Insights and Updates

Shuangsheng Wan originates from Yifang Leiju (A General Collection of Medical Formulas), a compendium of Chinese medical formulas compiled in the 15th century by the Korean physician Kim Ye Mong; most of its formulas come from ancient Chinese medical books. Shuangsheng Wan is composed of…

Shuangyu San (Double Jade Powder) originates from Suwen Bingqi Yi Baoming Ji (Plain Questions on Pathogenesis and Qi-Activity: Life-Preserving Collection), the celebrated work of Liu Wansu, a famous physician of the Jin-Yuan Yi Shui school. Liu Wansu was the foremost of the four great Jin-Yuan…

The Chinese medicine Shuihonghua is the seed of Polygonum orientale (red knotweed, Polygonaceae); red knotweed is also called wild pepper, and both its seeds and leaves have a pungent taste. Shuihonghua seeds were used as medicine by the ancient Chinese very early on. TCM holds…

From today until 10 a.m. on January 11, I will be in full exam-preparation mode. From the 4th through the 11th, seven straight days, I have an exam almost every day, running right through 10 a.m. on January 11. I hope readers will kindly leave…

Roudoukou Wan (Nutmeg Pills) originates from Jiejia Jiajia, a comprehensive medical book written by the Jin-dynasty physician Zhang Yuansu. The composition of Roudoukou Wan is Buguzhi (Psoralea) and Roudoukou (Nutmeg), each in equal amounts. Grind these two medicines into powder, use jujube meat as a…

Today is New Year's Day, 2026. As one of the masses, I am no exception: every New Year's Day I write a special article to chat with my readers. Although, after this New Year's holiday, I will immediately enter a tense exam week with ten…

Just before New Year's Day, I had some personal business and asked for leave a day and a half early to come home. After handling my affairs, I organized at home all the courses I have taken this semester, with efficiency far exceeding what I…

Yesterday, while reading, I came upon the following passage on page 332, first line, of Xitong Jiepouxue (Systematic Anatomy) (chief reviewer Ding Wenlong; editors-in-chief Cui Huixian and Liu Xuezheng; People's Medical Publishing House, 10th edition, July 2024; 3rd printing, November 2024): "Physical factors such as…

Wang Jiru, formerly chief physician at Tianjin Changzheng Hospital, treated more than ten patients with thyroid adenoma, all using the same formula, and all recovered completely. He named his empirical formula Ruanjian Hualiu Tang (Hardness-Softening and Mass-Dissolving Decoction). Its composition is: Shengmuli (Raw Oyster Shell)…

This morning I read, in Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao, an interview with the 83-year-old investor Jim Rogers. Of the whole interview, two sentences left the deepest impression on me: first, "Anyone should stick to what they love"; second, "Don't follow the crowd—history shows they are usually…