Insights and Updates

On the second day after the Start of Autumn (Liqiu), I went out to the balcony and suddenly noticed that my gardenia plant had bloomed for a second time this year. I have been growing gardenias in Beijing for nearly twenty years, and this is…

Taoren Honghua Decoction ("Peach Kernel and Safflower Decoction") comes from Supplemental Commentary on Chen Su'an's Gynecology, Volume 1, by Chen Yi (courtesy name Su'an), a palace physician of the Southern Song dynasty. (The formula is also recorded in Su'an's Medical Cases, compiled and published by…

An elderly doctor named Shang from Pingdingshan, Henan (to avoid disturbing him, his personal information will not be disclosed in detail), is now retired. Before retirement, he was a TCM physician at a hospital in Pingdingshan. He once used a unique fumigation-inhalation therapy he had…

I have recently been reading the Practical Handbook Series for National County-Level Hospitals on the WeChat Reading app, and have gained a great deal. Free electronic books indeed save money and take up no space. But as I kept reading, I still selected some volumes…

Zhuangyao Jianshen Decoction ("Lumbar-Strengthening and Kidney-Fortifying Decoction") is from Chinese Orthopedics and Traumatology. Its composition is: shudihuang (Prepared Rehmannia) 12g, duzhong (Eucommia bark) 12g, shanzhuyu (Cornus fruit) 9g, gouqizi (Lycium fruit) 9g, buguzhi (Psoralea fruit) 9g, roucongrong (Cistanche) 9g, tusizi (Cuscuta seed) 9g, danggui (Angelica…

VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) is an important tumor marker. In many patients' test reports, VEGF expression is found to be excessively high. VEGF is a pro-angiogenic factor with multiple physiological functions; it promotes wound healing, tissue and organ repair, embryonic development, and angiogenesis. It…

Yangwei Zengye Decoction ("Stomach-Nourishing and Fluid-Engendering Decoction") is an empirical formula in contemporary TCM pediatrics. Its composition is: shihu (Dendrobium stem) 12g, wumei (Smoked Mume fruit) 12g, baishao (White Peony root) 12g, beishashen (Glehnia root) 15g, yuzhu (Polygonatum odoratum rhizome) 10g, gancao (Licorice root) 5g.

Most people have a poor appetite in summer, whether they are patients or healthy individuals, especially during the sweltering dog days. This is not unique to humans; if we observe animals at the zoo, we find that most animals in summer are also listless and…

Daoism and TCM have deep roots; in China, the Yellow Emperor and Laozi are often spoken of together, and the TCM classic Huangdi Neijing is also an important Daoist scripture. Through every dynasty there have been no shortage of alchemical Daoists; these priests relied on…

I have never thought my articles were particularly well written, nor that my medical skill has anything outstanding about it. But regardless of whether the writing is good or bad, and regardless of whether the medical skill is outstanding, I love writing and studying medicine,…