By Eric Brand The correct botanical origin of Xi Xin is the root and rhizome of either Asarum heterotropoides Fr. Schmidt var. mandshuricum (Maxim.) Kitag., A. sieboldii Miq. var. seoulense Nakai, and A. sieboldii Miq. Additional species of asarum ar… more »

by Shawn Kirby L.Ac. Drunkard (Bill Murray): I was at the festival of the vernal equinox, and I guess I had a little too much mead… and I darted out in front of an oxcart. It all happened so fast. They couldn't stop in time. Theodoric of York (Ste… more »

One of the most common discussion topics in the world of granules relates to the importance of cooking herbs together versus mixing extracts from singles.  While this topic is complex and has been covered in our blog before, definitive answers are hard… more »

By Eric Brand Another article that is just coming out in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology focuses on raw herbs vs. decoctions. The free full-text is available at this link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037887411200044X From the… more »

By Eric Brand I recently had the pleasure to translate a journal article for my teachers in Hong Kong (Prof. Zhao Zhongzhen & "Eric" Guo-Ping) on the formation of daodi medicinal material.  When the article was first published online, it was only a… more »

By Eric Brand Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix) is a medicinal that comes in two common forms. Within the field of pharmacy, these two forms are known as Tiao Qin (young scutellaria) and Ku Qin (old scutellaria). They are generally used interchange… more »

By Eric Brand The “Zhu Yu Tang” family of blood-moving formulas includes Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang, Shao Fu Zhu Yu Tang, Ge Xia Zhu Yu Tang, Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang, and Tong Qiao Huo Xue Tang.  Created by Wang Qing-Ren in the Qing dynasty, these formulas are o… more »

By Eric Brand I am currently in Australia for a few weeks, and I’ve been using the downtime between lectures to explore the local Chinese medicine scene.  Australia is rather unique in terms of its TCM environment and my understanding of the local s… more »

Surfing the internet health news is actually a pretty interesting way to spend a morning. Everything from how our culture sabotages children's health to a controversy over people taking anti-depressant drugs for grief to this gem of a research study tha… more »

By Eric Brand Chinese medicine is characterized by polypharmacy, and over a hundred thousand recorded formulas can still be accessed in the modern day. From a few simple combinations to incredibly complex formulas, the sheer effort that has gone into c… more »

by Shawn Kirby L.Ac. A few years ago, I posted a blog on colon cleansing entitled Death Begins in the Colon and other Urban Legends (click here to read) covering the dangers and pseudoscience behind “colon cleansing.”  Today, I want to delve into an e… more »

A Guest Blog by David Price, L.Ac. One of the more fascinating terms in Chinese medicine is 活 huo, translated by Nigel Wiseman as quicken. Examples of medical usage include quicken the blood, quickening the blood and engendering the new, quick… more »

By Eric Brand It is common to see the word “Oriental” in the context of acupuncture and herbal medicine. While individual practitioners (such as myself) that specialize specifically in Chinese medicine often refer to our area of expertise as simply… more »

By Eric Brand Learning the names of all the medicinals is a daunting task for students of Chinese medicine. Adding to the confusion, some books use different names for the same substances. Why do some books say Mo Han Lian while others say Han Lian C… more »

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 mod… more »

By Eric Brand The other day blog reader David Price made some fascinating comments regarding the relationship between the liver and kidney, as well as the liver’s relationship with the sinews. David noted the Nei Jing statement that the “knee is the… more »

By Eric Brand Chinese medicine has evolved gradually over the course of thousands of years, and many ideas and theories have adapted and changed over time. As ancient Chinese medicine gradually moved away from magical explanations of disease to expl… more »

A few years ago I went to visit a friend of my in northern California (identity and town to remain unnamed). An early adopter of Chinese medicine, he'd had a practice for many years and was quite successful, with plenty of patients, a couple of apprenti… more »

One of my jobs here at Blue Poppy is to write at least one blog each week. Most weeks I don't have too much trouble figuring out a subject, but some weeks my brain needs a kickstart or there are so many things on my plate, I can't slow down long enough… more »