Insights and Updates

Compound Fangjingteng Heji is a modern Chinese patent medicine formula included in the 2005 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, Part I. It is composed of Fangjingteng (Euonymus fortunei), Huangqi (Astragalus), and Hongshen (red Ginseng); several manufacturers produce the patent medicine,…

In my 26th year in Beijing, I finally developed a complete sense of belonging to this city and no longer want to return to my hometown. From now on Beijing is my home, while Huanggang, Hubei, is my native place. In 1998, carrying a worn…

Shengyang Yiwei Tang (“Yang-Raising Stomach-Benefiting Decoction”) comes from Neiwaishang Bianhuo Lun (Treatise on the Differentiation and Treatment of Internal and External Injury), and is also called Yiwei Tang. Its composition is: Huangqi (Astragalus) 2 liang (60g); Banxia (Pinellia, washed—this one herb is not used in…

This May Day, I decided to take a proper break. I declined all appointments; when relatives came to Beijing for tourism, I did not accompany them to the crowded popular sights. I chose to spend a few leisurely days with my family. We did not…

Li Dongyuan was one of the four great masters of the Jin-Yuan period, and many of his formulas are remarkably effective. This article introduces his experiential formula “Zhishi Xiaopi Wan” (Immature Bitter Orange Pill for Dissipating Fullness), which is recorded in Lanshi Micang (Secret Records…

Fangfeng Qinjiao Tang (“Saposhnikovia and Gentiana Macrophylla Decoction”) comes from Waike Zhengzong (Orthodox External Medicine). Its composition is: Fangfeng (Saposhnikovia divaricata), Qinjiao (Gentiana macrophylla), Danggui (Angelica sinensis), Chuanxiong (Ligusticum chuanxiong), Shengdihuang (raw Rehmannia), Baishao (white Paeonia), Chifuling (red Poria), and Lianqiao (Forsythia), each 1 qian…

In 1906, the German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer noticed some unusual changes in the brain of a female patient named Auguste D, who had died at the age of 51 from memory loss, disorientation, paranoia, and unpredictable behavior. After the patient's death, Alzheimer performed an autopsy…

Anyang Jingzhi Gao (Anyang Refined Plaster) is a modern external plaster formula included in the 2005 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, Part I. Its composition is: raw Chuanwu (Aconitum carmichaelii) 24g, raw Caowu (Aconitum kusnezoffii) 24g, Wuyao (Lindera aggregata) 24g,…

“Hong Wanzi” (Red Pills) comes from the Shaoxing supplementary formulas of the Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang, composed of: Rhizoma Sparganii (Jingsanleng, soaked soft and sliced), Rhizoma Curcumae (Ezhu), Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae viride (Qingpi), and tangerine peel (Chenpi, white removed), each 5 jin; Rhizoma Zingiberis (Ganjiang)…

Fangfeng Tongsheng San comes from the Xuanming Lunfang; in the Shanghan Biaoben it is also called “Tongsheng San.” Its composition: Radix Saposhnikoviae (Fangfeng), Rhizoma Chuanxiong (Chuanxiong), Angelica (Danggui), white Paeonia (Baishao), Rheum (Dahuang), Mentha (Boheye), Ephedra (Mahuang), Forsythia (Lianqiao), and Natrii Sulfas (Mangxiao), each 5…