At Bamboo Wisdom Acupuncture, we provide the modern application of ancient healing wisdom.

What can we learn from bamboo?

Both China and Japan's cultures have long regarded bamboo as a defining element because it provides the means to sustain all aspects of human life, including food and shelter.

Bamboo is the most popular plant in China, where it is considered a gentleman with perfect virtues. It combines upright integrity with accommodating flexibility, and it has the perfect balance of grace and strength, or Yin and Yang.

Bamboo personifies the life of simplicity. Bamboo is used in every phase of Chinese living, yet it needs very little care to grow and flourish. It produces neither flowers nor fruit, and the hollow trunk reminds us of humility, with an open heart free of arrogance.

Bamboo is a symbol of longevity because of its durability, strength, flexibility, and resilience. It survives in the harshest conditions, still standing tall and staying green year-round. When the storm comes, bamboo bends with the wind. When the storm ceases, it resumes its upright position. Its ability to cope with adversity and still stand firmly without losing its original ground is inspirational. Its flexibility and adaptability are a lesson to us all that the secret of a long happy life is to go with the flow.

The young branches at the top of the bamboo trunk will not grow at the same angle as the older branches below, in order to allow sunlight for their elders. When the young shoots emerge from the roots, they are under the shade of the older bamboo branches. Such a spirit reflects the young respecting the old as well as the old protecting the young.

The cultural significance of bamboo in Asian culture is profound and has been well documented in the history books. In fact, bamboo was actually used as the writing medium in ancient Chinese literature. Scribes would write on bamboo slats, which are known in the United States as bamboo scrolls. Much of the history of China has been documented this way, and without bamboo much of it may have been lost.

The drooping bamboo leaves cross one another, as if they are composing the Chinese character "An" (tranquility).

Bamboo is also considered a lucky plant, and Feng Shui practitioners use it to promote positive energy flow or chi/qi.

Bamboo is a fast-growing, easily renewable resource, and its cultivation is beneficial to the environment. The bamboo plant can sustain life by providing shelter and food to man and animals alike. For the giant panda, bamboo is the food of choice. The leaves are also good forage for cattle, sheep, goats, and horses.

We are happy to share with you this background about bamboo wisdom.