abstracted & translated by Honora Lee Wolfe, Lic. Ac., FNAAOM

This is really some food for thought, folks, about how we treat our patients and why some do get better and some don’t, why some have side effects and some don’t. While I might be opening a total can of worms with this article, the information here seems important enough that maybe someone should. The type of things that this research shows us are things we need to assess when deciding on the best treatment approach for a given patient. I am open to your feedback about this, but often my own clinical experience is similar to what these doctors in China have found to be true. Here’s what the study looked like and my thoughts about its implications.

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By Eric Brand

I have a webinar tomorrow at 1 pm MST (noon PST, 3 pm EST). Here is the link to sign up. It's free!

Chinese herbal pharmacy is an ancient and complex discipline within Chinese medicine. Over the centuries, many different regional substitutes and adulterants have been introduced into the herbal marketplace, and many herbs that have similar names and appearances are easily confused. Consequently, there are many examples of herbs that are commonly misidentified in both Asia and the West.

In China, clinicians rely on experts in pharmacy to obtain the correct medicinals, so doctors do not need to have significant expertise in issues related to herbal pharmacy. By contrast, practitioners in the West often have to play the role of both doctor and pharmacist, which requires a relatively sophisticated understanding of multiple disciplines. As practitioners, we must know how to avoid potentially dangerous substitutes, and we need to make sure that the items that we prescribe have been correctly identified so that we can achieve reliable therapeutic results. This course illustrates how to avoid misidentified and counterfeit medicinals so that you can always give your patients the safety and efficacy they deserve.

Title: Herbal Quality Discernment and Authentication

Presenter: Eric Brand

Date: Thursday, April 1, 2010

Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM MDT

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containing information about joining the Webinar.

By Eric Brand

Today a colleague alerted us to the fact that a popular “patent medicine” known as Po Chai was recently recalled in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore. Po Chai pills, called Bao Ji Wan in Mandarin, are one of the most famous OTC products in the TCM world. The recall was not related to their main product, the familiar small red Po Chai pills that are packaged in little vials, but rather centered on an encapsulated product that was limited to the markets of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Macau. The recall was triggered by the discovery that the pills were spiked with pharmaceutical drugs for weight loss.

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By Eric Brand

The NCCAOM recently released the results of their 2010 survey. I like reading statistics, and despite the fact that elective survey responses can be slightly limited in terms of their scientific accuracy, the NCCAOM surveys provide significant insight into our profession. It is difficult to compile national statistics in general- for example, I don’t think there are any truly reliable figures out there that show how many acupuncturists are currently in practice in the U.S. Nonetheless, the NCCAOM survey asks some very interesting questions and the responses tell us a lot about how our community sees itself.

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By Eric Brand

This weekend we have a fantastic special on Wang Qing-Ren’s “Zhu Yu Tang” family of formulas for blood stasis. The “Zhu Yu Tang” (Stasis-Expelling Decoctions) formula family is one of the most important groups of formulas for treating blood stasis in Chinese medicine. The entire formula family is loosely based on Tao Hong Si Wu Tang (Peach Kernel and Carthamus Four Agents Decoction), and includes the commonly used formulas Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang (House of Blood Stasis-Expelling Decoction), Shao Fu Zhu Yu Tang (Lesser Abdomen Stasis-Expelling Decoction), Ge Xia Zhu Yu Tang (Infradiaphragmatic Stasis-Expelling Decoction), Tong Qiao Huo Xue Tang (Orifice-Freeing Blood-Quickening Decoction), and Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang (Generalized Pain Stasis-Expelling Decoction).

Wang Qing-Ren’s theories on blood stasis were recorded in the Qing dynasty text Yi Lin Gai Cuo (“Correcting Errors in the Forest of Medicine”), which is one of the many pre-modern texts that Blue Poppy has translated into English. Wang’s book offers a fascinating opportunity to see the evolution of Chinese medicine because it was published in 1830 CE just prior to the widespread arrival of biomedicine. Wang is primarily notable for two things- his text describes dissection and includes a focus on anatomy that had been largely undeveloped since the time of the Nei Jing over 1600 years before, and it has a heavy emphasis on blood stasis, which has since come to be recognized as a prevalent factor in many different chronic diseases.

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By Eric Brand

At present, there are significant changes afoot with regard to herbal medicine regulation in the EU. No one is really sure how the scenario will pan out, but at the moment the situation appears daunting for vendors of Chinese herbal products. Apparently no TCM or Ayurvedic products have yet been approved for sale in the EU, and it looks like the situation will be even worse than the debacle in Canada.

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by Shawn Kirby

The first cup moistens my lips and throat;
The second cup banishes all loneliness;
The third cup clears my mind of words and books.
At the fourth cup, I begin to perspire –
life’s troubles evaporate through my pores.
The fifth cup cleanses my entire being.
Six cups and I am in the realm of the Divine.
Seven cups – ah, but I can drink no more:
I can only feel the gentle breeze blowing through my sleeves
wafting me to the Isle of Immortality!

Lu Tong, 8th Century Chinese Poet, from In Gratitude for a Gift of Fresh Tea

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There is an interesting article on acupuncture in the Wall Street Journal that seems to be making its way across the internet today. Here is the link

By Eric Brand
Did you take all your money out of stocks and hide it in your socks during the recession? Does your cash-only clinic leave you with lots of cash to stash and no place to put it? The recent economic crash was a shock to many and more than a few people have tried to move to more tangible investments over the last few years. So which Chinese herbs are stable investments?

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By Eric Brand

U.S. FDA law currently regards granules as dietary supplements. In the USA, specific laws regarding cGMPs (current Good Manufacturing Practices) apply to dietary supplements, and many practitioners are uncertain about the degree to which these laws affect their compounding practices. While there are fundamentally some gray areas in the law, it is good to for practitioners to be aware of the general scope of these new laws and their impact on herbal pharmacies.

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by Powder Kirby

Hi!

My name is Powder. You may not have talked to me before (I don’t take many phone calls, since I prefer to communicate primarily through body language) but I am the official greeter here at Blue Poppy. My jobs include wagging at customers so that their day goes better, and licking the faces of unsuspecting babies and small children. I am one of three members of the official Blue Poppy dog division. The other members of our team include Ricki and Emma. Ricki's main job is to supervise Bob and Honora. He walks Bob and Honora daily, usually on their lunch break, to move some qi and keep them in good spirits. You may not be aware of this, but dog walking is a widely practiced form of Qigong that helps to nourish life and promote longevity. This form of Qigong was originally practiced by Lao Tzu, author of the Tao Teh Ching, who was taught this ancient art by the great Taoist sage Shih Tzu. The other team member is Emma, who supervises Bruce Staff, our general manager, and his wife Adrian who sometimes comes to help us out in production. Emma specializes in boosting morale, both by her expert tail wagging and sometimes by playing funny pranks – like the day she ate my dad’s lunch off his desk. Everybody laughed (except Dad for some reason) that day and, as you know, laughter is the best medicine.

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By Eric Brand

The other day Bob alerted me to a very interesting article in a Chinese journal (Journal of Practical Traditional Chinese Internal Medicine, Nov. 2009, Vol. 23, No. 12). The article measured the content of various minerals, trace elements, and heavy metals in samples of Bei Wu Wei Zi (Schisandra chinensis).

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by Bob Flaws

As I think I have mentioned previously on this blog, my first teacher of Chinese medicine was Michael Broffman. In one of those early classes, Michael talked about the importance of follow-up. This means getting back in touch with a patient three, six, or 12 months later and finding out what was the net or final result of treatment. For instance, some patients may appear cured only to relapse soon after the cessation of treatment, while others may leave treatment because of a lack of initial results only to have all their symptom disappear not long thereafter. If the practitioner fails to routinely follow-up patients, in the first instance, they will think they are more effective than they truly were and, in the second instance, they will think they are less effective than they thought they were. Michael described how his Taiwanese teacher (a Dr. Li if I remember correctly) required his students to follow-up with patients at regular intervals after treatment so as to really understand what treatment had or had not accomplished.

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Come check out Honora's free webinar tomorrow (Thursday March 18th) at 1 pm Mountain Time!

Her topic is: Treatments & Procedures of the Most Successful Acupuncture Clinics

For many acupuncturists the last year has been a challenge; patients and prospective patients are more demanding of faster results and, as compassionate therapists, we want to deliver those results. Many times you feel that you have only one chance to "get it right" with a new patient. In this presentation, Honora will share not only three or four of her favorite acumoxa/tuina treatments, but all the things you can do from the very first phone call to improve your chances with every new patient.

Click here for the link to sign up, it is free and only takes a second to sign up.

By Eric Brand

We are proud to announce that an online poll by the folks at Chinese Medicine Tools recently voted Blue Poppy as the #1 website for TCM research!

With over 1400 free translated Chinese journal summaries and articles at our TCMinfoline, Blue Poppy's website has more free information for students and practitioners than any other site. Advanced material for practitioners can be hard to find online, and most companies that supply PDFs of translations and published articles tend to charge several dollars per file. Blue Poppy's site is totally free, and we are constantly expanding beyond the text format to make more information available.

Here are some links to the best spots for research on our site:

Click here to search the free research articles by keyword, or browse by category

Click here to go to the archives of our blog, from here you can scan hundreds of blog articles for quality information or pure entertainment

Click here to go to our facebook page, become a fan and you can follow the blog, specials, and links without ever leaving facebook

Here is link to our channel on Youtube, we are slowly building up a library of free educational videos here

Finally, here is a link if you want to download a digital copy of our catalog or formula guides

By Eric Brand

In school, we learn that Bai Shao (Paeoniae Radix Alba) and Chi Shao (Paeoniae Radix Rubra) were not differentiated in ancient times. For example, classical texts from the Han dynasty such as the Shang Han Lun (“On Cold Damage”) and the Jin Gui Yao Lue (“Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Coffer”) only referred to Shao Yao, which is a basic term for peony that doesn’t differentiate between red peony (Chi Shao) and white peony (bai shao). When did these two medicinals start becoming differentiated, and which forms are best in classical formulas such as Gui Zhi Tang and Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan?

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by Shawn Kirby

Here’s a little philosophy for you:

You wouldn’t, provided that you were a sensible person, drive your car straight into a brick wall. The brick wall would bring your car to a crashing halt without much trouble. If you are a relatively law-abiding citizen like me however, you’ve probably sat at a red light at 2:00am at a deserted intersection in the middle of nowhere grumbling under your breath. A light bulb ensconced in metal frame with a red glass screen covering it hanging twenty feet off the ground has absolutely no power whatsoever to stop your car. If you weren’t hip to the social reality tunnel that created the idea that this symbol meant “stop your car,” you wouldn’t pay any more attention to it than you would to a roadside sign advertising cheap beer. That red light is nothing more than a mental projection, and while it may be a useful mental projection to adopt (running red lights is hazardous to your health from what I understand) it always behooves us to remember – mental projections are not real. And there is no more onerous, ridiculous or asinine mental projection in the history of mankind than Daylight Savings Time.

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abstracted & translated by Bob Flaws, L.Ac.

Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, gynecology, perimenopausal depression, Xiao Yao San

In Shi Yong Zhong Yi Nei Ke Za Zhi (Journal of Practical Chinese Medicine Internal Medicine), #12, 2009, p. 57-58, Dong Feng published an article titled, “The Treatment of 45 Cases of Climacteric Depression with Modified Xiao Yao San.” A summary of this article is presented below.

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By Eric Brand

Exciting times here at Blue Poppy! Our long-awaited line of highly concentrated tablets has just arrived, and the first orders are already en route to our customers. We’ve been working on this new line for months now, so it is exciting to see it come to fruition.

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By Eric Brand

When most Chinese medicine practitioners think of bing lang (betel nut), we think of a dried cross section of a seed that is used to kill parasites, downbear qi, and disinhibit urination. Few practitioners know that betel nut is also chewed as a mild psychoactive drug in Taiwan and other parts of South and Southeast Asia. In fact, one of the most unexpected sights for many foreigners upon arriving in Taiwan is the presence of thousands of little shops selling betel nut. The shops are often brightly lit with Vegas style flashing lights, and they are commonly staffed by young women wearing bikinis. These shops are especially common in the southern part of Taiwan, particularly in rural areas.

How did we get from a Chinese medicine for intestinal worms to flashing lights and bikinis?

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By Eric Brand

Here is an interesting article from Taiwan on Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang. The article assesses several products on the market for the presence of aristolochic acid (AA), which would come from the presence of Xi Xin in Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang. Essentially the conclusion of the article was that Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang basically lacked significant levels of AA and was not associated with nephotoxicity in the patient population that was studied.

Here's the full text:
http://www.cmjournal.org/content/5/1/6

by Bob Flaws

If people know you're a doctor, they're always asking you in social settings how to treat this or that ailment they or a loved one is suffering from. If people know you're a famous doctor, albeit of Chinese medicine, these kinds of requests are ubiquitous and never-ending. So I wasn't particularly surprised this weekend when a woman I was chatting with at a social gathering asked me for a recommendation for a Blue Poppy formula. As always in such situations, I strongly advised that she see a professional practitioner of Chinese medicine who could do a proper in-take and diagnosis. However, the woman told me she had been to see many practitioners of acupuncture/Chinese medicine over the years as well as Western MDs, DCs, and NDs, all to no avail.

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By Eric Brand

Marker compounds refer to chemical constituents within a medicinal that can be used to verify its potency or identity. For some medicinals, the marker compounds could be described as active ingredients. In other substances, the marker compounds of interest are chemicals that confirm the correct botanical identity of the starting material. There is not consensus on the correct marker compounds for all traditional medicinals, because some medicinals have unknown active constituents and others have multiple active constituents. In some situations, experts disagree about which group of constituents is responsible for the therapeutic effects of a given substance, so there is a lack of consensus when it comes to determining which constituents are the correct marker compounds for such items.

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By Eric Brand

What is the difference between full-spectrum extracts and standardized extracts? What do these terms mean and how do they affect us as Chinese medical practitioners?

1. Full Spectrum Extracts

In the context of Chinese medicine, full spectrum extracts tend to refer to products that reflect the natural constituent yield that is obtained from a traditional water decoction. Historically, most prescriptions have been prepared as a water decoction, so replicating a decoction is thought to provide the best approximation of the spectrum of constituents that Chinese medicine’s time-tested results are based upon.

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by Malia Kirby

I am not a person who ignores coincidences. Usually, when they occur in my life, I tend to stand up and take notice and yesterday, when my hubby told me to check out the recent post a colleague and fellow SWAC grad wrote and I found myself nodding enthusiastically as I read, I immediately asked her permission to direct you all to her words.

You see, Catie started to take her yoga practice seriously the exact month she started her acupuncture practice out in Raleigh by doing yoga at least once per day for 108 days. The realizations she has come to are EXACTLY what I'm talking about with this series on being present. Take a look at her personal experiences if you're interested to see what mindfulness can do for you at Yogalove: life in the flow. It is definitely worth your time.

By Eric Brand

The Qing dynasty materia medica text Ben Cao Bei Yao (The Essential Herbal Foundation) was written in 1694 CE by Wang Ang. This book provides us with insight into the actions ascribed to herbs in the Qing dynasty, just prior to the modern era of Chinese medicine. Notably, many of the actions of herbs have changed over the years. Observing the different viewpoints on a given medicinal’s actions over the ages gives us insight into its fundamental nature and broadens our understanding of its potential applications.

Did you know that Ku Shen (Sophorae Flavescentis Radix) was once said to nourish yin? The “Shen” in Ku Shen’s name is shared by Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix), Xuan Shen (Scrophulariae Radix), Sha Shen (Adenophorae seu Glehniae Radix), Dang Shen (Codonopsis Radix), and Dan Shen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix), all of which have historically been ascribed supplementing properties. Naturally, Ku Shen is still a damp-drying, bitter cold medicinal, so the Ben Cao Bei Yao notes that it shouldn’t be used for liver-kidney vacuity in the absence of heat. That said, it does say that Ku Shen supplements yin and boosts essence, and nourishes the liver and gallbladder. It is also said to quiet the five viscera, disinhibit the nine orifices, engender liquid and allay thirst, and brighten the eyes. One of the additional comments notes that when dampness and heat exit, qi and blood become balanced. Thus, the five viscera are naturally quieted.

Here’s a fun one: Burnt rice. In Asia and the Middle East alike, burnt rice that is stuck to the bottom of the pan is a delicacy, something that kids fight over at the end of the meal. The Ben Cao Bei Yao includes it with the other medicinals, and it is said to open the stomach and fortify the spleen. It also transforms food and checks diarrhea. The explanation given is that the burnt rice has a fragrant qi, which opens the stomach and fortifies the spleen to assist digestion. It is slightly burnt, which causes it to be astringent in nature; thus it checks diarrhea. Yum…

From gold to breast milk to human teeth, the Ben Cao Bei Yao has all kinds of fascinating entries on animal, mineral, and herbal products. Lots of fun reading, too bad there is no market for classical texts in English…

Fortunately, we have this fun blog so I'll keep translating little snippets from time to time. Bookmark our site and keep coming back to visit!

By Eric Brand

Chinese medical theory is constantly evolving; many fundamental theories have been questioned, analyzed, and refined throughout history. A number of diseases and pathomechanisms that were recognized historically were discarded by subsequent generations, and a number of innovations and new concepts have been presented over the years. This dynamic process has resulted in a modern body of knowledge that has winnowed down obsolete theories while simultaneously advancing new explanations for conditions that were previously unknown or undeveloped in the literature. From our modern vantage point, we see many examples of pathomechanisms that failed to withstand the test of time, as well as many opportunities to advance Chinese medical theory into new and unexplored dimensions.

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By Eric Brand

I've made several posts about the work of Prof. Zhao Zhongzhen, one of the world's leading experts in herbal medicine authentication. Prof. Zhao is somewhat akin to a modern day Li Shi-Zhen, with his tireless pursuit of scholarship and his attention to culture, science, and tradition. I wrote a blog about Prof. Zhao in my blog series on Modern Masters, which can be found here. Today I'd like to post links to some of his work that is available for free on the internet.

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By Eric Brand

In this photo we have several different types of red ginseng. Red ginseng is processed by steaming, which causes the root to change color. Straight out of the ground, fresh ginseng is light brown in color. If it is dried in the sun, its color becomes yellowish-white. This ginseng is known as white ginseng; in Chinese it is called “Bai Ren Shen” or “Sheng Shai Shen” (this name is generally used when the tails are still intact). If the roots are steamed before drying, the color is red and the product is known as “Hong Shen.”

Red ginseng is primarily produced in China and Korea. China produces large amounts of both white and red ginseng, while Korea tends to produce mostly red ginseng and only a small amount of white ginseng. The steam-processing alters the spectrum of active ingredients (ginsenosides) present, so red and white ginsengs differ from one another in terms of chemistry and pharmacology. In traditional medicine, red ginseng is considered to be warmer and stronger for supplementing qi. White ginseng is said to be better for boosting fluids and is considered to be more balanced in temperature.

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