by Chris Powell Chái líng tāng (Bupleurum and Poria Decoction) Chái líng tāng (Bupleurum and Poria Decoction) or Sairei-to in Japanese, is a formula that appears in a 1773 text by Shên Jïn-Ào (沈金鏊). His book, Master Shen’s Book on Revering Life, (Shên Shì Zün Shëng Shü 沈氏尊生書), was his work on “revering life” with…
Category Archives: Formulas
Fu zi and huang lian
The study of Dui Yao, herbal pairs, is an essential aspect of understanding how the function of herbs that are very different from each other can be used together so that they compliment and support each other. This short translation from the Clinical Handbook of Commonly Used Chinese Medicine Prescriptions (臨床常用中藥方劑手冊) published in Taiwan gives…
Zhen Wu Tang to treat prostate enlargement
As more and more people study the classic formulas, dig into that current of thought and begin to gain some comfort with using not small doses of zhì fù zî (Aconiti Radix lateralis preparata); the Fire Spirit current which focuses exclusively on the preservation and restoration of yang has become a topic of interest for…
Use of Ge Gen for TMJ
This is a guest post, written by Kathryn Sanders, who practices acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in New York City. Kathryn is a recent graduate of SIOM where she acquired the ability to read medical Chinese. This case study is a good example of using Puerariae Radix (gé gën) to treat head and neck symptoms…
Levels and Formulas
Following up on a previous post where we took a look at how Hu Xi-Shu makes sense of the six levels, and how both yin and yang have exterior, interior and pivot levels. In this post we take a glimpse of how he categorizes different formulas based on which level they treat. Categorizing formulas from…
Another look at the six levels
When I first was exposed to the Shang Han Lun in Chinese medicine school, I gathered that illnesses ran through the levels like this: Tai Yang -> Yang Ming -> Shao Yang -> Tai Yin -> Shao Yin -> Jue Yin Furthermore, that mysterious Jue Yin level with its odd mixes of heat and vomiting…
Not exactly a textbook case
Brain damage from traffic accident An excerpt from Deciphering the Shang Han Lun, by Chang Bu-Tao (張步桃) A Mr. Li had a motorcycle accident and was taken to the emergency room and then into surgery. After surgery he was taken to the intensive care unit for observation. His older sister was one of my students,…
Treating cold damage
This blog usually features translations, case studies, or clinical observations into the workings of Chinese herbal medicine. Today’s post is a bit different. It is a more personal story; my story of the past 24 hours, and an insight into the interaction of wei and xie qi (衛和邪氣). It started a couple days ago with…