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Neigong and Alchemical Arts
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🌿 Plant Profile - Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum)
🌿 Rambutan Botanical Name: Nephelium lappaceum Family: Sapindaceae Common Names: Rambutan, Hairy Lychee Parts Used: Fruit (aril), rind (pericarp), seed (processed) Energetics: Cooling, slightly moistening, mildly astringent Tissue States: Heat, mild dryness, fluid depletion, irritated mucosa, mild blood deficiency Primary Actions: Hydrating nutritive, antioxidant, mild astringent, digestive support, skin restorative, antimicrobial (rind) Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum
Josh Goheen
Mar 3020 min read
The Physics of Vitamin D and the Myth of Sun Avoidance
Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most prevalent nutrient deficiencies in our modern world. With people increasingly staying indoors at work and at home, fewer people are getting out into the world and living the way we are designed to live. Add to that a diet of sterilized rubbish the overblown warnings about how "dangerous" the sun is (interesting that cancer rates have only risen in recent decades despite sunscreen not even existing until relatively recently in human hist
Josh Goheen
Mar 271 min read
🌿 Plant Profile - Black Radish (Raphanus sativus)
🌿 Black Radish Botanical Name: Raphanus sativus var. niger Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard family) Common Names: Black Radish, Spanish Radish, Black Spanish Radish Parts Used: Root (fresh primarily), seeds occasionally Energetics: Cooling to neutral, pungent, slightly drying Tissue States: Hepatic congestion, bile stagnation, sluggish digestion, dampness with heat Primary Actions: Cholagogue, choleretic, digestive stimulant, expectorant, antimicrobial, mild diuretic Bla
Josh Goheen
Mar 2517 min read
🌿 Plant Profile - Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
🌿 Bergamot Botanical Name: Citrus bergamia Family: Rutaceae Common Names: Bergamot Orange, Bergamot Parts Used: Fruit peel (essential oil), occasionally juice and rind Energetics: Cooling to neutral, aromatic, slightly bitter Tissue States: Nervous tension, digestive stagnation, mild hepatic congestion, emotional constriction Primary Actions: Nervine relaxant, digestive stimulant, carminative, antimicrobial, mild antidepressant ⚠️ Most medicinal use is via the essenti
Josh Goheen
Mar 2315 min read
The Third Limb: Asana and the Reconstruction of the Body
Having established the foundation of Yama and Niyama , we now arrive at the third limb of the Eightfold path as outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali : Asana . This is the point where most modern practitioners believe the practice begins . In truth, it is where the preparation of the vessel begins. Asana is not Yoga in its entirety. It is the systematic conditioning of the body so that Yoga—true internal practice—can eventually take place. Asana serves to restructure the
Josh Goheen
Mar 204 min read
🌿 Plant Profile - Gentian (Gentiana lutea)
🌿 Gentian Botanical Name: Gentiana lutea Family: Gentianaceae Common Names: Gentian, Yellow Gentian, Bitter Root Parts Used: Root Energetics: Cold, very bitter, drying Tissue States: Digestive stagnation, metabolic sluggishness, deficient digestive secretions, dampness Primary Actions: Bitter tonic, digestive stimulant, cholagogue, hepatic stimulant, appetite stimulant Gentian (Gentiana lutea) 🌱 Botanical Description of Gentian Native to: Central and Southern Europe
Josh Goheen
Mar 1816 min read
🌿 Plant Profile - Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi)
🌿 Grapefruit Botanical Name: Citrus x paradisi Family: Rutaceae Common Names: Grapefruit, Pomelo Hybrid Parts Used: Fruit, peel, essential oil from peel, seeds (extract) Energetics: Cooling, slightly drying, aromatic, bitter-sour Tissue States: Metabolic sluggishness, lymphatic stagnation, digestive heaviness, damp accumulation Primary Actions: Digestive stimulant, mild cholagogue, lymphatic mover, metabolic support, antimicrobial (seed extract), uplifting nervine Gra
Josh Goheen
Mar 1617 min read
The Mystery of Fascia: The Body's Most Misunderstood Aspect
In the fields of exercise science, martial arts, and even herbal medicine there are few more widely misunderstood or ignored topics than that of the body's connective tissue networks, such as the fascia and extracellular matrix. Until very recently, modern research has largely ignored these vital tissues. Pharmaceutical biomedicine, and by extension even the naturopathic practitioners and natural supplement industry that still take the bulk of their educational models and res
Josh Goheen
Mar 132 min read
🌿 Plant Profile - Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
🌿 Thyme Botanical Name: Thymus vulgaris Family: Lamiaceae Common Names: Thyme, Common Thyme, Garden Thyme Parts Used: Leaf and flowering tops Energetics: Warming, drying, aromatic Tissue States: Cold dampness, stagnation with mucus, microbial overgrowth Primary Actions: Antimicrobial, expectorant, antispasmodic, carminative, immune stimulant, antioxidant Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) 🌱 Botanical Description of Thyme Thyme is a low-growing perennial shrub that thrives in a
Josh Goheen
Mar 1117 min read
🌸 Plant Profile - Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata)
🌸 Ylang Ylang Botanical Name: Cananga odorata Family: Annonaceae Common Names: Ylang Ylang, Cananga Parts Used: Fresh flowers (primarily distilled as essential oil) Energetics: Cooling, moistening, aromatic, relaxing Tissue States: Nervous tension, sympathetic overdrive, emotional constriction, heat in the heart Primary Actions: Nervine relaxant, anxiolytic, mild hypotensive, aphrodisiac, cardiac calming agent Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) 🌴 Botanical Description of
Josh Goheen
Mar 917 min read
The Principle of Vibration: The Dynamic Engine of Internal Alchemy
In this fourth article of our series on the Seven Hermetic Principles and their relationship to the alchemical path and the internal martial arts, we now turn to the third principle: the Principle of Vibration . This principle states that nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates . All of reality, from the densest stone to the subtlest thought, is the result of specific vibratory patterns. The nature, quality, and function of any phenomenon are determined by the fr
Josh Goheen
Mar 64 min read
🌿 Plant Profile - Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)
🌿 Coriander Botanical Name: Coriandrum sativum Family: Apiaceae Common Names: Coriander, Cilantro (leaf), Chinese Parsley Parts Used: Seeds (primarily medicinal), fresh leaf (culinary and medicinal) Energetics: Cooling to neutral (seed slightly warming), aromatic, gently drying Tissue States: Dampness with heat in digestion, mild tension, inflammatory states Primary Actions: Carminative, digestive stimulant, mild antimicrobial, antispasmodic, detoxifying, nervine (mi
Josh Goheen
Mar 415 min read
🌿 Plant Profile - Buchu (Agathosma betulina)
🌿 Buchu Botanical Name: Agathosma betulina (primary species), Agathosma crenulata Family: Rutaceae Common Names: Buchu, Round-Leaf Buchu Parts Used: Leaves Energetics: Warming, aromatic, slightly drying Tissue States: Dampness in urinary tract, cold stagnation, mild mucosal atony Primary Actions: Urinary antiseptic, diuretic, carminative, mild stimulant, anti-inflammatory (urinary) Buch (Agathosma apiculata) 🌱 Botanical Description of Buchu Native to: South Africa
Josh Goheen
Mar 214 min read
The Second Limb: Niyama and the Architecture of the Inner Life
In our last article of this series, we explored Yama , the first limb of the Eightfold path outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali , and saw how ethical restraint forms the outer foundation of authentic internal cultivation. In this installment, we look at the second limb, known as Niyama . If Yama governs how we relate to the world around us, Niyama governs how we relate to the world within us. Together, these two limbs form the moral and psychological bedrock upon which a
Josh Goheen
Feb 274 min read
🌿 Plant Profile - Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
🌿 Scarlet Pimpernel Botanical Name: Anagallis arvensis Family: Primulaceae Common Names: Scarlet Pimpernel, Poor Man’s Weatherglass, Shepherd’s Weather-Glass Parts Used: Aerial parts (fresh preferred) Energetics: Cooling, slightly bitter, mildly drying Tissue States: Damp heat, toxic heat in skin, sluggish lymph, melancholic stagnation Primary Actions: Alterative, mild diuretic, expectorant (traditional), hepatic stimulant, lymphatic mover ⚠️ Scarlet Pimpernel is mil
Josh Goheen
Feb 2517 min read
🌿 Plant Profile - Rauwolfia (Rauwolfia serpentina)
🌿 Rauwolfia Botanical Name: Rauwolfia serpentina Family: Apocynaceae Common Names: Indian Snakeroot, Sarpagandha Parts Used: Root Energetics: Cooling, bitter, grounding, strongly descending Tissue States: Excess heat, agitation, hypertension, sympathetic overdrive Primary Actions: Antihypertensive, sedative, tranquilizing nervine, antipsychotic (historical use), autonomic modulator ⚠️ This is a potent herb with pharmaceutical-level effects. Use requires professional
Josh Goheen
Feb 2317 min read
The First Limb: Yama and the Moral Foundation of Internal Power
In the previous article in this series, we examined the Eight Limbs of Yoga as outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali , noting how modern practitioners of Yoga, Qigong, and Taijiquan often isolate posture and breath while neglecting the deeper architecture of authentic cultivation. We now begin a closer examination of each limb in succession. The first is Yama —a word commonly translated as restraint, control, or ethical discipline. If we are serious about internal developm
Josh Goheen
Feb 205 min read
🌿 Plant Profile - Sundew (Drosera spp.)
🌿 Sundew Botanical Name: Drosera rotundifolia (also D. intermedia , D. anglica ) Family: Droseraceae Common Names: Sundew, Round-leaved Sundew Parts Used: Aerial parts (harvested in flower) Energetics: Cooling, slightly bitter, mildly sweet Tissue States: Dry irritated mucosa, nervous spasm, lingering inflammation of respiratory tissues Primary Actions: Antitussive, antispasmodic, respiratory trophorestorative, mild antimicrobial, nervine Sundew (Drosera spatulata)
Josh Goheen
Feb 1817 min read
🔥The Year of the Fire Horse🐎
On February 17, 2026, we enter the Year of the Fire Horse (Bing Wu, 丙午) —a rare and powerful convergence that occurs only once every sixty years within the sexagenary cycle of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. This is not a quiet year. It is a year of ignition. Year of the Fire Horse 🔥 The Structure of the Year: The Sexagenary Cycle Chinese astrology operates through a 60-year cycle formed by pairing the Ten Heavenly Stems (associated with the Five Elements in yin and
Josh Goheen
Feb 164 min read
Beyond Movement and Breath: Reconnecting the Deeper Roots of Internal Cultivation
In recent years, Qigong and Taijiquan have steadily grown in popularity, finding their way into community centers, rehabilitation programs, and wellness spaces across the world. Yet among the internal cultivation arts, Yoga remains the most widely recognized and practiced in the West. While these systems arise from different cultures, they share a common alchemical perspective: each seeks to refine the human being from the outside inward, harmonizing body, breath, mind, and s
Josh Goheen
Feb 134 min read
DISCLAIMER:
As with any diet or exercise program, always consult a qualified physician prior to beginning any new routine, especially if you have any health issues. The training and information provided on this site and in person is for educational consideration only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease, nor is it to take the place of any qualified medical treatment.
All original material presented represents the thoughts, opinions, and experiences of the author and is intended to be taken as such. All quoted or shared material is the property and responsibility of the original author/source.
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