Huanjing Bunao Supposedly Replenished Brains

For more than 2,000 years, Daoist adepts explored methods of avoiding ejaculation through huanjing bunao, literally "returning the semen or essence to replenish the brain." Practitioners maintained arousal through an extended plateau phase while avoiding orgasm, using breath control, visualization, pressure on the perineum, or squeezing the urethra. They believed that retained jing could rise through the spine, nourish the brain, and improve well-being. In reality, some physical techniques cause retrograde ejaculation, which redirects semen into the bladder rather than the brain.

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