How to make "Pure Yang Water" in May, if you miss it, you have to wait another year
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month (Yisi (wood and fire), Xinsi (metal and fire), and Gengzi (metal and water) is the day of the Dragon Boat Festival. In the minds of the ancients, it is the day with the most prosperous yang energy in the year. It is called "Double Noon Day" - the noon month and noon day, double yang fire overlaps, and the yang energy between heaven and earth is full. The ancients believed that the water drawn at noon on this day (11:00 to 13:00) can absorb the purest yang energy between heaven and earth after being exposed to the sun, and turn into "pure yang water", also known as noon water, extreme yang water or dragon eye water.
The most suitable date for making pure yang water in 2025 is the eleventh day of the fifth lunar month, because this day is Yisi (wood and fire), Renwu (water and fire), and Bingwu (fire and fire). The fire element is more prosperous than the Dragon Boat Festival. Drawing water at noon can transform the yang energy in the water by fire, enhancing the effect of expelling cold and purifying.
The origin of Pure Yang water is closely linked to several moving legends. The most widely circulated story happened in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, When Zheng Chenggong led his army to Tiezhen Mountain in Dajia Town, Taiwan, the army was in trouble due to lack of water. At noon on the Dragon Boat Festival, Zheng Chenggong inserted his sword into the crack of the rock to pray for water. The moment he drew the sword, spring water gushed out, quenching the thirst of the entire army. Later generations named this spring "Jianjing". Every year at noon on the Dragon Boat Festival, local people lined up to get water, believing that this water can avoid plague and cure all diseases.
There are also clues in medical classics. Li Shizhen called it a medicine for curing all kinds of poisons in "Compendium of Materia Medica". The ancients also integrated Chunyang water into the wisdom of life. The Minnan proverb "Drinking Pure Yang water at noon is better than taking tonic medicine in winters" fully expresses the people's admiration for its health value.
Pure Yang Water Production
To make real pure yang water, you need to strictly follow the traditional methods and time:
Natural water sources are preferred: unpolluted mountain spring water and well water are preferred (need to be taken out in advance to dissipate the coolness).
Modern alternatives: Mineral water, purified water or drinkable tap water.
1. Pour the water into a wide-mouthed container at noon on the Dragon Boat Festival (11:00-13:00)
2. Traditional ritual: bow to the heaven and earth, and recite the purpose of taking water in silence
3. Outdoor exposure: place in direct sunlight to receive the midday yang energy (2 hours is best)
If it rains, it cannot be made that year (the ancients believed that it would be ineffective if there was no yang)
When exposed to the sun, it can be covered with plastic wrap to prevent dust
Put it in a dark sealed container and store it in a cool place.
According to the experience of the ancients, it can be kept until the Dragon Boat Festival of the following year without deterioration, and it can even be used to temper swords.
Traditional Uses of Pure Yang Water
Health preservation
Oral administration: drink directly or make tea (called "noon tea" in Taiwan), which is believed to be able to regulate the weak and cold constitution in southern Fujian
Medicine lead: add it when decocting medicine to enhance the efficacy of the medicine. For children with diarrhea, take water and add salt to decoct it
Bath: add a cup of pure yang water to ordinary water, add mugwort and calamus to boil, and you will feel refreshed after bathing
Pray for blessings
House purification: sprinkle the corners of doors and windows when moving to drive away the stale air
Get rid of gloom: sprinkle the body after entering and leaving the hospital or funeral site to purify
Wealth-making technique: put copper coins in the water and wear them after exposing them to the sun, which is called "water for making fortunes"
Eyewashing: "Wash your eyes at noon, and they will be as bright as black eagles" - the proverb says that washing your eyes with it can make them as bright as ospreys
Grain water: wash your face after adding grains, and pray for peace.
Guan Bing, deputy chief physician of Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, pointed out that although "extreme yang water" reflects the wisdom of the ancients in preventing diseases, its efficacy may be exaggerated. From a scientific point of view, the health regimen during the Dragon Boat Festival is more recommended: sunbathing to replenish yang energy (avoid strong light from 9 to 11 o'clock or 13 to 15 o'clock), diet to remove dampness (coix seed, yam), or try the Chinese medicine conditioning of "winter disease in summer".
Whether you believe in its efficacy or not, this bottle of "extreme yang water" that has traveled through thousands of years has become a cultural medium for us to communicate with our ancestors. At noon on the Dragon Boat Festival this year, you may wish to receive the sun with a glass of water, experience this ritual that transcends time and space, and feel the subtle observation of nature in Chinese culture.
