by Shawn Kirby L.Ac. It was summer in Boulder and the Flatirons stood out against the azure blue of the August sky. Finals were almost over and I had a mere three weeks left of what had been a grueling three years on the accelerated program at acup… more »

by Eric Brand The issue of digital record-keeping has surfaced several times in the recent health care debates. At a recent lecture in Portland, a politically-active member of the TCM community approached me about discussing the issue of digital rec… more »

by Eric Brand The issue of substitute species of common medicinals is an ongoing theme here at the blog. In different Chinese regions, we see a variety of local substitutions and regional preferences, and if one extends the discussion to Japan and K… more »

by Eric Brand Many medicinals in Chinese medicine have substitute species or local variants. In some instances, the local variants are acceptable medicinals that are regarded to have similar clinical effects. In other instances, the local variant i… more »

by Eric Brand One of the interesting things about studying Chinese medicine is the diversity of perspectives that one finds. In an earlier blog, I mentioned that the nature of Zhi Shi is fundamentally inconsistent across different authoritative Chin… more »

by Bob Flaws Well, today and tomorrow are moving day for Blue Poppy. Everything is (mostly) packed up and the movers have shown up. I used to be a mover in NYC in my early 30s, and I would've wanted no part of such a huge, complex job. Happily, our 2… more »

by Honora Wolfe August is National People Skills Month (there is a day or month for almost every cause, group, or interest that anyone can think of!). At any rate, since I teach practice success and marketing all over the US, this topic is of speci… more »

by Bob Flaws Eric and I have written a number of times on the importance of dose in terms of getting the best therapeutic effect with Chinese medicinals. Since most Western practitioners don't read Chinese and, therefore, don't really know what the s… more »

by Eric Brand These are some examples of very high quality true wild ginseng. The root on the left is top-grade, about 35 years old. The root on the right is classified as second-grade, about 40 years old. Truly fantastic photos. These photograp… more »

By Eric Brand These are some examples of extremely high quality Gong Yi Shen, ginseng that is artificially crafted to resemble true wild ginseng. These examples really look like the authentic product. See the photos above for examples of true wild… more »

by Eric Brand At Blue Poppy, we often remark about the fact that Xiao Yao San and Jia Wei Xiao Yao San are by far the best-selling formulas. Are Americans stressed out? Do we fall back on these familiar formulas too much and over-prescribe them? Is… more »

Hi everybody. It's been weeks since I posted a blog. Time to get back into the writing groove again. While doing some online research this morning, I came upon a nifty chart: http://www.goodmarketingideas.com/compare-email-marketing.php?freq=4&si… more »

by Bob Flaws On page 332 of issue5, 2009 of Zhe Jiang Zhong Yi Za Zhi (Zhejiang Journal of Chinese Medicine), Hong Miao-lan published an article titled, "The Treatment of 60 Cases of Endometriosis with Wen Jing Tang." A summary of this article is pre… more »

by Eric Brand This photo is True Fu Ping (Spirodelae Herba). Note the very small leaves. Frequently, the product sold as fú píng in the West is not the plant listed in the Chinese pharmacopoeia, but rather is Pistiae Herba (from Pistia stratioi… more »

by Eric Brand This is the Cantonese substitute for Fu Ping. It is called Da Fu Ping. See the blog above on True Fu Ping for a listing of its actions. Thanks for reading! more »

This photo of two small ginseng roots illustrates the two main types of authentic mountain-grown ginseng. Chang Bai Shan refers to a mountain in Northeastern China, on the border between China and North Korea. Most wild and half-wild ginseng comes fro… more »

This photo illustrates a crafted piece of fake mountain ginseng. Known as Gong Yi Shen, this is normal field-grown ginseng that is masquerading as wild ginseng. It has artifically carved striations on the root body, and the many smaller rootlets that… more »

by Bob Flaws On pages 54-55 of issue 2, 2009 of Fu Jian Zhong Yi Yao (Fujian Chinese Medicine & Pharmacology), there's a really interesting article on the relationship between fibrocystic breast disease (FBD), age or liver spots, hyperestrogenosi… more »

By Eric Brand Translation in Chinese medicine is a complex topic. Our field is relatively unique in that most of our primary resources come from a foreign language, and the task of transmission of Chinese medical information is complicated by the… more »

by Eric Brand How many of us hear the name Coca-Cola and think of Chinese medicine? Sure, Coca-Cola is a drink with an herbal history, and it is a business-savvy international enterprise. But a major player in the world of Chinese medicine?… more »

This is authentic Wang Bu Liu Xing (Vaccariae Semen). Wang Bu Liu Xing is a medicinal that is often confused in the marketplace. Two products are commonly sold as Wang Bu Liu Xing. Of these, the true medicinal is composed of small black seeds on the… more »

Bi Li Guo, or Guangdong Wang Bu Liu Xing. This is the common substitute. more »

by Eric Brand There is a very famous Chinese product called Shou Wu Chih (Shou Wu Zhi). It is basically a medicinal liquor that is used to supplement the blood, in particular it is thought to blacken and nourish the hair. There are several counterf… more »