by Malia Kirby “Fine dining should not be reserved for the elite.” – Chef Yves Camdeborde of Le Comptoir, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, 100th Episode It should probably come as no surprise to any of our regular readers that cooking is a favorite… more »

By Eric Brand As a student of Chinese medicine, I spent several years working in a Chinese herb shop.  Like many practitioners, I experimented extensively with the range of prepared medicines (“patents”) that were available over the counter, and with… more »

By Eric Brand Most buyers of Chinese herbal products have noticed that prices have been rising steadily for the past year or more, and judging by the situation I’ve seen on the ground at Chinese wholesale markets, the pain appears to be enduring.  For… more »

By Eric Brand Folk tradition holds that regular consumption of tea is generally beneficial for health, and many people believe that drinking tea can help promote healthy weight loss.  Chinese medicine holds that tea disperses food and transforms phlegm… more »

By Eric Brand Source: Shāng Hán Lùn (“On Cold Damage”). Ingredients bàn xià (Pinelliae Rhizoma) 12 g huáng qín (Scutellariae Radix) 9 g gān jiāng (Zingiberis Rhizoma) 9 g rén shēn (Ginseng Radix) 9 g huáng lián (Coptidis Rhizo… more »

By Eric Brand   Li Shi-Zhen's epic text Ben Cao Gang Mu (Grand Materia Medica) from the Ming dynasty is one of the most enduring and significant works in Chinese medicine. Li spent decades traveling and researching material for the Ben Cao Gang Mu, a… more »

By Eric Brand Hou Po (officinal magnolia bark) has been used since ancient times, and a wide variety of processing methods have emerged to maximize its clinical effects.  Many different adjuvants have been historically used in the pao zhi of Hou Po, in… more »

by Shawn Kirby L.Ac. Many years ago, I did an interview with Bob about his early career and training in Chinese medicine.  This interview became a podcast which was featured at the site.  I had been working on transcribing this interview over a year ag… more »

by Bob Flaws When the list of formulas for Blue Poppy’s and Great Nature’s Classics line were chosen, we included most of the standard formulas that all Western practitioners know and use. However, we also added a few lesser known formulas that we have… more »

by Malia Kirby While perusing the health news today, I stumbled across this little dandy of an article regarding a possible Western medical explanation of how acupuncture works. CLICK HERE to enjoy. more »

by Malia Kirby Gluten, you pesky devil.  You’ve been named as the sole culprit, the source of so much woe in the abdominally uncomfortable, and a marketing force in in the world of grocery today.  What are we going to do with you?  If it were up to me,… more »

By Eric Brand Here is an interesting link to an article on the identification of genes in medicinal plants that are involved in the biosynthesis of triterpenoid compounds.  Saponins such as glycyrrhizin from licorice and ginsenosides from ginseng are s… more »

by Malia Kirby While perusing the health news today, I stumbled across an article entitled Are You Giving Your Doctor A Headache, which discussed the perspective of patient rights activists regarding an online presentation, Managing the Difficult Patie… more »

Today we have a nice article from David Price on Zhang Zhong-Jing's warming methods.  This blog was translated by David from a Chinese journal article written by Dong Li-Feng, a Shang Han Lun expert from Henan, China.  Enjoy! From: The Chinese TCM Jo… more »

Most people have some trepidation about giving lectures and live presentations. Even after years of being in front of every kind of group you can think of, I still get butterflies and I'm always looking for ways to do it better. Here are some interestin… more »