Ming Men In TCM: The Seat Of Sexual Vitality in TCM

Not to be confused with Mad Men, the hit TV series, Ming Men is an acupressure point. Actually, Mad Men and Ming Men have something in common. At their essence (no pun intended for the TCM reference), both the series and the energy point convey vitality. The show recreates the high-stakes pressure cooker of a top 1960s advertising agency in New York City and the ad campaigns it created to make people feel more youthful, full of vim and vigor. 

What New York City is to the advertising world, Ming Men is to TCM: an epicenter of life essence and vitality. 

What & Where is Ming Men? 

If you practice Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or Kung Fu, you’re probably familiar with Dan Tien, the point approximately a couple of finger-widths below your navel, in the front of the body. 

The Dan Tien is like a reservoir or storage house of energy. On the back side of your back, pretty much on the opposite side of Dan Tien, beyond the abdominal cavity and spine, in between the physical kidneys, resides Ming Men. In TCM, the Ming Men acupuncture point is the Gate or Center of Vitality. 

Want to live a long, healthy life with abundant sexual vitality? Not to mention strong digestion and a calm mind? 

If so, let’s contemplate, if not your navel, then your Ming Men because it’s this energy point that fosters internal power. 

In acupuncture, Ming Men is the fourth point of the Governing Vessel (GV-4). The Governing Vessel represents “the sea of Yang meridians, regulating the rise and fall of Yang Qi and balancing Yin and Yang,” explains a 2022 research study in the World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion.

What Does Ming Men Do in TCM?

The Ming Men point plays a vital role, well, in vitality. This energy epicenter takes cooling Yin energy and warming Yang energy from the Kidneys. This, in turn, provides the body with balanced Qi to the Zang-Fu organs. 

A car can be shiny and luxurious on the outside, but it’s really the engine that matters. You can think of your Ming Men as a mini engine that drives freshly-filtered Blood through your entire body, including the heart. Ming Men fuels Heart Yang. As in Western medicine, the Heart meridian’s physical responsibility is pumping blood. Thus, Ming Men helps with circulation. Obviously, if it’s sexual vitality you desire, fresh blood flow is crucial. 

But it’s not just sexual wellness that Ming Men controls. It’s such an important energy point in the body TCM considers it the origin of life development. This is the exact point in the body where TCM believes that embryos grow and develop. 

In addition, when ideal amounts of Qi and Blood flow through Ming Men, digestion is optimal. This is because there’s enough heat (“Fire” in TCM) from this energy epicenter to transform undigested food from the Stomach meridian into absorbable nutrients, which occurs in the Spleen channel. 

Ming Men not only supports physical wellness. When balanced and activated, your Ming Men can help you feel calm. In TCM, the seat of the consciousness is not the mind. Rather, it’s the Heart. The Ming Men needs the right amount of fire to support a healthy heart. Not just for circulation but for the Shen (spirit, consciousness). 

Mad Ming Men

Just as someone who is said to have ice running through their veins is cold and lifeless, so, too, is someone with not enough fire burning through their Ming Men!

When Ming Men lacks fire, all systems crash. Metabolism slows. You have no energy. You feel cold. Your emotional and mental state is down. In addition, your elimination slows. The tissues and organs accumulate Dampness, a TCM pattern that leads to swelling and water retention, allergies and various other chronic conditions. 

In addition, if there’s a lack of Ming Men fire, there’s probably a Deficiency of Kidney Yang. This can translate into breathing problems because the Kidney channel captures Lung Qi, controlling inhalation. In this manner, the Kidney and Lung channels operate on a two-way feedback loop, similar to the Gut-Brain axis of Western medicine. 

But let’s get back to sexual vitality…

You need the perfect amount of fire in your Ming Men to have a healthy sex drive. If your Ming Men burns like an old cigarette lighter, you’ll most likely have a low sex drive. For those trying to conceive, having adequate Ming Men fire is also paramount. 

The Easiest Way To Support Ming Men

If you have low energy and are often sick, Ming Men is one of the best acupressure points to strengthen the overall constitution. 

It sounds too good to be true but the best way to support Ming Men is to perform mindful breathing exercises. When breathing, focus on drawing your navel towards your spine. This will activate your Dan Tien and Ming Men, the twin-like energy points in your body. 

If you don’t have a daily breathing exercise practice, start today! 

In addition, self-massage and tapping can help open the Ming Men acupoint. 

For self-massage, try this:

Place your middle finger and index finger of your right hand on the Ming Men acupressure point (see above for reference). Apply light, inward force, making slow, circular movements. Massage the point until you notice the Ming Men becoming warmer. 

For tapping, follow this method:

The best way to beat a weak constitution is to beat your Ming Men! Make a fist with both hands and slowly, with moderate force, rhythmically tap the Ming Men point with the radial (thumb) side of the fist, right, left, right, left, etc. Do this approximately 40 times a minute for two minutes in the morning and evening.

Another way to support Ming Men fire is to take a TCM formula that supports the Kidney meridianTCM formula that supports the Kidney meridian. 

For best results, consult your local acupuncturist to see which TCM formula is right for you.