Insights and Updates

Saturday; the weather in Beijing was sunny and warm. Though there was light haze, it did not interfere with outdoor exercise. My wife and I rode our bikes to the small vegetable plot at the foot of the Western Hills for "spring plowing" — each…

The 2022 National Cancer Report released by China's National Cancer Center shows that China adds 4.88 million new cancer cases each year, meaning that about 13,000 people in China are diagnosed with cancer every day. Over a lifetime, roughly one in four to one in…

When I was a child, we had to share many not-too-strenuous labors for the household, and herding cattle was one of them. The paddy fields of Hubei had to be plowed by draft oxen, but raising one ox per family was too extravagant. Because plowing…

Zelan Tang comes from Yixue Xinwu (Medical Mind Awakening). Its composition is: Herba Lycopi (Zelan) 3 qian (9 g), Cortex Moutan (Mudanpi) and Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae (Niuxi), each 2 qian (6 g), Semen Persicae (Taoren, skin and tip removed, crushed) 10 pieces, Flos Carthami (Honghua)…

In Yixue Rumen (Introduction to Medicine) there is a formula called "Qingtan Wan" (Phlegm-Clearing Pill). Its composition is: Rhizoma Atractylodis (Cangzhu) 2 liang (60 g), Rhizoma Cyperi (Xiangfu) 1 liang 5 qian (45 g), Semen Trichosanthis (Gualouren) and Rhizoma Pinelliae Fabao (Banxia), each 1 liang…

Huatuo Zaizao Wan is, like Yunnan Baiyao, a Chinese patent medicine with a state-protected secret formula. It is a Class B medical-insurance drug and can be prescribed at medical-insurance-designated hospitals. Huatuo Zaizao Wan contains a total of 58 ingredients, including Rhizoma Chuanxiong (Chuanxiong), Fructus Evodiae…

"Chong Sui Dan" (Marrow-Filling Pill) comes from Bianzheng Lu (Records of Pattern Differentiation) by Chen Shiduo of the Qing Dynasty. Its composition is: Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata (Shudihuang) 2 liang (60 g), Fructus Corni (Shanzhuyu) 1 liang (30 g), Dendrobium (Jinchai Shihu) 5 qian (15 g),…

The Qing Dynasty physician Yu Tinghong recorded a case in the "xu-zhang" (vacuity distension) section of his work Yu Tinghong Yi'an (Medical Cases of Yu Tinghong): The daughter-in-law of Mr. Wei Baoqin, a minor official of Xigong in Changshu, became depressed after losing her husband.

Peptic ulcer is a common digestive tract disease; it may be primary, secondary, or in some cases iatrogenic. Among them, patients with iatrogenic peptic ulcer are mostly chronic disease patients requiring long-term treatment. Some chronic disease patients develop gastric ulcer and reflux esophagitis during a…

Recently norovirus has been rampant; its main symptoms are low fever, body aches, and vomiting and diarrhea. There are many famous TCM formulas for treating diarrhea, but the most effective one I use is Huanglian Jiedu Tang combined with Baitouweng Tang. Huanglian Jiedu Tang comes…