Discussion of Huang Qin (Scuttellaria baicalensis)

Andrew Ellis first studied Chinese medicine with Dr. James Tin Yau So at the New England School of Acupuncture. He left New England in 1983 to study Chinese language in Taiwan and apprenticed with Chinese herbalist Xu Fu-Su there for several years. Later he studied internal medicine and gynecology at the Xiamen Hospital of Chinese medicine.  Read more...

 

Reflections on the German Acupuncture Studies

Many thanks to Stephen Birch and The Journal of Chinese Medicine. This article, first published in The Journal of Chinese Medicine, issue 83 February 2007, is reprinted by kind permission of his publishers.  Read more...

 

Jade Windscreen Powder

I had easily caught colds for most of my life. I remember reading about yù píng fëng sân (Jade Windscreen Powder) and thinking my troubles were over. But, after taking it for a week or so, I woke one winter night in a panic thinking the house was on fire. It was not, but I had this odd smell of burning paper in my nose. Which followed me around for a few days until I stopped the Jade Windscreen.  Read more...

 

Workings of Master Dong (Master Tung) Acupoints

Dong lineage acupuncture is well known for its unusual system of point location, use of few needles and ability to provide quick relief.  Few sources, however, have attempted to explain how these points work so effectively. Read about three selected points of varying locations and indications.  Read more...

 

Purpose, Elation and the Pancreas

There are many ways to look at the state of acupuncture in America and the progress that has been made over the last twenty years. In this article I would like to discuss some of the really basic terms and concepts of Oriental medicine that, even after “all these years” of acupuncture in America, are still problematic. Looking critically and carefully at the past gives us many lessons for the present and future.  Read more...

 

Thoughts on Active Points

The goal of every acupuncturist is to locate and treat the points that are most effective, but there are a great variety of ways in which we go about this. Many approaches, classical and modern, have been advanced for this purpose, but there are many differences and not much consistency among these methods.   Read more...

 

Postnatal Depression

The Ji Yin Gang Mu (Compendium of Benefits to Women, 1620, by Wu Zhi–Wang is a major TCM gynaecological text which contains gynaecological formulae arranged by disease category. It contains more than fifty formulas listed for these various conditions, as well as others that in the West might conceivably be thrown into the “post natal depression” basket, such as recurring hiccups or wandering pains. The commentaries included within the Ji Yin Gang Mu note that there are three major approaches to post-partum emotional disorders. One focuses on “bad blood” left over after the birth, which rushes to and disrupts the Heart shen. Another emphasises blood deficiency resulting from the birth process and its attendant traumas. The last points to pathogenic wind taking advantage of the blood deficiency to attack.   Read more...

 

Global Trends in Granule Use

The creation of concentrated extract powders represents one of the most important developments in the history of Chinese herbal medicine. As technology has advanced, Chinese herbalists increasingly find themselves armed with a vast arsenal of convenient preparations that bring centuries of formulas and thousands of cooking hours into a space the size of a small closet. The versatility of granules has preserved some aspects of traditional methods while simultaneously inspiring dramatic changes of approach in Asia, and their convenience is quickly making them the most prominent method of herbal medicine delivery in the West.  Read more...