by Eric Brand The end of this April marks the end of a wonderful era for me at Blue Poppy, so for one of my final blogs I would like to offer a sincere thank you to Blue Poppy and our outstanding readers.  I am afflicted with a constant desire to keep… more »

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 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 »