Insights and Updates

After this year's college entrance exam, I took my child to Mount Tai. On the mountain path he grew tired, so we found a place to sit and rest; he leaned on my shoulder and fell asleep. The other day I took my son out…

Gallic acid is an organic acid with broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral, and antitumor effects. It is a major component of many Chinese medicinals (such as wubeizi/galla chinensis, moshizi/galla, shanzhuyu/cornus, pomegranate, and dahuang/rhubarb). Chinese medicinals containing gallic acid mostly quench thirst and engender fluids, and cool blood…

Shenxian Yanshou Dan comes from Lu Fu Jin Fang (Forbidden Formulas of the Lu Princely Household). It consists of Hanliancao (eclipta, juice taken and dried into an extract) 250 g, Buguzhi (psoralea, stir-fried fragrant and powdered) 500 g, Wujiapi (acanthopanax, soaked in wine for one…

I rent a small vegetable plot of about forty square meters in Sijiqing Town at the foot of Fragrant Hills in Beijing, for four thousand yuan a year. In Beijing, where every inch of land is precious, this rent is not too high and roughly…

On June 28, 2023, the journal Nature published a study by the team of scientist Li-Ming at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The study found that changes in protein intake reprogram tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and alter the competition between TAMs and cancer cells. Li-Ming's team…

Chenxiang Fuzi Tang comes from Wei Shi Jia Cang Fang (Wei Family's Concealed Formulas). It consists of Chenxiang (aquilaria/eaglewood) 5 qian (15 g) and Fuzi (processed aconite) 9 qian (27 g, fired, rootlet and skin removed, sliced). At use, take 1 zhan of water (150…

Shugan Yin comes from Lu Fu Jin Fang (Forbidden Formulas of the Lu Princely Household). It consists of Huanglian (coptis) 2 qian (6 g, stir-fried with evodia juice), Danggui (angelica) and Chaihu (bupleurum) each 1.5 qian (4.5 g), Qingpi (green tangerine peel) 1 qian (3…

My son has long planned to study abroad; even before the college entrance exam, my wife and I had considered letting him go abroad for his undergraduate or graduate studies. After the exam, his mother and my elder brother actively urged him to study English…

Medicine is full of uncertainty. After years of studying and practicing, I have grown used to seeking certainty in an uncertain world. But after my child took the college entrance exam, I was at a loss for a while, unsure how to help him choose…

Biyu San comes from Xuan Ming Fang Lun (Discussion of Xuanshi's Formulas). It consists of Huashi (talc) 6 liang (180 g), Gancao (licorice) 1 liang, and Qingdai (indigo naturalis, enough to give the powder a bluish-green color). Powder finely. Each time take 3 qian (9…