Insights and Updates

Two days ago, the wife of a 38-year-old patient with mid-to-late-stage lung cancer came to Beijing to see me; before she could speak, tears were already running down her face. The PET-CT report showed that the lung tumor had metastasized to multiple lymph node sites…

Xiaomai Tang (Wheat Decoction) is a very simple little formula. It is composed of Xiaomai (Tritici Fructus) 5 qian (15g), Tianhuafen (Trichosanthes Radix, sliced) 5 qian (15g), and Maimendong (Ophiopogonis Radix) 5 qian (15g). Method of decoction: boil with 2 bowls of water (about 600…

Qishuang Dan (Qi-Refreshing Elixir) comes from Shi Shi Mi Lu (Secret Records of the Stone Chamber), an empirical formula of the Qing-dynasty physician Chen Shiduo. It is composed of Baishao (Paeoniae Radix Alba) 5 qian (15g), Chaihu (Bupleurum Radix) 2 qian (6g), Chao Zhizi (Gardeniae…

Runchang Wan (Intestine-Moistening Pill) comes from Li Dongyuan's Pi Wei Lun (Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach). The original text says it "treats constipation from diet and overexertion, or dryness and obstruction with complete loss of appetite, as well as wind-binding and blood constipation, both…

Having cut down on various chores recently, I have now honestly picked up my high-school textbooks again. English words I memorize one by one; the poems and verses required by the college entrance exam I memorize one by one; the foundational knowledge of high-school biology…

Siqi Tang (Four-Seven Decoction), also known as Banxia Houpo Tang (Pinellia and Magnolia Bark Decoction), comes from San Yin Ji Yi Bing Zheng Fang Lun (Systematic Treatise on Causes and Manifestations of Disease), by the Song-dynasty physician Chen Yan. The formula is composed of Banxia…

This week I tilled the vegetable plot, raked out several beds, and planted cabbage and lettuce. The chives already in the garden, once watered, began to grow rapidly. Every afternoon around three o'clock I ride my bicycle to the garden, put in half an hour…

My extended family has not fared well lately; one mishap has followed another, each a matter of life and death. An elderly member of the family slipped and fell into water and died; a niece developed a severe adverse reaction after a vaccination and was…

After coming into contact with more and more post-COVID patients, I have realized that Long COVID is truly tricky and not as simple as I first imagined. Two classmates of my master's wife have lost their husbands to Long COVID one after another this year.

Professor Zhang Xuewen once treated a six-month-old infant with congenital hydrocephalus present since birth. The patient, a child surnamed Yan, first consulted Professor Zhang on January 23, 1975. After birth the head had been large, the complexion pale, the fontanelle bulging; the head was clearly…