Shi Jinmo's Unique Prescription Insights: Shi Jinmo's Herb Pairs

Shi Jinmo's Herb Pairs records the prescribing experience of Shi Jinmo, one of the four great famous physicians of Beijing, compiled by his disciple Professor Lv Jingshan. Shi had a distinctive way of writing prescriptions: he often wrote two herbs together, indicating their paired use. When two herbs are used together, some act synergistically, some mutually eliminate side effects while enhancing efficacy, and some produce special effects. In TCM such a combination is called a "herb pair" (duiyao, yao-dui, or dui-zi-yao).

Shi Jinmo habitually used herb pairs; he had more than a hundred common pairs. Lv Jingshan was Shi's disciple and had also studied in Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (predecessor of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine) under Zhu Chenyu, Shi's disciple and son-in-law; at that time Zhu Chenyu had lectured on Shi's herb pairs in class. Lv Jingshan put considerable effort into organizing Shi's prescribing experience into the book Shi Jinmo's Herb Pairs, published in the early 1980s. After its release it quickly became one of the best-selling TCM books and has gone through several editions.

Herb pairs are actually the simplest TCM compound formulas: usually two herbs are used together (sometimes three or four herbs may also be called a pair) to form a simple combination whose therapeutic effect is more pronounced than using either herb alone.

For example, when Wugong (Scolopendra, centipede) and Quanxie (Scorpio, scorpion) are used together, their wind-extinguishing and spasm-stopping effect is far better than using either alone. When Ruxiang (Olibanum, frankincense) and Moyo (Myrrha, myrrh) are used together, the force of activating blood and resolving stasis, reducing swelling, and stopping pain is greater. When Sanleng (Sparganium) and Ezhu (Curcuma zedoaria) are used together, the effects of breaking blood, reducing swelling, fighting cancer, and stopping pain are more pronounced. Some of these pairs are themselves classic small formulas from history. For example, Wugong and Quanxie ground into powder in a 1:1 ratio and taken in suspension make Zhijing Powder (Spasm-Stopping Powder); Ruxiang and Moyo used together are also called Haifu Powder.

Shi Jinmo was a great clinician and educator in Chinese TCM circles; he treated enormous numbers of patients and had rich prescribing experience, so his practical experience is invaluable. This book, compiled by Shi's disciples from the pairs he commonly used, distills the essence of his decades of clinical experience and is well worth reading.