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“Qi” (氣) literally means gas in Chinese. The pictograph shows steam coming off of a pot of rice. A more ancient pictograph shows smoke coming off of fire. In either case it refers to gasses or vapors. This is a fundamental part of how yoga, acupuncture and meditation practices work.

Chinese medicine has long recognized that gasses within the body play a role in the warming, holding, energizing and providing communication within the human body. Medically there are names for many kinds of gasses based on their actions in the body. While they lacked the technology to identify and measure the exact gasses, they were keenly aware of how these gasses permeated the body and the points at which they exited the skin.

Gasotransmitters

Gasotransmitters were discovered in the early 1990s and their discovery is redefining the way we think about medicine. They are small molecules of gas such as nitric oxide, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide. They can pass freely through membranes, transmit signals from neurons to target cells. Continue reading →