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Li Ching-Yuen: Secret of Longevity (李清雲: 長壽養生之道)

In China, there was a herbalist called Li Ching-Yuen. He was believed to have lived 256 years. He was also a life-long vegetarian. Records from Professor Wu Chung-chien, dean of the department of Education in Minkuo University, show that Li Ching-Yuen was actually born in 1677 and that Imperial Chinese Government congratulated him on his 150th and 200th birthdays. He died in 1933. During his lifespan, he was reported to have buried 23 wives and had 180 descendents.

Li Ching-yuen was famous not only for his longevity, but also his unusual achievements in Chinese medicine. According to the generally accepted hearsays spread in his province. Li was able to read and write as a child, and by his tenth birthday had traveled in Kansu, Shansi, Tibet, Annam, Siam and Manchuria gathering herbs. For the first hundred years he continued at this occupation. Then he switched to selling herbs gathered by others. Towards the end of Qing dynasty, he became a scholar in Chinese medicine. He was specially awarded by Imperial Chinese Government for his achievements in Chinese medicine. When he was about 200 years old, he was constantly invited to interview with western scholars and to deliver lectures in universities.

Li Ching-yuen attributed to his longevity and health to the following secrets:

1) Be a life-long vegetarian;

2) Keep peace of mind and be always happy;

3) regularly drink Chinese wolfberry tea.

Domestic and Foreign magazine published his story in the 1950s. In his own account (from an interview in the 1920's) Li Ching-yuen says,

“When I was 139 years old, and before I met my Master, I could still walk and do the power walk, as if I practiced Chinese martial arts. As a result some people thought I might be a deity or an accomplished swordsman.

At the time I thought it was really amusing. I think the reason that I have lived this long and am still perpetually healthy is because nothing has irritated me since I was 40 years old. Because of that, my heart is very calm, peaceful and divinely tranquil. That is why I am free from any illness, and always healthy and happy.

At the age of fifty when I went to a mountain to collect some herbs, I met an elderly man who lived on the secluded mountain. He didn't appear to be a supernormal man, but he took big strides when he walked, as if he was flying in the air. No matter how hard I tried, I could not keep up with him. Later, I met him again. I knelt before him and begged for his secret. He gave me some wild fruits and said, “My only secret is that I only eat these fruits.” I took the fruits, and found that they were Chinese Wolfberries. Since then I consumed three qian of Chinese Wolfberries daily (a qian is the weight used to measure Chinese medicine which is equal to five grams). From then on I became healthy and agile. I can walk a hundred li (a li equals half a kilometer) and not feel tired. I became better in strength and stamina than an average person.”

(My comments:

1) It is unclear what makes Chinese wolfberries so different from other plants, except for the fact that Chinese wolfberrries have a very high Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). ORAC is the standard test to measure the potency of antioxidants in food. According to scientists at the USDA, eating high-ORAC foods may slow diseases associated with aging (source ). If the link between intake of antioxidant foods and anti-aging is not a myth, then there is no reason why we cannot stay youthful by increasing intake of other high antioxidant foods. High antioixdant foods include:

Item	ORAC Value
Spices, cloves, ground	314,446
Sumac, bran, raw	312,400
Spices, cinnamon, ground	267,536
Sorghum, bran, hi-tannin	240,000
Spices, oregano, dried	200,129
Acai berry, freeze-dried	161,400
Spices, turmeric, ground	159,277
Sorghum, bran, black	100,800
Sumac, grain, raw	86,800
Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened	80,933
Spices, cumin seed	76,800
Maqui berry, concentrated powder	75,000
Spices, parsley, dried	74,349
Sorghum, bran, red	71,000
spices, basil, dried	67,553

(source: http://oracvalues.com/sort/orac-value/ )

2) According to some online sources, however, the herbs which Li recommended to his student were actually ginseng and Hydrocotyle Asiatica. Hydrocotyle Asiatica is also called Gotu Kola. In fact, Indian yogi Nanddo Narian informed his followers that this very same herb contains a vital ingredient that is missing in the general human diet, an ingredient without which it is very difficult to control the rapid decay that leads to premature death. Unlike Chinese wolfberries, Gotu Kola is not easy to find! Chinese wolfberries and Gotu Kola are not the same things, are they?

3) ORAC Scores of Various Fruits/Vegetables:

Item	ORAC Value
Wolf berry	25,300
Prunes	5,770
Blueberries	2,400
Garlic	1,939
Cranberries	1,750
Strawberries	1,540
Spinach	1,260
Yellow Squash	1,150
Alfalfa sprouts	930
Beets	840
Oranges	750
Grapes, Red	739
Grapefruit, pink	495
Grapes, White	460
Beans, Kindey	460
Peas, Frozen	375
Potato	300
Leaf Lettuce	265
Cantaloupe	250
Banana	210
Apple	207
Tomato	195
Pear	110
Watermelon	100
Cucumber	60

)

中國的一位老中醫，李清雲先生，就活了256歲，而他是一位素食主義者！

李清雲出生於1677年，死於1933年，在世256年歲，是清末民國初年的中醫中藥學者，也是世界上著名的長壽老人。在他100歲時（1777 年）曾因在中醫中藥方面的杰出成就，而獲政府的特別獎勵。在他200歲的時候，仍常去大學講學。這期間他曾接受過許多西方學者的來訪。李清雲一生娶過24 個妻子，子孫滿堂。他認為自己健康長壽的原因有三：

1) 是長期素食；

2) 是內心保持平靜、開朗；

3) 是常年將枸杞子煮水當茶飲。

英國、法國及荷蘭的醫學科研工作者們聽到這一消息后，便對枸杞進行了深入研究。他們發現枸杞中含有一種沒見過的維生素，便取名為「維生素X」，也稱之為「駐顏維生素」。經動物實驗証實，維生素X，對人及動物的腦細胞和內分泌腺有激活和新生作用。法國政府為此開始大面積種植並加強研究。

枸杞子含有胡蘿卜素，硫胺素、核黃素、鹽酸、抗壞血酸等多種有益人體的維生素。研究証明，枸杞具有抑制脂肪在纖維內蓄積、促進肝細胞的新生、降低血糖、降低膽固醇等作用。枸杞的「返老還童」作用表現為：可刺激性腺及內分泌腺，增加荷爾蒙的分泌，強化腦細胞和神經細胞的生理功用，還可避免人隨年齡增長而出現血中積存毒素的現象，從而維持休內各組織的正常功能 。

《本草經疏》云：「枸杞子，潤而滋補，兼能退熱，而專於補腎、潤肺、生津、益氣，為肝腎真陰不足，勞乏內熱補益之要藥。老人陰虛者十之七八，故服食家為益精明目之上品。」

《本草匯言》云：「枸杞能使氣可充，血可補，陽可生，陰可長，火可降，風濕可去，有十全之妙用焉。」

《本草通玄》云：「枸杞子，補腎益精，水（腎）旺則骨強，而消渴、目昏、腰疼膝痛無不癒矣。」

《本草正》云：「枸杞，味重而純，故能補陰，陰中有陽，故能補氣。所以滋陰而不致陰衰，助陽而能使陽旺。其功則明耳目，添精因髓，健骨強筋善補勞傷；尤止消渴，真陰虛而臍腹疼痛不止者，多用神效。」

Keywords: be veg, go green, save the planet, vegan/vegetarian, vegan, vegetarian, ahimsa, vegan meat, vegan t-shirt, vegetarian-restaurant, vegan-restaurant, meat-free, non-dairy, dairy-free, egg-free, no-smoking, no-drinking