classics of the Art of the Bcdcha n1ber advocated 
joyous sexual un ion to benctit tht· health of both partners. It 
frowned on sexual abstinence as it did on sexual indulgence. It 
cautioned against excessive c:tnissions of n1alc sc:tnen. which was 
bc:lic:vc:d to bt·lirnitcd. ))uring the Ming dynasty, centuries after 
the: principal st·xology classics disappt·arc:d in China, a new bed­
roorn ''scit'tKc" flourished antong n.·rtain sectors of the leisure 
class: sexual alchcrny. This had noth ing to do with the ancient 
Taoist alcherny that ainll·d at creating the elixir of life, and it had 
no connection to the pursuit of inunortality. It was not an integral 
part of the ancient Art of the llt·dcharnber. but a perversion of it. This later sexual alcht•nty. which also recognizt·d tht· health bene-·nrc· Srx r4al Dt�rl f:! { Plruk-a nd-Nurturr 
tits of absorbing one's partner's sexual Sl'Crl·tions. was hascd on an 
obsessive fear of rnale crnission. This fear probably reflects feedback fron1 the anci ent Chinc Sl' 
sexology. ntoditied by Lan1aist practices popular in the second half 
of the fourteenth century, under the last Mon golian en1peror. At 
that tin1e, Tantric debauchery both inside and outsidl · the royal 
palaces pushed tht· Ti.toists and all tht·ir theories on health and sex­
uality to the background. After the Mongolian dynasty fell, in 1368, and the Yuan dy­
nasty gave way to the Ming, Taoist priests staged a comeback . To 
contpete with Lantaist practices, the Taoists developed the arcane 
theory of pluck-and-nurture, which was based on the ancient Art 
of the Bedchamber's plausible pren1ises of good health and good 
sex. Pluck-and-nurture cultists created a sexual practice with a 
n1ystical health goal and elaborate, sometimes ritualistic tech­
niques. Although a cultural renaissance took place under the Ming 
dynasty, some of the crudity and oppressiveness of the oust ed 
Mongolian regime rubbed off on the rulers of this new dynasty. Many literati were persecuted for real or imagined sedition. Nco­
Confucianism, which exaggerated Confucian concepts of loyalty 
to the emperor and of female chastity, became stronger. By the 
second half of the sixteenth century, European missionaries visit­
ing China reported that the seclusion of women in the cities was 
virtually total. The militant nco-Confucian bur eaucracy appeared 
in complete control. China became a nation of prudes-at least 
on the surface. By then books of ancient sexology had disappear ed. Any sex­
ual texts originally contained in both Buddhist and Taoist canons 
had been expurgated. Pluck-and-nurture treatises, once written 
in plain language, now read increasingly like essays on military 
strategy or alchemy, to avoid the possible wrath of the nco­
Confucian guardians of public morals. This did not deter some 
brilliant writers from producing pornography on the sly, how­
ever, or members of the leisure class from practicing tsai-pu be­
hind closed doors. The theory of pluck-and-nurture appears to have a believable 
foundation, the linking of sex with health. But it had also an ob­
viously fallacious minor premise-its obsession with none jacu-
125 THE ART OF THE BEDCH AM BER 
126 lation by the tnale. Adherents of the Taoist pluck-and-nurture 
school believed that when a man em it ted semen during orgasm, 
he suffered a catastrophic loss. A woman, it was believed, also 
ejaculated a fluid at orgasm. The fluids emitted by one partner 
would be absorbed by the other as ambrosia through the genitalia, 
and refined and stored in the cinnabar field. Taoists of the Ming 
era consi dered this absorption the most effective form of rejuve­
nation. The theory supposed ly worked both ways, so a woman too 
could rejuvenate herself by indulging in such practices. Hsi Wang 
Mu, the mythological Queen Mother of the Western Heaven, 
where the Peach of Immortality grows, was the su preme exam­
ple. This Taoist immortal attained the stature of goddess through 
the divine ways of nurturing her chi. Every day she ate yogurt, 
and played the five-string lute� she kept her serenity, never letting 
any extraneous thoughts distract her meditation. Her best secret 
of youth was her sexual union with many men. Her extraction 
was so effective that after a single encounter with her, a man would 
fall sick and become sexually withered, while she became ever 
younger and healthier . Ancient Chinese chronicles cite numerous 
wotnen, both historic and fictional, who reportedly practiced 
these techniques and reaped similar benefits. Although the Taoists traditionally consider ed female orgasn1 
hannless, some pluck-and-nurture advocates believed that it would 
benefit a woman n1orc if she could refrain fron1 orgasn1 while ab­
sorbing a man's semen. The wontan thus would try titillation and 
arousal to bring her partner to clitnactic ecstasy, while holding 
herself back fron1 reaching orgasn1. Pluck-and -nurture was practiced ostensibly for two respect­
able purposes. l)ne was to sire a healthy son. By repeatedly ex­
tracting fenule orgastnic secretions \Vithout hitnsclf tjaculating, 
culti sts bclievt·d, a nun's sexual esse nce could be so refined that 
when he did t'tnit, his supercharged sen1en would produce a supe­
rior baby boy. The other purpose was for health and rt:juvenation. How TO PLucK, How To NuRTURE 
Though short-lived and litnitcd to a snull pt'rccntagt' of the pop­
ulation, ts,li-pu was a virtual subculturt', with its own theorit'S and Tile Scxucr l Oud (!f Pluck-mrd-N urtur r 
t'SOtt'ric vocabulary. unintdligibk· to the unini tiated. A woman to 
be pluc kt'd, t'ln cxantpk. \Vas called a "crucible." Connoisseurs were nteticulous in picking their cruciblt •s 
and used nuny tt·sts to sdect candidates. ()nn · a crucible was 
chosen, sht• Wt'nt through a cotnpkx training procedure to pre­
part ' tor the plucking. The nlt'n trained too . Whil e the pluckn· 
was lx·ing grootncd filr the grand l'ncomltcr. thl· plucker dis­
ciplined hi tnsd f with tht· techniques of "sealing" and "refining" 
sen1en, so that at the actual plucking he could extract the fentale 
essenCl' dll.·ctivdy. and stor e this elixir of in11nortality insi de 
hitnsclf 
Atnong thl' pluck-and-nurture aticionados, the really rich and 
decadt'nt usually got their nutrition fron1 young concubines or 
stables of weB-nourished young won1en kept especially for this 
purpose. Such playtnates were assured a pleasant lifestyle-fine 
clothes. cotntortable living quarters, nutritious food and herbs. They were treated like patnpered n1ilk cows, so that the essences 
they yielded would be of a superior grade. Nurture lovers who 
could not atTord stables of their own had to pluck whenever op­
portunity presented itself 
The art of pluck-and-nurture, which was all technique, could 
be performed in several ways. In one method, a sort of "inner 
copulation," an individual derived benefits through exercises. self-massage, solitary meditation. and sexual intercourse in the 
mind. This method was, understandably. not too popular. A 
second method sought the benefits through an exchange of sex­
ual chi, by sleeping with and fondling young men1bers of the 
opposite sex, and even drinking their sexual juices-but with­
out actual copulation. This was practiced mainly by old and 
middle-aged people who were not strong enough tor mallo a 
mauo con1bat. A third way, for men, was to bring one's sexual 
partner to an intense orgasn1 and "extract" her secretions. For 
such a purpose the partner was preferably young and, even better, 
virginal. This last technique was most popular with apprehensive 
middle-aged men. They believed their waning sexual stamina 
would be rejuvenated-the expe rience would be like grafting a 
new branch on an aging tree. If a nun could discip line hin1sclf 
not to �jaculate, every session of sexual intercourse would add 
127 vigor and years to his life. The basic thinking , although it was car­
ried by some to extremes, was not all nonsense. A nujor clement in pluck-and-nurture is "suction" of fe­
rnale essences by the plucker. Cultists believed that male non­
etnission by itself was not enough. The man must absorb the 
woman's orgasmic secretions to nurture himself. Treatises on 
pluck-and-n urture usc thinly veiled alchemical or military ter­
minology to instruct the plucker how to tell the exact mo­
ment of orgasm of the partner; they describe in detail a wealth of 
physical and auditory symptoms just before and during the fe­
rnale climax. The male plucker is instructed to inhale the breath 
and drink the saliva of the woman in pas sion, and to siphon the 
precious female fluids with his jade stalk at the moment of her 
orgasn1, then to move them upward mentally, "like a reverse 
river," to an acupoint in the brain. From here the precious es­
sences will descend down into the cinnabar field, where they are 
stored as life-force. Pluck-and-nurture, then, was a serious practice. In one 
treatise th� plucker is instructed to meditate in a quiet room 
for no fewer than a hundred days, and to train himself with 
various exercises for thirty hours immediately before the en­
counter. When the time of plucking arrives, the participant s 
arc to harmonize by arousing each other sexually to the highest 
pitch. One treatise on pluck-and-nurture concentrates on tcn1ale sa­
liva as a favorite elixir for n1en. The n1an is instructed to excite the 
wonun with deep kissing and copulation. Through various coital 
techniques he nukes her clinux, then drinks her saliva while in­
haling the air she breathes out. The nun should repeat this at least 
thret· tin1es in one night, and if he can keep hirnsdf frorn ernit­
ting, he can bring the wonun to one orgasrn after another, each 
time drinking her saliv a. 1 )uring the heyday of ts,li-pll, one variation calkd shuatz�l!­
ltsill, or dual training. was quite popular. In it, both p;.ntncrs 
trained in tht· pluck techniques so that they would receivt' equal 
bcndits. Usu ally . nurried couples took part in this dual dis­
cipline, which t'ncornpasscd tht· entire spectrun1 of bcdroorn 
tcchn iques. Ts,li-pu is no longt·r pract iced in China as it was in rnedicval Tlze Sexua l Duel of Pluck-and-N urture 
titnes, but in a sense it does live on. Some mainstream erotic tech ­
niques originally developed for the Art of the Bedchamber were 
refined by pluck-and-nurture enthusiast s. However naive their 
theories may seem, some of their practices might be of immense 
value in modern bedrooms. I :. 'J 10 
Food and Herbs for Love 
Aph rodis iacs and Sexual Nutrients 
IN CHINA, aphrodisiac tonics have been pursued diligently and 
continuously for millennia-openly in the remote past, less so in 
recent centuries. The discussion of erotic techniques from the Art 
of the Bedchan1ber was lost centuries ago, and recovered only rel­
atively recently; but information on aphrodisiac tonics survived 
even the most puritanical periods because the search for thcn1 has 
been discreet, even can1ouflaged, and because, for the Chinese, 
foods and herbs for sex arc intin1atcly linked as \veil \Vith health 
and longevity. The Chi nese quest for aphrodisiacs long ago shifted fron1 in­
gredients that s upposedly created instant lust to those that were 
said to cultiv ate and nurture sexual vigor tor thl' long tern1. The 
latter type arc not orthodox aphrodisiacs for in1n1ediate physical 
arousa l, but rather aph rodisia c health tonics, sexual nutrients that, 
ever so slowly but per sist ently . pron1ote sexual potency , and indi­
rectly heighten sexual desire. From the vantage point of nlot krn kno wlcd gl'. the ancient 
( :hinese searrh for aph rod isiac ton ics nuy seen 1 a 111ix of qua ck­
cry. myst icisn1 , and unc 1nny canpirical experience. The last ck­
StTVt'S the attent ion of rnodern researchers, and this chapter will 
thcrd() rc conc entr ate on that en1pirical experience . Son lt' ancient 
( :hincsc practices and substan ces luve b een proven in today's lab­
oratori es� others nuy not even have been tested. 130 A profusion of anecdotal tt•stirnon ials frorn this ancit ·nt cul­
ture still is unsubstantiated in the laboratory. But sonlt' ingredi­
ents that pt ·opk have relied on for cen turies have been continned 
by n1odern scien ct'. This is of intt·rest not only to lovers but also 
to sexologists and scientists. For the tradit ion al Chinese, it is virtually irnpossible to draw a 
line between food and rnedicine. ()n thc one hand, they attr ibute 
specific n1cdicinal properties to specific foods, and on the other, 
all n1edicinal ingredit·nts in Chincse pharrnaceutical encyclope­
dias are listed with not only their known health eftccts but a de­
scription of their taste as \veil. For centuries the Chinese have 
taken herbal prescriptions for n1aladies. Likewise, they have cre­
ated dishes for their gustatory delight and their tonic effects­
facilitating circulation, strengthening the spleen, energizing the 
gonads. Sorne dishes are prepared with medicinal herbs. Often 
such herbs, whether in food or in medicine, arc taken preventively 
as health tonics rather than as cures for specific diseases. And some 
of these herbs offer a bonus-enhancernent of sexual vitality. APHRODISIAC HEALTH TONICS 
The Chinese have known and taken advantage of the beneficial 
effect of herbs for health and sexual vigor for centuries. The health 
tonics they have created arc in various forms: powders, boiled 
solutions, culinary dishes, medicinal wines and liquors, as well 
as ointments, rinses, supposit ories, and skin patches for specific 
acupoints. The ingredients of these tonics are anin1al, vegetable, 
and/ or mineral. Minerals in aphrodisiacs were popular in earlier centuries. One 
famous recipe, Five-Mineral Mix, consisted of ground arnethyst, 
quartz, kaolin, stalactite, and sulfur ore. During the third century 
the formula gained great popularity when a high imperial official 
claimed positive results from taking it. The n1inerals themselv es, 
listed in old Chinese pharmaceutical books as toxic, were to be 
used in minute an1ounts, but many eager consumers overdosed 
and died horrible deaths. Even during the enlightened Ming dy­
nasty, charlatan Taoist alchen1ists still concocted their dubious 
elixirs with rninerals. One well-known Ming prime minister was 
so severely poison ed that at his death his whole body allegedly 
rcsetnbled a roasted fish. Most n1inerals eventually were rejected 
IJI as ingrcdiL·nts t(>r aphrodisiacs, and plant and anirnal ingredients 
have been used rnuch n1ore frequently during the past four ceo­
tunes. The ancient Chinese chose particular ingredients for reasons 
ranging from the naively obvious to the myster iously prescient. Some were chosen because of their shape. A favorite ingredient in 
aphrodisiac health recipes is jou-tsrm. (!-yun�, or broon1 rape ((Jro­
banche ammophyla), a fleshy parasitic fungus that grows wild in the 
shade of trees. Its stem is about five to twelve inches long and is 
covered with tiny scales, its upper end slightly thicker than the 
rest of the stem. The plant resembles an erect phallus. Another 
parasitic plant, so-yang (Balanophora), found in northwest China, 
is similar in form to broom rape. Legends say that when wild 
horses mate with dragons, their sexual secretions drip into the 
soil, and then so-yang emerges from the soil. Passionate Tartar 
women would squat on so-yang to console themselves, and the 
plants then would zoom up with gusto. A close relative of this 
plant that grows in North America is nicknamed "squaw root." Bothjor-4-tsung-yun� and so-yang arc important ingredients in aph­
rodisiac health tonics for both men and women. The Chinese always have believed that what one cats fortifies 
what one already possesses. Thus the dried penises, and testicles, 
of deer, tiger, seal, and beaver are treasured tonic ingredients for 
males. These high-priced items are found in Chinese herbal phar­
macies throughout the Orient and in Chinatowns around th e 
world. Two other animals known for their copulative energy fur­
nish ingredients for aphrodisiacs. One is the red-spotted gecko . This lizard, only several inches long, is normally quiet, but dur­
ing the mating season geckos bark incessantly through the night. When they mate they remain locked together all day long; nothing 
can separate them. Their abundant sexual secretions, white in 
color, dry on their bodies and look like snow. The lizards are often 
captured in pairs, one male and one female, and soaked in wine or 
liquor. They make a potent green medicin al drink. Dried, they 
arc used in various prescriptions and recipes. The other animal is the male silkworm moth. Silkworms were 
domesticated in China 1nore than five thousand years ago. They 
arc fed with mulberry leaves, and the cocoons they spin arc un­
reeled into strands of silk. When Jnoths emerge from the cocoons, their only tnission is to n1atc before thl'Y dit'. Mating takes an in­
ordinately long tinte, during which the ntoths flutter their wings 
ecstatically for hours. For this reason ntalc ntoths arc used in sex­
ual tonics. Moths that haVl' never nt<ltcd arc considered superior in 
potency. Many other ani nul ingredients arc believed to give potency to 
n1cn and won1cn. including the gallbladders of dogs. bears, and 
pythons; elephant scntcn; donkey cntbryos; and atnbcrgris frotn 
the spern1 whale. The Chinl'SC also tind sexual possibilities in 
such creatures as .. vinegar turtles "-actually tiny snails with spi­
ral shells, which when put in vinegar revolve until the shell is com­
pletely dissolved. The tnost celebrated anin1al clement for health 
tonics and aphrodis iacs is newly sprouted "velvet" deer horn. The Chinese search for aphrodisiac health ingredients does not 
limit itself to nonhuman anin1al products. The human placenta, the 
maternal organ that links the fetus to the uterus during pregnancy, 
has been valued for health tonics in China. Midwives often tnade 
fortunes sn1uggling out the placentas they collected at the birth of 
babies, especially of firstborn boys. Families guarded jealously 
against such thefts, in the belief that if others consumed the pla­
centa, the infant might not survive. Certain human body fluids have 
been used in medicines or aphrodisiacs. Charlatan Taoist elixir­
makers of the Ming dynasty were notorious for their use of men­
strual blood in rejuvenating tonics. The Ming en1peror Shih Tsung 
(1 522-1 567) conscripted 460 virgins under the age of fourteen, 
then accommodated thetn in his palace and collected their menses 
as his health-giving cocktail. Little boys' urine was drunk, sonle­
times mixed with wine, as a medicine. Elixirs frotn the Three Peaks, described in chapter 7, were 
favored by Taoist pluck-and-nurture enthusiasts. Saliva was con­
sidered a great energizer. Human milk was a favorite in ancient 
China among rejuvenation-minded elders. It was taken with herbs 
or consumed more itnaginativ ely. When the Han dynasty prime 
minister Chang Tsang left his post, he was already in his nineties. Yet at that age he reportedly had more than a hundred concubines, 
some of whom bore him children. His secret: He employed a 
number of wet nurses in his home and drank their milk-directly 
from the source. Male semen and fcn1ale sexual juices also have 
been considered potent aphrodisiacs and health tonics. f-i.,ods and Hcrl,s Jor Lcwc 
IJJ TH E ART O F THE BEDCHAMB ER 
THE POPU LAR QUEST FOR POTENCY 
The desire for rejuvenation and sexual potency was prevalent 
among the royalty and upper class, who could afford expensive 
concoctions, but it was no less characteristic of humble craftsmen 
and peasants. The water of the so-called Fountain of Lust, in south­
east China, could make even the most chaste women wanton, so 
the story went. Peasants sometimes scraped lime plaster from 
statues of the Buddha and ate it, in the belief that it would build 
sexual stamina. In Shantung province a rumor once spread that some "stone 
suet" (a mineral formation) found on the fan1ous Mount Tai, if 
consumed as a powder, would make one an immortal as well as a 
great bedroom hero. Thousands of peasants rushed to the moun­
tain to dig for the mineral and ingest it, until the government 
banned the digging. When the use of aphrodisiac health ingredients was at its height 
in China a few centuries ago, people not only created recipes of 
their own, but spent fortunes on commercially prepared ones. The commercial preparations bore names ranging from prosaic 
and obvious to fanciful and elegant: one could try, an1ong others, 
Gold Lock and Jade Chain, Enduring Passion, Golden Recipe of 
the Upside-Down Beauty, Pillow Elixir, Ointment of Thirsty 
Seedlings and Happy Ra in, Iron Hook, Ten Thousand Moans of 
Princess Tai Ping, Night-Bloon 1ing Princess An Loh, Imperial 
Concubine Yang's Bidet, Elemental Maid's Inunortal Pill, hnpe­
rial Concu bine's Coyness Night After Night, and Beauty's Quiv­
ering Moans. No record is available as to \vhat \Vent into these 
preparations and what specific effects they had. RECIPES H>l� SEXUAL NUTRIENTS 
TlH. 'ir lengthy pur suit of health and pleasure, sexual and other­
wis e, has kft the Chin ese with countless recipes, son1e spu rious, 
son1e effective. In the past, palace rccipc:s Wt're top-secret, jeal­
ously guarded by tht· royalty and known only to thetn, son 1etin1es 
only to the ent perors. Up per-cb ss Chin t'Se kept nuny of their 
recipt'S as f.unily secr ets. The lower classes also had their favorite 
conco ctions, however. Today, son1c of the old recipes an.' lost, 
while nuny once secr et ont·s arc known. Recipes for the three n1ost celebrated ancient Chinese aphro­
disiac health concoctions are given below. They and thousands of 
others have been taken avidly by n1cn yearning to itnprovc their 
bcdroon 1 pertornuncc or recapture lost vigor. and by wo men 
seeking to enhance their general health as well as their sexuality. The recipes arc offered here as J nutter of historical record and tor 
possible study by interested researchers. They arc presented with­
out any warranty of safety or cftcctivcncss. Ingredients arc identi­
fied by their Chinese nan1c and a con1n1on nan1c in English or a 
description; for accuracy, the botan ical nan1c in Latin is also 
given. All "parts" arc by \\'eight, unless indicated otherwis e. The 
Chinese usually take their sexual nutrients in small quantities, 
daily for several \Vecks or n1onths, then stop, then resume. Their 
interpretation of body tnetabolistn bids them to take nutrients 
n1ost of the year, but scldon1 in the sun1mer. Bald Heu A1ix 
In his classic, the Mystic Master of the Grotto tells of Lu Ching­
ta, a third-century tnagistrate of a prefecture in Sichuan (Szech­
uan) province who took a herb powder at age seventy-and sired 
three sons. As he continued to take it, the old man's persistent sex­
ual exertions caused pain in his wife's moon grotto. One day the 
distressed woman intercepted a new supply of herbs for his rec­
ipe; she angrily threw them into the courtyard of their house. A 
rooster ate the herbs and becan1e so aroused that it mounted a hen 
and copulated for several days without letup. In its throes of pas­
sion the cock kept pecking at the hen's head until it was bald. Thus 
the recipe earned the unlikely name Bald Hen Mix. The Mystic Master gives the recipe as follows: Combine three 
parts each of jou-tsun_R-ywzg (broom rape, or Orobatzche ammophyla), 
wu-wei-tzu (five-flavor seeds, or Schizandra chiuensis), tu-szu-tzu 
(dodder seeds, or Cuscuta chiuensis), yuan-chih (Siberian milkwort, 
or Polr.�ata tetmuifolia); and four parts of shao-chuat zg-tzu (the seeds 
of an aromatic biannual grass, Cnidium monnieri). In a mortar, 
pound the five ingredients into a powder. Take a square-inch mea­
sure (a heaping tablespoon) of the powder with warm rice wine 
on an empty stomach three times a day. The Mystic Master warns: 
"Do not take it if you arc without a [sexual] adversary. After tak­
ing it for sixty days, you can tame forty women. F(lllds mul Her/Is j�r LoPe 
[ 3 5 I To A1ix 
This recipe is found in the dynastic records of the Sui emperor 
Yang, the seventh-century canal-builder and tyrant whose toys 
included a defloration couch. A noblewoman who had been con­
victed of murdering one of her servants addressed a petition for 
clctnency to the emperor. She explained that her eighty-year-old 
husband, Hua Fou, had found himself incapable of bedchamb er 
activity. A close friend gave hin1 a recipe for a marvelous herb 
powder, but Hua died before he was able to usc it. So out of pity, 
his widow gave it to a fa1nily retainer nan1ed I To. The seventy­
five-year-old servant was sickly and arthritic, white-haired and 
bent with age. After twenty-odd days of taking the powder, the 
old man's body straightened, his hair turned black, and his face 
took on the ruddy glow of a n1an in his thirties. The widow gave her two tnaidservants to the rejuvenated I To 
as wives. They bore hin1 four children. I To took to visiting the cor­
ncr wine house and often returned home inebriated. It happened 
that one of the maids nonnally slept in an alcove off the wido\v's 
bedchamber , and when I To came hon1c, he sometin1es crept into 
this maid's bed. The widow, pretending to sleep, watched and lis­
tened to their lovemaking. This old n1an, she found, was full of 
energy, different from others. "Although I was already fifty, I suffered fro In tny unfulfilled 
desires," the widow confessed in her petition to the en1peror. "Soon I also began a relationship with I To and bore hin1 two chil­
dren. Although I To had us three won1cn, he was still full of en­
ergy." Eventually she felt such shan1c tor carrying on an affair 
with a lowly serv ant that she killed hin 1. She then discovered that 
his shinb ones were full of ycllo\vish nurro\v, which the ancient 
Chin ese believed was a sign of superior heal th. Evidently trying 
to trade her recipe tor the en1peror's pardon, the noblc\ vonun con­
cluded hL·r petition: "If Your Majesty wants to tan1e nun y won1en, 
this rnix will give you yellow rnarrow throughout your bones. I 
humb ly offer it to Your Majesty." History docs not record the t:ne of the won1 an, but here is her 
rL·cipc, known to posterity as I To Mix: Con1bin e three p�uts slrt'tl.._\!­
ti-hu,mg (Rfi,,,,,;l, g/utiriMcJ, a fresh plant sitnilar to foxglove) , 
soaked in rice wine for a week; two parts kut>i-llsiu (deba rked cin-nan1on twigs. or Citmamo mum cass ia); tivc: parts kan-ts,w (licorice: 
root. or Glycyrrhiza .l!labr,l); two parts pai-slm (the: root of the: pe­
rennial grass Atr ,utylis a/b,l); and tivc: parts kan-chi (dried lacquer, 
or Rhus l'l'rnicUt.'ra). Pulverize: the: tnixturc: and take: a tablespoon of 
the powder three tin1es a day. after each tncal. Tht' Plaut (�fLusU i1/ Shee p 
Ancient Chinese: herbal encyclopedias record that in northern 
Sichuan province, after eating leaves fr01n a certain plant, some 
sheep fell into a lustful frenzy, copulating a hundred titnes a day. For nuny centuries the Chinese have used this "plant of lustful 
sheep:' or yiu-yaug-luw, in various concoctions. (In the plant's name, 
yiu n1cans "lustful"; yaug tneans "sheep." While the Chinese char­
acters are different from yin n1eaning "female," and yang meaning 
"nule," their transliterations into English are identical.) The dried 
leaves of this plant are soaked in wine or liquor in various propor­
tions for two months. and then filtered. About a jigger of this is 
taken every night. The "plant of lustful sheep" is mentioned in Shen Nung's Med­
ical Herb Classic (c. 550) and in Li Shih-chen's Materia Medica 
(1 578), the two most prestigious Chinese herbal medicine ency­
clopedias. Modern medical scientists in Japan, China, and Korea 
are analyzing and experimenting with this mysterious herb, 
which is known botanically as Epimedium sagittatum or Aceranthus 
sagittatus. A perennial found in many parts of China, it grows to 
more than a foot tall and has egg-shaped leaves with serrated 
edges. Scientists have determined that the plant contains a num­
ber of unidentified alkaloids and flav onols, and is rich in man­
ganese, an antioxidant essential for sexual potency. Chinese 
physicians have used the plant to treat nervous disorders, chronic 
bronchitis, and menopausa l ailments. As a sexual nutrient, its key ingredient is epimedin (or icarin, 
in plants found in Japan and Korea), which has an aphrodisiac ef­
fect. Laboratory dogs fed epimedin exhibited increased sexual ac­
tivity, and male dogs injected with a solution of this ingredient 
began to secrete semen five minutes after the injection; the secre­
tion continued for ninety minutes. A Japanese scientist theorized 
that increased setncn production indirectly stimulated the central 
137 THE ART OF THE BEDCH AMBER 
nervous systen1, and thus the aphrodisiac effects. The lustful sheep 
of Sichuan were the inadvertent victitns-or happy beneficia­
ries-of what they ate. A RECENT DISCOVE RY 
The Chinese seem to find aphrodisiac health ingredients or sexual 
nutrients everywhere. One of the latest discoveries was n1ade in 
mainland China only a few years ago. Near his field a farmer had a 
pond in which he hatched carp, as is often done in China. One day 
he turned the carp-feeding chore over to his son, who unknow­
ingly gave the fish the wrong feed: green oats (Ave11a satil'a). After 
some time the error was discovered, but the farmer was stunned 
to sec hundreds of young carp-double the expected number­
and livelier old carp in his pond. Carp arc slow breeders; but after 
this farmer's fish had eaten the "wrong" feed, they became very 
sexually active.· Something in the green oats must have had an 
aphrodisiac effect. Soon the news attracted agriculture and aquacultur e scientists 
in China. After studying the fish and the feed, they confirmed 
that the green oats had raised the carp's sexual honnonc level and 
caused thcn1 to mate n1ore often. Understandably, the scientists 
began to cat the stuff, and after a few n1onths they \Vere ecstatic to 
find themselves as lively as the carp. The news touched off a flurry of activity in the Institute for 
Advanced Study of Hunun Sexuality, a nonprofit graduate school 
in San Francisco. Its researchers conducted a double-blind study 
of 1 6o nule and fenulc volunteers. According to Dr. Rayn1ond 
Mcllvenna, the Institu te's dean of students and a n1ernber of its 
board of trustees, the results of the study were "phenon1enal." Both tnalc and tl.·rnalc test subjects clairned an increased interest in 
sex, and son1e nin ety percent of the nll'n cbitned irnproved per­
t'l1rtllJ IKt'. Resea rcher s at the Instit ute subscqut·ntly found that a certain 
ingr cdit ·nt in the you ng oats could rdeasc the tcstostcront' that 
is bound with globul in in the bloodstrcarn. Testosterone is the 
hormone responsibk t'llr sex ual .1rou sal in both rnen and worncn. The portion tlut is hound to globu lin is biologically inactive, and 
its percentage int"r eascs as people age. By frt·cing the bound tcs-tosterone into the body, tht' oats apparently inrrL'ascd the bio­
logically activ e percentage of t his honnone , ther eby heighten ing 
sexual desire. As a result of this study , a ront nlL'rrial product nm­
sisting of extracts of green oats. nettks, and vitant in C is nnw 
availabk in thL' United States. THE MYTH AND SciENCE OF (;INSENG 
The piece de rL�sistanc e of ancient Chinese aphrodisiac health 
tonics is ginseng (Pcm,lx giuscug); it is surrounded by legend and 
tnystique, and little-kno\vn tnodern scientific data. This humb le­
looking root is atnong the best known and least understood in the 
West. Most Westerners think of it vaguely as a panacea, an aphro­
disiac, or an expensive nonsense steeped in superstition. For centuries the Chinese have revered it as the plant of lite, 
the root of rejuvenation. They call it ginseug, or "human root," 
because it often resen1blcs a human figure. They have clain1ed en­
thusiastic ally that it invigorates the mind, rejuvenates the body, 
protnotes longevity, prevents many diseases, and restores sexual 
vitality. In the past, Western scientists have been skeptical, ignoring or 
ridiculing the value of ginseng. To the "rational" West, which 
demands laboratory proof, anecdotal claims are subjective, un­
scientific, and therefore to be discounted. Can tnoder n science 
fully analyze a substance valued so highly by the Chinese for 
thousands of years? In this century, a few non-Chin ese scientists 
have n1ade isolated probes, but a serious assault began in I 96 I, 
when Japanese and Soviet scientists independently studied the 
root and found similar results. Today scientists in China, Japan, 
Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Germany, Great Britain, and other 
countries have greatly augn1ented their data. In carefully controlled tests, laboratory mice and dogs given 
ginseng were found to swim twice as long before exhaustion, to 
increase their sexual activity, to minin1ize the trauma of stress, 
and even to incur less radiation damage to the body. In hunun 
beings, ginseng has been found to increase the overall efficiency 
and accuracy of radio operators and proofreaders. In both hununs 
and laboratory anitnals ginseng "tunes up" the central nervous 
system (the brain and the spinal cord), normalizes blood pressure, 
and alleviates incipient diabetes. l.W Scientists have detennined that ginseng contains numerous 
cornplex organic compounds. Of these, the n1ost significant were 
at least fifteen saponins, substances found in various plants which 
produce a soapy lather. Some water-soluble saponins stimulate 
the central nervous system, while some alcohol-so luble saponins 
sedate it. The latter also act like sex hormones for both males and 
temales. Besides the saponins, ginseng contains essential oils, 
fatty acids, mucilaginous resins, sugars, alkaloids, and silicic acid; 
ginsenin, which resembles insulin; enzymes for digesting starch 
and protein; flavonoids, which increase capillary elasticity; and 
phytosterols, which promote hormone production. Ginseng also 
contains traces of numerous minerals, including manganese, 
magnesium, copper, cobalt, vanadium, iron, zinc, potassium , 
calcium, sulfur, phosphorus, and germanium, which is known to 
attack cancer cells. In addition, ginseng has vitamins B1, B7, Be! ; 
biotin; pantothenic acid; choline, which lowers blood pressure; 
panaxic acid, which reduces cholesterol; panacene, which relieves 
pain; panaxin, which tonifies the central nervous and cardio­
vascular systems; panquilon, which stimulates the secretion of 
pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal hormones ; and maltol, an antioxi­
dant now recognized for its antiaging effects. It is very likely that 
other components of the humble-looking root have yet to be iso­
lated and identified, and that the properties and functions of those 
already identified arc not entirely known. Ginseng' s action is unique. It has ingredients that stinurlate the 
central nervous systcn1 and others that sedate it. It has ingredients 
that lower blood pressu re and others that elevate it. According to a 
careful study conducted in an American university , howeve r, long ­
h:rnl usc n1ay rt·sult in a steady lowering of blood pressure, as 
blood vessels in certain parts of the body arc relaxed. GinSl'ng 
also lowers blood cholcstl'rol and nonnalizcs blood sugar. Gin -
... 
seng conditi ons and soothes thl' central nervous systcrn, thereby 
regulating and nornulizin� nujor body functions. It shidds the 
body froan hann ful inner factors such as strl'SS, and detoxifies the 
body frorn da rnagi ng outside derncnts such as clirnatic cxtrc-n1cs, 
drugs. and l'Vcn radiation. Not only docs it stinnrlatc thl' Sl'Cfl'­
tion of Cl'rtain honnones, but sornc of its cornponl 'nts bchavl' likl' 
sex honnonl ·s� it Ius, for inst;UlCl\ an effect likt· that of estrogen 
on rncno pausal won1cn and prl'Vents vaginal atrophy . Although 
ginseng is not an inst�lnt aphrodisiac in the narr ow sensl ' of the word, it is a top sexual nutrient, which preserves and restores sex­
ual well-being in 111 iddlc-aged and older peo ple. And it has no 
harntful side eftl.·cts i f taken regularly and in snull doses. No otht·r single plant-no single iten1, in t:Kt-is known to 
have such properties. Scientists coined the term "ada ptogen" to de­
scribe a substanc e's ability to hdp the body adapt it sci f to diftl.·rent 
conditions-if and when this is needed. This modern tcnn af­
tinns what tht• Chinese have long known about the root, and the 
uses to \vhich they put it. They have reserved it for ntiddk-aged 
and older people. tor convalescents, f(x the phy sically and nlen­
tally exhausted. Ginseng is not a tonic tor the young and healthy. Is ginseng really the root of rejuvenation, as the Chinese have 
claitned? With ntodern laboratory results incontplete but sugges­
tive, the answer seen 1s to depend on where one's prejudice lies. No 
wonder Chinese ernpcrors and polygantous husbands took it. No 
wonder Soviet cosntonauts and Olytnpic athletes have taken it. No wonder its prices have been pushed sky -high today through 
avid purchases by tnany newly rich japanese businessmen. Although North American ginseng (Panax quitzqu� {tllium) is a 
close relative of the Oriental variety, it is less potent and different 
in various properties. It has been used by the Chinese as a nu­
trient, but not a sexual nutrient. THE PLANT OF IMMOR TALITY 
When the term "adaptogen" was coined, ginseng was the only sin­
gle substance known to help the body regulate its functions as it 
did. Since then, modern researchers have discovered other ada pto­
gens. Among the latest to be tested in the laboratory is ling-chih, the 
"divine mushroom" (Gan odenna lucidum) . As mentioned earlier, 
it provides a favorite motif in Chinese art, represents a felicitous 
sign, and is a symbol of female sexual essence. Major Chinese 
medical treatises rank it with ginseng as the best of "superior med­
icines." Legends claim that ling-chih brings eternal youth and as­
sures longevity. It was said even to resurrect the dead, and hence is 
sometimes called the ''plant of immortality." So fabulous was its 
reputation and so rarely was it found that when a large growth of 
ling-ch ih was reported to En1peror Wu of the Han dynasty in the 
second century B. c., he declared a national celebration and or­
dered a general amnesty. I..p Earlier efforts to cultivate liu.�-chih failed, but in 1972 research­
ers succeeded in doing so in Taiwan. Subsequent ly it was planted 
successfully in Japan, South Korea, and China, and intensive re­
search and experimentation became possible. Because ling-chih 
has the same capability as ginseng to normalize blood pressure 
and blood sugar, it too is classified as an adaptogen. In clinical 
tests in China and Japan, it has been found effective in lowering 
blood cholesterol and fat. It is believed effective in preventing or 
alleviating some two dozen ailments or diseases, including bron­
chial asthma, chronic hepatitis, diabetes, hemorrhoids, varicose 
veins, rheumatoid arthritis, strokes, and deficiency of steroid 
honnones secreted by the adrenal cortex. More recently, reports that ling-chih can combat certain types 
of cancer (of the breast, uterus, and digestive tract) have been at­
tracting attention in Asian medical circles. Precisely why ling-chih 
may be effective is not known, although one Japanese scientist sus­
pects that the rich amount of the anticancer mineral germanium it 
contains may be the answer. Ling-chih, ginseng, and garlic have 
the highest amounts of germanium known. No large-scale re­
search on ling-chih is being done by Western researchers. FRoM HoRN TO NuTs: OTHE R FAVO RITE To NICS 
One treasured Chinese aphrodisiac tonic that has n1et with 
skepticism in the West is velvet deer horn. On a visit to Hong 
Kong, when a British royal was told that the Chinese consumed 
ground-up deer horn for health and longevity, he \Vas said to have 
con1mented laughing ly that if deer horn was good for health, 
ground-up table legs would be too. The young plun1 blosson1 t·ker (also known as the spotted or 
sika deer) sheds its antlers in the fall and grows ne\v ones in the 
spring. Tht.· newly grown horn is soft, fuzz-covert.·d, and rich in 
blood vessels. In tht.· sumn1er, before the new velvet horns harden 
into bony antlers, the Chinese collect thent; they process then 1 
and slice thern into paper-thin waters, which they sell at high 
prices in ht.·rb phannacies. The Chinese use velvet deer horn as a 
sexual tonic and as a gent·ral tonic tor debility and itnpainnents 
related to age. In Siberia, where deer are plenty, scientists have ex­
perirnt.·nted with an extr�Kt front the deer horn, pantocrine. They found that it enhanced physical statnina in n1in· in t'ertain lab­
oratory tests. Then they tried it on luunan bt·ings. It incn·ased 
endurance in volunteers on a bicycle ergononlt'tcr, and in fifty 
young n1en running three-kilotneter ract·s. As tht·sc t"xperitnents 
wert" prditninary, tnuch ntorc data arc nt·t·dcd tor a cornplete eval­
uation. A fiery, rnedicinal-tasting liquor has bt•t·n consumt·d tor cen­
turies in China as a general nutrient, a booster t'i>r ntak-potency , 
and an antidote tor dt·bility, nervousness, depr ession, n1enopausal 
blues, rhcutnatisnt, and other ailrnents. Called wu-chia-pi, it takes 
its n�une fron1 wu-cllia (Eifuthao((laus sctuicosus; A.rantho pattax 
spiuosum) , a thorny bush that grows in nuny parts of China and 
Siberia; the bark (pi) of its root is used as a tonic. Scientists of the 
Acader ny of Sciences of the Soviet Union took a great interest in 
Chinese clain1s about this bush and spent years researching it. Their experiments not only substantiated many of the Chinese 
claims but also found that wu-c hia-pi regulates blood pressure and 
blood sugar, just as ginseng does. Although wu-c hia-pi has some 
properties similar to those of ginseng, calling it "Siberian gin­
seng," as is sometimes done, is inaccurate. Yet another ancient Chinese aphrodisiac health tonic receiving 
an enthusiastic nod from modern researchers contains huang-chi, 
or yellow vetch (Astr agalus hoan gtch y). The root of this herbaceous 
plant has been popular among the Chinese as a tonic and versatile 
medicinal ingredient for more than two thousand years. Chinese 
physicians and nutritionists have claimed that huang-chi nurtures 
life-force, and they have used it to treat many wasting diseases, as 
well as prolapses of the uterus, night sweats, and diabetes. It is 
often helpful to people recuperating from surgery, and as a de­
fense against cold and flu. The latest discovery about its immune-boosting qualities ap­
pears to confirm age-old claims. Two scientists have found that 
doses of huang-ch i taken over a two-month period greatly strength­
ened the human immune system by bolstering defensive T cells 
and restoring damaged ones, both in test tubes and in cancer pa­
tients. Huang-ch i also lowers blood pressure and inhibits harmful 
free radicals. Reseachers in Japan found that laboratory mice, nor­
mally in heat for one day, became sexually active for as long as ten 
days after eating the root. The oldest surviving tree on earth is said to be the gingko or /�,,J.� a"d Ht•rhs for Lcwr 
143 144 ginkgo (Gink�ftO biloba) , and China is the source of transplants to 
Europe and the Americas. Once a favorite of Chinese emperors, 
gingko nuts are actually the seeds or pits of fruit grown on tall 
gingko trees. The pulp of the fruit is toxic and corrosive, but the 
"nut" inside is rich in vitamin B2, beta-carotene, and minerals. Gingko nuts have been used by the Chinese as a cure for fre­
quent urination, asthma, and vaginal irritation or infection. Shelled 
gingkos, after soaking in vegetable oil for a hundred days, have 
been used to treat tuberculosis in China for several centuries. Chi­
nese scholars placed gingko leaves in their books to prevent dam­
age by bookworms. Buddhists monks often ate a gingko nut just 
before their Zen meditation to facilitate deep breathing and fore­
stall coughs. Gingko nuts are always roasted before being eaten, 
as they arc toxic when raw. Even roasted nuts must be eaten in a 
limited number at a time. Most of the positive properties of gingko nuts have been con­
firmed by modern research. Laboratory experiments have isolated 
an antibiotic ingredient in the nut that in the test tube etTectivcly 
attacks tuberculosis, typhoid, diphtheria, and dysentery. The nuts 
are known also to have anticancer properties. An extract from the 
gingko leaf is now used widely in France and Germany as an anti­
aging treatment for senile demen tia and memory loss. This is be­
cause of its ability to improve blood circulation in the brain. If an extract from the gingko can in1prove blood circulation in 
the brain, can it do so elsewhere? According to a study in Tile Jour­
nal of Urology, gingko restored erections to half of sixty men sut:. fering from itnpotencc due to decreased blood flow to the penis. SEXUAL NUTRITION 
Popular food and herbs in China includt.• not only such celebrated 
itents as ginseng, vclvt. 't deer horn, spotted lizard, and lin .. l!-chih, 
but also otht.·r nnashrootns, bird's nest, silvery tree ear (a fungus), 
sea cununbt.·r. jujube, tortoist. ', and snake-to nan1e a few. Food 
and herbs as sexual nutrients ahvays have been constuned avidly 
by the Chinest. ', who consider this nutrition inst.•parabk fron1 ycm .. l!­
sht'tl.l!, or lite-nurture. This is of suprt. 'nle intportance in Chinese 
health practin ·s. as it t.'nhanct.
vdoc.pub_the-yin-yang-butterfly-ancient-chinese-sexual-secrets-for-western-lovers.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        This funda­
mental practice of ancient Taoist sexology, when practiced with 
self-discipline and finesse, bccan1e a delightful and useful art. According to the ancient sages, a n1an who n1astered it could 
satisfy up to ten wornen in a single night sexually. And the prac­
tice, comn1on in ancient and rnedieval China, was not lirnited to 
young n1en. EJACULATION AND ()RGASMIC BIHNKMA NSHIP 
In Tht' Class ic <�{the IiletiiCtltal A1tzid, the Iridescent Maid asks Peng 
Tsu a very natural quest ion. How, she wonders, since the joy of 
sexual intercou rse lies in ejacula ting, could a nun enjoy sex without 
disc harging his sernen. The old sage replies that after a n1an ejacu­
latc. ·s, his cars ring, his eyelids droop, his throat dries up, and his 
joints ache. Whatc. ·ver plea sures he takes in ejaculating are only mo-rnentary. But if he reaches the brink without ejaculation. he can 
preserve his erH. 'rgy and will thirst pt·rpctually �vith love and pas­
sion tor his partner. The Elen1ental Maid tells the Yellow Emperor 
about the benefits of reaching the brink without t:jacubting. She is 
the san1e therapist who \Varns the en1pcror that celibacy is harrnful. Th e Mystic M aster reco nlnlt 'tH. is that when the nun wants to 
ejaculate, he should \Vait until his partner reaches orgasn1. The 
Tang dyn asty physician Sun Szu-n1o ((lO r-6X. z), author of the 
tnedical classic Prcs cripti<liiS <�f,, TlwiiStllld c;o/dpiacs, took a sitnila r 
stand. He \Vrote that if a nun has great sexual statn ina, he should 
not hold back fron1 tjaculating for too long, or he will suffe r con­
gestion and illness. Frequency of ejaculation, Sun said, should 
depend on a rnan's age and general health, and the season. The ancient classics agree in general in their reconllnenda­
tions for n1ale ejaculation schedules. Son1e of them give alter­
natives for the n1ore vigorous and the less so. The Classic of the 
Elemeutal Afa id says that virile young n1en between the ages of fif­
teen and twenty may ejaculate once a day, or several tin1es a day if 
they are strong. At thirty a man may ejaculate once a day if he is 
strong, every two days if he is not. Men of forty may ejaculate 
once every three to four days; men of fifty once every five to ten 
days; men of sixty once every ten to twenty days; and men of sev­
enty once every thirty days-or not at all if they are weak. Pre­
scriptiatzs of a Thousand Goldpieces gives these recommendations: 
At age twenty, men may ejaculate once every four days; at thirty, 
once every eight days; at forty once every sixteen days; at fifty, 
once every twenty-one days; and at sixty, once every month--or 
not at all if they are weak. The Secret Art of the Jade Chamber gives 
this advice: At age twenty, men may ejaculate once every two days; 
at thirty, once every three days; at forty, once every four days; at 
fifty, once every five days; and at sixty, not at all. The Essnz tials of 
Nurturirzg Life, quoting the Taoist Liu Ching, recommends an 
ejaculation once every three days in spring, twice a month in sum­
mer and fall, and none at all in winter. In the spring, Liu reasoned, 
a man's sexual essence is strong, while in winter it is weak. The 
book gives no recommendations according to age, so presun1ably 
these prescriptions are for the middle-aged. Orgasmic brinkmanship -going to the brink but not over­
as taught in ancient Chinese classics etnploys both psychosomatic 
and purely physiological techniques. The fanner arc recom-C/(luds tmd Ra;, 
I I 7 THE ART OF THE BEDCHAM BEH 
n1ended when the rnan feels the approach of orgasm; the latter arc 
applied as an emergency measure when ejaculation is imminent. Below is a sumn1ary of the recornmendations in various classics: 
In his Prescriptions of a Thousand Goldpieces, Sun Szu-mo teaches 
that whenever a man feels he is ncar ejaculation, he can control 
hin1self by opening his eyes wide, closing his mouth, and breath­
ing through his nose with his diaphragm. Then, using his index 
and n1iddle fingers, he should press firmly the pin,{. i acupoint 
(found one inch above the right nipple) and gnash his teeth a thou­
sand times. Essentials of the Jade Ch amber, quoting Tlze Class ic of the Immor­
tals, teaches that a man n1ay surmount the crisis by pressing his 
fingers on the hui-yi11 acupoint (found on the perineum between 
the anus and the penis) while breathing deeply and gnashing his 
teeth several dozen times. The Secre t Art of the jade Chamber, quoting the second -century 
B. C. sexologist Wu Tzu-tu, says that a man may control himself 
by raising his head, stopping his breathing momenta rily, shout­
ing, and glaring left and right while contracting his abdomen. The text also prescribes pressing "below the genitals" with the 
left hand. The Mystic Master of the Grotto advises the n1ale partner 
to wait and time his own orgasm to coincide with that of the 
wom an. He suggests these delaying tactics: The man should with­
draw his jade stalk so that the insertion is only one or two inches 
deep-"like a nipple in an infant's n1outh. " Then he should close 
his eyes and concentrate while pressing his tongue on his palate, 
hunch his shoulders and stick out his head, dilat e his nostrils and 
inhale deeply. This will not only delay his ejaculati on but litnit it 
to twenty to thirty percent of the nonnal ctnission when it does 
take place. A Ming dynasty sexual-alchetn ical treatise with the fornlid­
abk title lntc rprt'ttlliotl t�{thc Cultil',ltioll t�f 7ha h hy the Gn·,lt Immor tal 
t�f the Purple-Gold C/t1r}' echoes Wu Tztt-tu's recon1n1endation s. During copulat ion, it says, when the nun is nuking three-shallo w, 
one-deep thrusts and feels he is about to ernit, he should with ­
draw his jadl· stalk so that i t is only one or two inches det'p, and 
wai t until he caltns down. Then he nuy resurnc his thrusting. Tht • 
nun is adv ised further to adopt a deliber ate attitu dt· of indiftcr­
ence towa rd his partner in order not to excite his passion. Acupressure tnethods arc very effective, but they should he 
only as an en1crgcncy n1casure, since apparent non tjaculation nuy 
n1can an internal ejaculation into the bladd er. This defeats the 
purpose of the exercise and tnay han n the nun. The ancients practiced orgasn1ic brinknunship for two pur­
poses. One was health-which included preserving the nun's life 
essence and pron1oting longevity. The other involved the sex act 
itself-prolonging n1alc activity and bringing the won1an to her 
din1ax, repeatedly if desired. Which purpose was mor e itnpor­
tant was-and is-a n1atter of pt·rsonal choice. What is significant 
is that this technique is workable, even though it takes son1e prac­
tice and plenty of self-discipline. For modern lovers this opens 
new vistas on the erotic horizon. If a n1an is skilled in this art, 
with the cooperat ion of his partner he can create ecstatic pleasure 
for both of then1 in their lovemaking. Sexologists in ancient China believed that blood and semen 
were different n1anifestations of chi, or life-energy. To their minds, 
semen was a much more concentrated form of life essence than 
blood. Any indiscriminate squander ing of semen, and to a lesser 
extent, blood, would bring ill health, even death. Significantly, 
they used the terms "return alive" to describe the unejaculated 
phallus after coitus, and "return dead" to describe a spent phallus. Most earlier sexologists advocated limited male ejaculation, cer­
tainly for improved procreation, generally for health, and often 
for pleasure. The consensus of ancient Chinese sexologists was 
that both men and women must have sexual intercourse regularly 
for health and longevity, but that limited male ejaculation was es­
sential. Female sexual essence was inexhausti ble, according to the 
Taoists, and thus female orgasm and ejaculation would not harm a 
woman's health. In light of this theory, rabid dogmatists, especially later sex­
ual alchemists, took the extreme view that every ejaculation of 
male semen was a dire catastrophe. Out of this belief was born the 
bizarre-and at times hilarious-sexual practice of "pluck-and­
nurture," described in the next chapter. Clor4ds and Rain 
I I 9 9 
The Sexual Duel of 
Pluck-and-Nurture 
Battling /or the Elixir o/ Li/e 
LIKE AN UNDULATING DRAGON, tlze wlzite wa/1 with its war1y, tiled top 
ell closes the secluded gardcu. On tlze_far side, bamhoos sway iu the refresh­
ing breezes of a summer el'enitlJ. · Gol�fish swim lmzguidly in au irre,g­
ularly shaped pond fritlJ. ,Cd with greenery and spmmed by a uarrow, 
archt•d bri�. ,C,�f brilliant vermilion. Otl OtiC side is a low, r,u,Mifl,. , /wriSt' 
with curl'ed ea11cs and upswept ro<. �{ wnzers. Thcfr,l. _. ,r,mce_ti·om tl clump 
t{jasminc hushes lends an iur,,xicatill,. , scllsrwusllcss to the 11ir. A Hltlll,md,, ll'Otlltltl sit by t1 table tH't1r,,,. ,i,mt boulder. They sip 
warm rict· u•i11c ji·om little porcclaill cups,md s,mrple dc/ic,lcies from 
sel'cr,zl p/,Jtes. Tlze,,,,;dsal',mt ll'lzo /Jn,u,l. ,lzt the dishes h,lS promptly dis­
''PJ'Ctlrnl. The ttltltl,,d wo"""' (tlrll'tTse ;, hushed roues. As tile,,w 
folltitmcs r,zlkillg, o11c,�(the hlll. l. ,, ft,,,sc slar•cs,�(his tlluslill robe bruslzrs 
''. ai11st a pair ��r d�t,pstifks, sc11di". rlzem,�tr the t,,b/e. He stoops dow11 
,wd a,,ud�t·s rmdcr the,,,/,fc r,, rrtrin•e tlzntt. lllstc,,d his lw11d t,,uclzcs lza 
s""'"· d,,;,ry. f�''''· 
"()lz. " The lf'''"""'.
The main purpose of pluck-and-nurture was to preserve the male's life essence and prolong the sexual act, and also to extract the female's orgasmic secretions to absorb and refine them.
What is the main purpose of the ancient Chinese practice of pluck-and-nurture?
The "cinnabar field" is a reference to the female's genital area, and the significance lies in the fact that the male is trying to absorb the female's orgasmic secretions and store them in this area for rejuvenation.
What is the significance of the "cinnabar field" in the context of pluck-and-nurture?
The "crucible" refers to a woman who is skilled in the art of pluck-and-nurture, and the role is to train and refine her own sexual potency and longevity.
What is the role of the "crucible" in the context of pluck-and-nurture?
The "plant of lustful sheep" refers to the broom rape (Orobanche ammophyla), which is used as an aphrodisiac and is believed to enhance sexual potency and vitality.
What is the significance of the "plant of lustful sheep" in the context of ancient Chinese sexology?
Ginseng is considered a top sexual nutrient and is used as an aphrodisiac, and its properties are believed to normalize blood pressure, lower blood sugar, and have anti-aging effects.
What is the significance of ginseng in the context of ancient Chinese medicine?