Traditional Chinese medicine thinks so: kidney is the foundation of congenital and essence is the main source. The generation of qi and blood depends on essence, which can be transformed into essence and stored in the kidney, so it is also called "homology of essence and blood".
Semen consists of sperm and seminal plasma, which contains more than 90% water and a small amount of trace elements such as protein, lipids, sugars, enzymes, inorganic salts and zinc. So semen is not as precious as it is said.
Extended data
Blood comes from the innate essence, but from the acquired diet Shui Gu; The formation of essence also depends on the acquired diet, so there is a saying that essence and blood are homologous, and the gain and loss of essence and blood determines the health of human body. The essence and blood of traditional Chinese medicine are the material basis of the body, belonging to yin, essence is the yang in yin, and blood is the yin in yin.
The essence of TCM has many meanings. The original meaning of essence refers to the reproductive essence with the function of reproducing offspring. For example, Su Wen's "Ancient Innocence" said: Men "28 ... are full of vital energy, so they can have children." This is called essence in a narrow sense, which is the beginning of the concept of essence in traditional Chinese medicine.
From the point of view of essence and subtlety, all subtle substances in human body, such as blood, body fluid, bone marrow and Shui Gu subtlety, belong to the broad category of essence.
Judging from the production and function of specific substances, essence is different from the concepts of blood, body fluid and marrow. Generally speaking, the concept of essence is limited to congenital essence, Shui Gu essence, reproductive essence and viscera essence, excluding blood, body fluid and marrow.
Compared with qi, essence belongs to yin, tangible and hidden in viscera; Qi belongs to yang, invisible, and runs inside and outside the whole body.
Baidu Encyclopedia: Essence