By Eric Brand The ancient nature of Chinese medicine makes it a challenging discipline. The classics often contain statements that are ambiguous, and many concepts can be elusive to a single definition. As a translator, classical Chinese material i… more »

by Honora Lee Wolfe A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting a number of the schools in Florida, speaking to students and meeting faculty and administration folks. At one of these events, a student asked me what did I think was the most important skill to… more »

By Eric Brand When should herbs be taken? With food, between meals, before bed? Actually, there is no one rule across the board. There are guidelines for when to take various herbs: before meals, after meals, before sleep, and on an empty stomach.… more »

Chang Shan is a medicinal that is somewhat rarely used in Chinese medicine, yet it contains constituents that appear to be promising for autoimmune diseases and cancer. Originally used as an emetic agent to induce vomiting, Chang Shan has also been a k… more »

By Eric Brand In the context of Chinese medicine, many practitioners are confused by the term “jiu,” which is usually translated as “wine.” What kind of wine is it? Was the “bai jiu” mentioned in the formula Gua Lou Xie Bai Bai Jiu Tang the same as m… more »

An Excerpt from Playing the Game:A Step-by-Step Approach to  Accepting Insurance as an Acupuncturists by Dr. Greg Sperber and Tiffany Andersen-Hefner Many acupuncturists tell me they will never choose to bill insurance, and that is a common enough cho… more »

By Eric Brand Honora’s blog about the power of touch really resonated with me. Prior to studying Chinese medicine, I studied massage in my childhood hometown of Boulder, Colorado. To this day, massage has remained one of my greatest loves, and a bi… more »

by Honora Lee Wolfe This week I again treated a patient who, though having come to me to treat her knee, shoulder, and head pain, had lived through a sub-arachnoid hemorrhage about a year ago. This person has suffered immeasurably with the sequellae of… more »

The rich, supplementing effects of E Jiao and egg yolk were first described in combination in the ancient formula E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang (ass-hide gelatin and egg yolk decoction). This formula was first recorded in a text on the Shang Han Lun, and is… more »

by Shawn Kirby L.Ac. Blue Poppy has changed the names of two of our most popular Blue Poppy Originals formulas.  Resolve Depression and Stabilize Sleep is now “Resolve and Stabilize”, and Modified Eleven Flavors Warm the Gallbladder is now “Modified El… more »

By Eric Brand Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan is a key formula in Chinese medicine. It enriches yin and nourishes blood, and supplements the heart and quiets the spirit. It is used for yin depletion and scantiness of blood, manifesting in vacuity vexation and… more »

By Eric Brand Zuo Jin Wan is a very small but special formula. It clears and drains liver fire, downbears counterflow and checks vomiting. As a small formula unit, it can be easily added to other prescriptions, such as Chai Hu Shu Gan San (Bupleurum… more »

By Eric Brand Liu Wei Di Huang Wan is one of the most famous formulas for supplementing yin. It is relatively mild and harmonious because of its balance of “three supplementing” and “three draining” medicinals, and it is easily modified to form formu… more »

This text is a partial excerpt taken from The Successful Chinese Herbalist: How to Prescribe Correctly, Gain Patient Compliance, and Operate a Profitable Dispensary by Bob Flaws and Honora Lee Wolfe, 2005. Read more at http://bluepoppy.com/cfwebstore/i… more »

by Malia Kirby I have a number of Google alerts.  There's one for food (which should come as no surprise), one for acupuncture, one for moxibustion, one for artemesia, and one for herbs.  My last set alert doesn't always pick up something interesting,… more »

On the surface, the formula Xiang Sha Yang Wei Wan (Costusroot and Amomum Stomach-Nourishing Pill) appears similar to other spleen-fortifying, damp-drying formulas such as Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang (Costusroot and Amomum Six Gentlemen Decoction). Both f… more »

By Eric Brand Xiao Luo Wan is a formula that was originally indicated for scrofula. However, beyond its textbook indications for nodules on the neck, it can be used to soften hardness and disperse binds in a variety of applications when combined appr… more »