Students when they are leaving to graduate often ask me what is the next book they should read. This page needs updating!

I assume they have the “Benskys” Materia Medica and Formulas and Strategies. I also assume they haven’t really read them. That would be a good start.

The next book I would suggest is Steven Clavey’s Fluid Physiology. This is an incredible book that really fills in what I found missing in much of my Chinese Medicine Education. There are 2 Editions as of 2018, the second is a bit better than the first having added more acupuncture treatment ideas. Unfortunately, the book is out of print presently however there are rumors that Eastland is planning a new edition.

One cannot say enough about Applied Theory in Chinese Medicine. This book is an exploration not a method and it lays the groundwork for a new generation of thinking about Acupuncture and Chinese medical theory.

Herbs are where recent graduates feel the most confused. I suggest that they read Qin Bo-Wei’s 56 Treatment Methods by Wu Bo-Ping and Jason Blalack.

_______________

Last year a colleague from Beijing asked me to write about the influential English language books for a project she was doing. This is what I came up with:

The 20 books are just some of the influential books currently used among English language students and practitioners of Chinese medicine in the West.

Many of these books have been written by native Chinese now practicing in the West or Westerners using Chinese sources by collaborating with experienced practitioners from China. Many of these books are “classics” while others use ancient writings to create new concepts by explaining ancient texts.

1. Applied Channel Theory in Chinese Medicine – The late Wang Ju-yi, from the first class of the Beijing Chinese Medicine School, worked for decades thinking and developing his ideas about the nature of the acupuncture channels. Jason Robertson spent several years working with Wang accumulating his lectures for this book with updated concepts of the channels which reflect ancient thinking.

2. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies -Bensky and Scheid – The English language standard for the study of Chinese herbal formulas now updated with historical references and reasoning. Any student, practitioner or scholar of Chinese herbal medicine should have this book on their desk.

3. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica – Bensky – The English language standard for the study of Chinese single herbs in Chinese Medicine. The third edition of the book updates current biomedical information while also

4. Finding Effective Acupuncture Points – Shudo Denmei’s approach is one of the innumerable Japanese styles. What makes this book so effective is how he explains his methodology and thinking making it accessible and transferable to whatever style the reader may employ.

5. Foundations of Chinese Medicine – Giovanni Maciocia’s comprehensive book is a comprehensive study used in most all English language schools and for licensing exams.

6. Live Well Live Long: Teachings from the Chinese Nourishment of Life Tradition and Modern Research – Deadman – Yang Sheng is translated as “nourishing life” and Peter Deadman has accumulated many writings and exercises into living a long, happy and healthy life.

7. Manual of Acupuncture Peter Deadman and Mazin Al-Khafaji – Although over 25 years old the Manual has remained the definitive English language resource for acupuncture location and indications as it draw on historical sources including the Systematic Classic of Acupuncture & Moxibustion. Beautiful drawings of the anatomy offer one of the best guides for finding and using the acupuncture points.

8. Manual of Dermatology in Chinese Medicine Shen De-Hui and Wu Xiu-Fen. A clear resource for the study of dermatology in Chinese medicine.

9. Medicine in China: A History of Ideas – Unschuld- Traces the history of Chinese medicine in all its complexity. The updated version explores the intersection of Western medicine in modern China.

10. Nan Jing Classic of Difficulties – Unschuld trans – This is an updated version of famed scholar Paul Unschuld 1986 with updated commentary from 20 Chinese and Japanese over the last 1700 years.

11. Obstetrics & Gynecology in Chinese Medicine – Maciocia – One of the most comprehensive books about gynecology from Giovanni Maciocia.

12. Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine – Wiseman – An indispensable reference for Chinese medical terminology that helps bridge the gaps between various translation styles. The Wiseman book is used as a standard for many English language publishing houses.

13. 
Shu-He Wang and Yang Shou-Zhong – a faithful translation of the classic.

14. Qin Bo-Wei’s 56 Treatment Methods – Qin – Translator and editor Jason Blalack spent several years working withWu Po-Ping, a primary student of famed Chinese doctor, writer and educator Qin Bo-Wei. This book elucidates seminal writings by Qin that describes his method for constructing concise herbal prescriptions using treatment principles of Chinese medicine.

15. Shang Han Lun (On Cold Damage)- Guohui Liu trans– Of the many recent English language translations Liu’s book contains many diverse commentaries from the centuries of previous writers. Also of note is a separate “introduction” book and his earlier work Warm Pathogen Diseases: A Clinical Guide.

16. Statements of Fact in Traditional Chinese Medicine – Flaws trans – This small volume contains a trove of Chinese Medicine sayings that every student and practitioner needs to memorize and understand.

17. Systematic Classic of Acupuncture & Moxibustion – Huang Fu Mi – Written in the 3rd Century the writings in this book have endured to this day through the quotations from the Su Wen and Ling Shu.

18. 
Ten Lectures on the Use of Formulas from The Personal Experience Of Jiao Shu-De – Dr. Jiao was the influential doctor and educator whose lectures on herbs and formulas were a vital source of information for a generation of Chinese students.

19. Atlas of Chinese Tongue Diagnosis – Kirschbaum -Richly photographed and illustrated Barbara Kirschbaum’s book sets a standard for books on this subject.

20. Zang Fu Syndromes: Differential Diagnosis and Treatment – McDonald and Penner – A comprehensive study guide to acupuncture and herbs for the syndromes of Chinese Zang-Fu patterns.

Applied Channel Theory in Chinese Medicine

Wang Ju-Yi’s Lectures on Channel Therapeutics

Wang Ju-Yi and Jason Robertson

Eastland Press.

The short description of this book might be, “An acupuncture doctor with 45 years experience tells what he has learned to one of his students”. What this doesn’t tell you is how this has happened in the most fortunate of circumstances. Applied Channel Theory is the work of a (relative) beginner (Robertson) transcribing and exploring the mind of an accomplished and experienced practitioner (Wang). Wang has an inquisitive mind, an great sense of humor, has spent decades studying the Neijing and other classics and applying those styles in a very busy clinical career. Robertson has recently graduated from a Western TCM school, speaks and reads Chinese fluently and also has an inquisitive mind and a great sense of humor. Where Wang has the ability to pull the different elements of classic studies into an coherent form, Robertson has ingeniously put Wang’s words into a very readable and cohesive narrative. Wang has taken the challenge to delve into the most difficult yet basic concepts and Robertson has the confidence to ask the “simple questions” that illuminate throughout the book. Robertson is a clear and confident writer and Wang produces the answers. As my colleague said when she skimmed through the book, “It’s actually written in English!”.

Many of the chapters are taken from lectures and workshops that Robertson organized with Wang. There is a consistent thread of questions that pull the reader back to the basics just as the ideas start to spin in complexity. As one gets further and further into the book, themes emerge and are then re-explored. When looking at the classic text the material moves from theory into practical application. The relevance and significance of the book only gets deeper as one continues to read. This is material that should be discussed in every acupuncture school, here and in China. Applied Channel Theory is one of the most important books about Chinese Medicine to appear in 30 years.

The book has 20 chapters but has many threads. The first thread is a long discussion of each of the organs from the perspective of the 6 channels and an extended discussion of Ministerial Fire. This concept of the Ministerial will come back again and again throughout the book. It becomes especially evident in the 30 pages they devote to the Shao Yang. Another thread concerns the nature of the points as concepts and as functional processes. Robertson asks some basic questions that we often think of but never ask. “How does energy move through the channels?” “Does the qi from the limbs inward or outward to the limbs?” (Answered in an incredibly sophisticated manner by Wang.) “What does reinforcing and dispersing really mean?” “How do the five transport/antique/ting points work?” And Wang is not simply regurgitating texts, these are his unique explorations. By giving them full weight of his consideration it is apparent that the questions are neither stupid nor had Wang not thought that they needed answering. When Wang doesn’t have an answer for a question he responds that he truly doesn’t know. Robertson plays off his own naiveté as a recent graduate to extract these answers from Wang. Toward the end of the book there is a lengthy discussion about point combinations. Interspersed throughout are observations by Robertson about both the process of writing the book and the experience of Beijing. These digressions make the book more readable but lets us know that the book is not a final word about acupuncture but is itself an exploration. It’s an ingenious form for a book.

Applied Channel Theory comes at a time when Chinese Medicine needs a little help. Even as the popularity of acupuncture increases around the world, its roots often seems to have been lost for a practical and expedient functionality. The process started in China over 100 years ago and has been accelerated in all forms of acupuncture education and practice. While some have attempted to tie modern practice to the classics, the original writings have been notoriously difficult texts for ages. Indeed, most of our classics are attempts to explain other writings now either existent or lost. As a result, classical concepts of acupuncture all too often are either fetishized or abandoned as quaint. The latter is perhaps more common where the consensus is that “acupuncture works” but not perhaps in the ways that have been traditionally explained. Wang looks beyond the physiological metaphors and tells us why the ancients may have had it right all along.

When a chapter from this book was released to the Journal of Chinese Medicine, I was a bit disappointed as it seems that the book would simply be the palpation method of finding the points and diagnosis. Nothing could be further from the truth. Applied Channel Theory discusses the roots of acupuncture theory as so bridges the growing gap between acupuncture and herbal treatments. The future of acupuncture is not another Method be it Tung, Tan or Wang. Applied Channel Theory doesn’t necessarily demand any Method although it does answer how the Neijing might approach it. Instead the value of the book functions as a follow up to every TCM book we have ever seen. It takes up where Giovanni leaves off and explores what CAM only hints at. It takes Pirog and runs with it. This is one of the few TCM books that I wanted to read from front cover to back. And when I finished it, I started again from the front and reread it. It’s that good. It is that necessary.

It has been over 20 years since the first volume of the Clinical Handbook came out and it immediately became a well-regarded addition to English language CM books. The first book covered diseases of the Lung, Kidney, Liver and Heart. Volumes 2 came out over a few years later and covered the other organs and in Volume 3 (2010) they cover Qi, Blood, Fluid and Channels addressing more perplexing, challenging and interesting “miscellaneous diseases”. The Handbook is based on Chinese texts and were embraced by many native Chinese teachers and practitioners. If you are like me your original books have seen a bit of wear and tear and Volume 1 especially may have yellowed. The new Eastland edition has taken all 3 volumes and put in one book. The new volume weighs in at over 1600 large format pages with a “soft” hard cover.

The format of the new editions is basically the same. The 89 chapters are organized by Diseases and within each disease are the possibilities based on the 8 parameters, Qi, Blood, Fluids etc or zang-fu differentiation.  (Unfortunately students, who are usually taught and tested by zang-fu order as a base, have a hard time wrapping their heads around. ) Most of these diseases are instantly recognized as Western problems while a few have the Chinese twist to them such as Fainting and Funny Turns, Sudden Turmoil  and Hua Huo Disease. The Diabetes Chapters, for example, has 10 + subsections including Nephropathy and Peripheral Neuropathy. The majority are common problems while many are common in the clinic but not often discussed including Tooth Abscess, Mouth Ulcers, Halitosis and Depression. There is a long chapter on thyroid disorder, a disease which many of us treat with our patients. Maclean has taught extensively on the Thyroid so his extensive and expert discussion in this chapter is especially welcomed.

This new edition has been substantially rewritten and has not simply put the 3 original volumes under one cover. Many of the chapters have been rewritten with the continued clinical experience of the writer. The strength of the Handbook(s) over other strict translations of other Chinese texts has been discussions of familiar clinical practices. The chapter on Rhinitis for example talks practically about the use of sinus rinses and Neti pots. New chapters on men’s issues is extensive and has a nice mix of grounded CM and practical understanding.

My only admittedly petty complaints are the Table of Contents and omission of one part of the Introduction. The Table of Contents has all the subheadings- I would have preferred to see a “double” Table of Contents with only Chapter Heading and then a second expanded Table. I would have like to keep the discussion of the Diagnostic Method which I found very useful in the Volume 1 Introduction. Also missed is the designations of the diseases gathered under organ systems. As all the disease are in one volume then this probably would be unnecessary.

The Clinic Manual has endured as an essential reference text for English language Chinese Medicine practitioners. I consider it one of the vital texts for students and practitioners. Those who own the first 3 volumes may ask if they should buy the 2nd edition. If you don’t use the Handbook very much then probably the new edition won’t do much to change your mind. For those who use it a lot or have only one volume then they will only be pleased with the new information. As for myself I can now have one book at home while keeping the others at the office.

Weighing in at over 950 pages (and well over $180 US) Dr. Guohui Liu’s (2015) Discussion of Cold Damage (Shang Han Lun) is not for the casual reader. ISBN: 978-1-84819-254-6

For Chinese Medicine herbalists, it may well become be the new English language standard for the Shang Han Lun. Although we’ve had many fine translations (Mitchell et al. and Greta Young) of the Shang Han Lun into English, Dr. Guohui Liu’s  Discussion of Cold Damage (Shang Han Lun) is a much welcome addition. For Chinese Medicine herbalists, it may well become be the new English language standard for the Shang Han Lun. Dr. Guohui Liu (who in 2001 had published the well-regarded Wen Bing text in English- reviewed here) has provided us with an excellent scholarly and practical text.

   To summarize, the Shang Han Lun, written around 200 AD by Zhang Zhongjing,  is much studied text from around the year 200 AD although the original text is no longer intact. Scholars and practitioners of Chinese Medicine have analyzed it for its insights into Chinese medicine and herbs for centuries. For that reason, it is often referred to as a “Bible” of Chinese herbology or a “Talamud” for the millennia of commentaries attached to it. The text itself can be printed out in 40 or so pages of Chinese characters in to almost 400 numbered “clauses” or lines. Another book was “spun-off” from the original text: The Golden Cabinet. It is the meaning of each of these clauses and how they build into progressions of disease and treatment that has captivated practitioners and scholars for close to 2000 years. The Shang Han Lun was put into practice in Japan in what was called “Kampo”. In Kampo practice herbal formulas in Kampo did not need medical theory to be utilized. Therefore Kampo was incorporated into 20th and 21st Century the Japanese mainstream medical system. For that reason, Shang Han Lun and Golden Cabinet formulas are often studied and applied in clinical trials in Japan which are then published into the modern scientific and medical community.

Although Chinese language books on the same subject could easily fill a bookstore, English language books run to few dozen. Without a doubt, Liu’s book is the most comprehensive.

Each clause is broken into several sections: 1) The original text with pinyin 2) a synopsis of the line 3) a translation of that line 4) “Difficult or redoubtable points” 5) Commentary 6) Analysis of the formula (if in the clause) 7) Applications of the formula 8) Clinical experience of ancient and contemporary practitioners. Formulas, when they first appear in the text, are shown in that clause.
It is in these sections that extremely practical and clinical information lifts the book above an academic exercise. The “Difficult or redoubtable points” section is a discussion of the ancient and modern interpretations of the meaning of the clause. This section for Gui Zhi Jia Fu Zi Tang runs close to 4 pages and is by no means the most exhaustive. Dr. Liu provides his own informed views on others’ texts and thus masterfully ties the practical and scholarly commentaries together. He is generous in these quotes as one commentary may run for a page or more and he includes modern interpretations from modern scholars such as Mitchell, Young and Sheid/ Bensky. My only small issue with the book is that there is no pinyin index of the formulas (although at page 900 there is an easily scanned list).

The fear in a book of this size is that it will be only of academic interest. However, I have found myself looking at it for clinical situations and have found the most practical solutions for patients in this Shang Han Lun translation. For this reason, I greatly endorse this book for all who want to both learn and use the Shang Han Lun method. ISBN: 978-1-84819-254-6

As a “companion book” Dr. Gui and Singing Dragon Press have released Foundations of Theory for Ancient Chinese Medicine – Shang Han Lun and Contemporary Medical Texts. This is an “introduction” to many of the stickier problems of theoretical Chinese Medical Theory such as the six conformations and zang-fu (organ) theory. One gets the feeling that these are notes that didn’t quite make it into the already large Shang Han Lun book. Considerably smaller (and unfortunately less well edited) it serves as a good place to start before tackling the larger book.

available in the USA at Redwing Books

ISBN: 978-1-84819-262-1