Bone Broth for Health Building: Nourishing the Liver and Kidneys

Winter is the ideal time for nourishing the Kidneys, and soup is the perfect winter food. Bone broth is prepared in cultures around the world as both a tasty, healthful soup and an easily digested medicinal food. The prolonged cooking of bones in water results in a broth rich in nutritional constituents that promote strength, tonify blood, nourish in times of sickness and rehabilitation, and help to prevent bone and connective tissue disorders.   Read more...

 

Using Chinese Herb Liquid Extracts

Liquid extracts or granules? Now that many Chinese herbalists are moving away from using raw, bulk herbs when prescribing for their patients, the question often arises as to what other forms of herb administration are available and how they compare. There are many factors to consider including potency, patient compliance, convenience, taste, product availability and shelf life. Practitioners that use granules/powders seem to be pleased with the results they get with their patients, but so do those using liquid extracts.   Read more...

 

Herbal Medicine Past and Future

Over the decades since 1900, we have witnessed the establishment of the modern medical monopoly and the evolution from a totally plant based medical healing system to a system more and more reliant on synthesized chemicals..... It is clear to me and others in the AOM profession that what is necessary at the present time is to create a recognized non-drug status for herbal medicine. We must bring herbal medicine and specifically Chinese herbal medicine into the pantheon of recognized conventional medical options for all Americans.  Read more...

 

The Assessment and Management of Upper Extremity Epicondylitis

When an acupuncturist engages the term “balance” in the description of their work, in my opinion we are speaking of structural balance. This is significantly different than the assessment of balance by a practitioner observing the tongue and pulse of a patient. Structural balance is assessed by observation and palpation, and the jingluo construct is the language of instruction and the basis for much of what we do. When merged with a Western anatomical view, the language of diagnostics takes on an articulate beauty, focusing the approach of the acupuncturist and creating a platform of communication with our surrounding medical community for both triage and referral.  Read more...

 

Planting Herbs for Food

Shan Yao, or Chinese wild yam (Dioscorea opposita, Dioscorea oppoistifolia, Dioscorea batata) is both a nutritious food and a medicinal herb, tonifying the Spleen, Lung and Kidney qi. The dried herb can be bought and used in cooking or in raw herb formulas, but you can also find the fresh tubers in many Asian grocery stores. Better yet, grow the hardy, easily propagated perennial in your garden!  Read more...

 

Chinese Herbs Containing Gluten and Potential Allergens

Although not frequently noted in the Chinese material medica, there are a few herbs containing gluten that may be problematic for patients with food sensitivities, and especially for those with celiac sprue. People with soy or nut allergies may also be advised to avoid certain herbs. As herbalists, our recommendations are often dependent on the degree to which an individual patient seeks to avoid exposure to a certain food.   Read more...

 

Happy Lunar New Year! The Year of the Rat

The Rat is the first of the 12 animal signs of the Chinese zodiac. As such, it represents the start of a new 12-year cycle and is a year that favors beginnings. It is an auspicious time for initiating new ventures and breaking new ground, for putting plans into action, pursuing new ideas, directions and ways of doing things. Plans and projects begun during this year are likely to have long term consequences, so one should choose their actions wisely in order to positively enrich life, both in this year and into the future.  Read more...

 

Special Symbolism of the Chinese New Year Celebration

Why are peach blossoms and kumquat trees such a welcome gift at a Chinese new years celebration? Why are the Summer Olympics in Beijing scheduled to open on 8/8/08 at 8:08:08 p.m? And what is it about fish served whole, duck, spring rolls, noodles, and bamboo shoots that make them abundant features of the traditional new years meal? From special foods, to particular flowers and lucky numbers, the traditional Chinese new year celebration includes a myriad of auspicious symbols for longevity, prosperity, fertility, and all manner of good fortune.   Read more...