Insights and Updates

The Boji Fang contains a “Banxia San” specifically for Ye-Ge (dysphagia) caused by cold congelation and qi stagnation in the spleen and stomach. It is composed of: Banxia (Pinellia) five qian (15 g, soaked one night in ginger juice, dried), Houpo (Magnolia bark) five qian…

In the Danxi Xinfa there is a formula called Yi Tan Wan (Phlegm-Restraining Pill). It is composed of: Gualouren (Trichosanthes seed) one liang (30 g), Banxia (Pinellia) two qian (6 g), Beimu (Fritillaria) three qian (9 g). Preparation: grind the three herbs into a fine…

Wu Ji San is composed of Wuzeigu (cuttlebone, Sepiae Endoconcha) and Baiji (Bletilla) in a 1:2 ratio. The two are ground together into a fine powder; take 3 g three times daily, two hours after meals. This formula suppresses acid and stops bleeding. Its indications…

After pulling the wisdom teeth and enduring a few days of gritted, sore days, the tooth on the right side that I had set aside for over half a year had basically returned to normal and could chew food. It seems that pulling the wisdom…

Post-COVID sequelae are hard to treat. My skill being limited, my effective rate for post-COVID sequelae is very low. Of the post-COVID patients I treated over recent months, not a single one responded; only recently have two patients shown some effect. I now record the…

In the Taiping Shenghuifang there is a formula called “Digu Pi San.” It is composed of: Digu Pi (Lycium root bark) two liang (60 g), Tianhuafen (Trichosanthes root) one liang (30 g), Shigao (Gypsum) one liang (30 g), Huanglian (Coptis) one liang (30 g), Zhi…

Dr. Zhang Xijun was born in 1913 and was a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. He began practicing medicine formally in 1930 and accumulated more than fifty years of clinical experience over his lifetime. He served as director of the First and Second TCM Hospitals…

Xiao Wuchen Tang (“Minor Black and Chen Fragrance Decoction”) comes from the Shaoxing supplementary formulas of the Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang. It is composed of: Wuyao (Lindera root, pith removed) ten liang (300 g), Gancao (Licorice, stir-fried) one liang (30 g, skin and hairs removed,…

“Han Fangji Wan” comes from the Taiping Shenghuifang (in the Shengji Zonglu it is called simply Fangji Wan). It is composed of: Han Fangji (Han Aristolochia/Stephania root) seven qian five fen (22.5 g), Zhuling (Polyporus) seven qian five fen (22.5 g), Tianhuafen (Trichosanthes root) one…

Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge. — Charles Darwin, one of the founders of modern biology In 2000, the humor science magazine the Annals of Improbable Research awarded that year’s Ig Nobel Prize in Psychology to social psychologist David Dunning of Cornell University…