It is important to read all the relevant product descriptions and consult your herbalists regarding suitability. There are other functions and nuances not covered by this rating system. * The rating system is meant to encapsulate the key functions of herbs. A human lacking in certain treasures will benefit greatly from consuming herbs containing an abundance of those treasures.* The treasure rating can be used for a human, an herb, or a formulation. To facilitate understanding, our candle diagram provides a rating for each aspect of the Three Treasures (Jing, Qi, and Shen) on a scale of 0-5, 0 being the least, 5 being the most. Remedial herbs are not noticeable sources of the Three Treasures. That distinguishes them from herbs that are remedial only. They, by definition, are the natural sources of the Three Treasures. The major tonic herbs have an abundance of one or more of the Three Treasures. The purpose of taking Chinese tonic herbs is to replenish the Jing and Qi and to stabilize our emotional body so that Shen may fully develop. Genetically we are given certain regenerative power, but when our Jing is used up we die. This is ultimately the most important of the Three Treasures, because it is the basis of our higher nature as human beings and is expressed as our wisdom and happiness in life. Shen is the mind, our Spiritual power, our awareness, our consciousness, our true wisdom and our universal love. Shen is symbolized by the light given off by a candle, it is the ultimate purpose of the candle. In humans, Qi manifests as our vitality, adaptability, and immune response. In our life, wind is instability, stress, severe challenge, self-abuse, and so on. If a wind blows, the flame stirs and intensifies, shortening the life of the candle. The flame requires food (the wick) and air to continue. The flame is the burning of the candle, its purpose, and activity. Qi (pronounced chee) is symbolized by the flame. A foot tall cathedral candle will burn much longer and brighter than a birthday candle. A candle’s life expectancy depends on the quality of the wax and the size of the candle. This is symbolized in the candle analogy by the wax and wick of a candle. It is closely associated with our genetic potential and is associated with the aging process. Jing is translated as “Essence.” Jing is the primal energy of life.

These energies are called “treasures” by sages such as Laozi (founder of Taoism) and Confucius because they are the very basis of our life. The Taoist sages who developed Chinese tonic herbalism discovered that a human being is composed of three “Treasures.” The “Three Treasures” are called Jing, Qi and Shen.

Dragon longevity tea