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Please select one of the many topics for exploration: Classical Chinese Medicine, Translations, Clinical Information, or the Science of Symbols.

Driving Out Demons and Snakes: Gu Syndrome, A Forgotten Clinical Approach to Chronic Parasitism

CCM2024-04-12T10:58:25-07:00Tags: Chinese herbs, chronic disease, chronic parasitism, Gu Syndrome, Heiner Fruehauf|

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

This presentation is an attempt to participate in the process of ‘medical archaeology’ by exploring one of the submerged areas of Oriental medicine, namely the complex and variegated clinical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of Gu syndrome (gu zheng). A review of the modern research literature shows that this topic has remained virtually unexplored in both China and the West. Although there are too many classical references to entirely ignore the phenomenon of Gu syndrome, mainland Chinese scholars generally dismiss it as an “ancient, feudalist and superstitious” belief in demons and exorcist practices that has little or no value in modern clinical practice.

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Gancao Xiexin Tang (Licorice Purge the Heart Decoction): A Forgotten Key Remedy For the Treatment of Toxic Skin Conditions

CCM2022-09-07T12:03:32-07:00Tags: Chinese herbs, German, Heiner Fruehauf, Shanghan lun, Zhang Zhongjing|

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

Gancao Xiexin Tang was first recorded by the Han physician Zhang Zhongjing about 1,800 years ago. Both Shanghan lun and Jingui yaolüe, the now separated parts of his classic guidebook on herbal formulas (Shanghan zabing lun), cite this particular formula. In modern times, this formula is usually regarded as a variation of the widely used Pinellia Purge the Heart Decoction (Banxia Xiexin Tang) and thus most often prescribed as a remedy for Banxia Xiexin Tang symptom complex (discomfort in stomach area, belching, diarrhea). This is precisely the usage suggested for this remedy in the Shanghai lan, where Gancao Xiexin Tang and Shengjiang Xiexin Tang are listed as variations of the standard Banxia Xiexin Tang.

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Lyme Disease: An In-Depth Interview with Heiner Fruehauf

CCM2022-09-07T11:29:43-07:00Tags: chronic disease, chronic parasitism, fuzi (aconite), German, Gu Syndrome, Heiner Fruehauf, Lyme Disease|

WITH HEINER FRUEHAUF
INTERVIEW BY BOB QUINN,
WITH ERIN MORELAND

In the spring of 2011 Heiner Fruehauf, PhD, LAc sat down with his student and colleague, Bob Quinn, DAOM, LAc to discuss the finer points of “Brain Gu” syndrome, specifically as it pertains to the treatment of Lyme Disease. This discussion is best understood as a follow-up to and elaboration of the ideas presented in Heiner and Quinn’s earlier interview about Gu syndrome published in the fall of 2008 and available in the public part of this website.

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Gu Syndrome: An In-depth Interview with Heiner Fruehauf

CCM2024-04-12T11:02:40-07:00Tags: chronic disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic parasitism, fibromyalgia, Gu Syndrome, Heiner Fruehauf, Lyme Disease|

WITH HEINER FRUEHAUF
INTERVIEW BY BOB QUINN,
WITH ERIN MORELAND

GERMAN TRANSLATION BY SEPP LEEB

In the autumn of 2008 Heiner Fruehauf, PhD, LAc, sat down with two of his students, Bob Quinn, DAOM, LAc and Erin Moreland, LAc, to discuss the finer points of Gu syndrome treatment. This discussion is best understood as a follow-up to and elaboration of the ideas presented in Heiner’s earlier article on Gu syndrome published in the 1998 May issue of The Journal of Chinese Medicine.

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The Flagship Remedy of Chinese Medicine: Reflections on the Toxicity and Safety of Aconite

CCM2024-09-12T15:01:50-07:00Tags: Aconite Papers, Chinese herbs, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, classical texts, fuzi (aconite), German, Heiner Fruehauf, Zhang Jingyue|

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

In this paper, a seasoned practitioner of classical Chinese herbalism explains how one of the most important herbs in the Chinese materia medica can be used, once properly grown and processed, without the side effects associated with the toxic alkaloid aconitine. Heiner Fruehauf summarizes some of the dramatic lore surrounding the use of the herb aconite (Fuzi) in East and West, while exploring how Chinese medicine practitioners can utilize the herb safely in modern times to treat a wide range of medical conditions.

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A Description of the Therapeutic Uses of Aconite by the Ming Dynasty Scholar-Physician Zhang Jingyue (1583-1640)

CCM2022-09-07T11:25:45-07:00Tags: Aconite Papers, Chinese herbs, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, classical texts, fuzi (aconite), German, Heiner Fruehauf, translations, Zhang Jingyue|

BY ZHANG JINGYUE (1583-1640)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

The flavor of Fuzi is pungent and sweet, and becomes extremely salty if immersed in brine. Its qi is very hot. This herb, therefore, carries within the energy of yang within yang. It is described as toxic. Its (toxic) effect is controlled by Renshen (ginseng), Huangqi (astragalus), Gancao (licorice), Heidou (black beans), Lüxijiao (green rhinozerus horn), Tongbian (human urine), Wujiu (Herba Stenolomae), and Fangfeng (siler).

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Zhang Zhicong (fl. 1619-1674): On Fuzi

CCM2022-09-07T12:04:34-07:00Tags: Aconite Papers, Chinese herbs, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, classical texts, fuzi (aconite), German, Heiner Fruehauf, translations, Zhang Zhicong|

BY ZHANG ZHICONG (1610-1674)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

The flavor of Fuzi is pungent, its qi is warm, and it is extremely toxic. It treats wind cold pathogens that induce coughing and other counterflow issues, wind damp arthritis causing wandering pain and constriction, and knee pain with inability to walk. It breaks up tumors and masses, and heals blood accumulations as well as wounds caused by metal objects. The best Fuzi is produced in Mianzhou in the region of Shu.

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Yang Tianhui: Notes from My Visit to the Fuzi Growing Area of Zhangming County

CCM2022-09-07T12:13:03-07:00Tags: Aconite Papers, aconite toxicity, Chinese herbs, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, classical texts, fuzi (aconite), German, Heiner Fruehauf, Sichuan Fire Spirit School, translations|

BY YANG TIANHUI (Song Dynasty, 1039 CE)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

The following text represents the most detailed pre-modern description of the traditional cultivation of medicinal aconite in China. It was written more than 900 years ago by a Sichuanese official in charge of Zhangming County. Zhangming is situated in the location of today’s Jiangyou County, epicenter of the recent Sichuan earthquake, which has been identified by all ancient materia medica experts as the only place where genuine Chinese aconite should be sourced from.

GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

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The Importance of Aconite (fuzi) and Teachings From the Sichuan Fire Spirit School (an Interview with Heiner Fruehauf)

CCM2022-09-19T20:42:52-07:00Tags: Aconite Papers, aconite toxicity, Chinese herbs, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, fuzi (aconite), German, Heiner Fruehauf, Sichuan Fire Spirit School|

WITH HEINER FRUEHAUF
INTERVIEW BY BOB QUINN
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

On February 19, 2009 Heiner Fruehauf, PhD, LAc, sat down with his colleague Bob Quinn, DAOM, LAc, to discuss the importance of aconite (fuzi) in classical Chinese medicine. The discussion also covers aspects of the fuzi story not covered elsewhere in the west, namely its proper processing. Heiner also touches on some of the “nuts and bolts” of the Sichuan Fire Spirit School of herbal prescribing. As Heiner explains, fuzi used to be referred to as the “King of the 100 Herbs.” This information is crucial to understanding the scholarship and clinical power behind formulas that contain aconite.

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Traditional Chinese Approaches to Gu Syndrome: Two 18th Century Examples

CCM2024-04-12T12:45:57-07:00Tags: Classical Pearls, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, German, Gu Syndrome, Heiner Fruehauf|

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

Heiner Fruehauf has researched the ancient symbolism that defines the finer points of Chinese organ network function for 10 years. His prolific research project will eventually culminate in the creation of an illustrated compendium on the macrocosmic and microcosmic ramifications of organ network theory. Since the publication of this effort is still years away, he has decided to make a selection from his cache of existing research papers available now by publishing them on ClassicalChineseMedicine.org. The first installment of these papers consists of a detailed etymological analysis of the character of fei 肺 (lung), and the defining statement on the lung’s function/office in chapter 8 of the Huangdi neijing suwen.

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Thunder Pearls – An Effective Chinese Herbal Treatment for Chronic Parasitism

CCM2022-09-07T11:54:01-07:00Tags: chronic parasitism, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, Gu Syndrome, Heiner Fruehauf, Thunder Pearls|

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

This from a series of transcripts of video lectures from ClassicalPearls.org, the site for herbal formulas based on over thirty years of clinical and academic research by Prof. Heiner Fruehauf. Thunder Pearls Chinese herbal formula is a unique remedy for the important clinical phenomenon of “Abdominal Gu Syndrome”: difficult and treatment resistant diseases caused by chronic, often undiagnosable parasitic infections of the digestive system. This formulation, as Dr. Fruehauf presents, is sourced from ancient Daoist medicine texts and personally proven many times in modern clinical practice.This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM CLASSICAL PEARLS HERBAL FORMULAS

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Visionen eines Baojun: Donald Trump und der pathologische Dickdarm-Archetyp in der klassischen chinesischen Medizin

CCM2022-09-07T13:15:16-07:00Tags: Correlative Cosmology, cosmology, Donald Trump, Heiner Fruehauf, large intestine, symbolism|

VON HEINER FRÜHAUF
DEUTSCHE ÜBERSETZUNG
VON BIRGIT ZIEGLER

Diese impromptu Editorial von Heiner Fruehauf ist ein Versuch, Sinn der jüngsten US-Präsidentschaftswahlen durch die konstruktive Linse der chinesischen Medizin Systems Science.

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On Humanity’s Emotions and Higher Virtues: A Passage from the Chapter “Qingxing” in the ‘Baihu tongde lun’ (Discussions on the Power of Virtue in the White Tiger Hall; attributed to Ban Gu) fl. 1st Century CE

CCM2022-09-07T12:12:40-07:00Tags: Baihu tongde lun, Ban Gu, classical texts, Qingxing, translations|

BY BAN GU (fl. 1st Century CE)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

情性者，何謂也？性者，陽之施；情者，陰之化也。人稟陰陽氣而生，故內懷五性六情。情者，靜也，性者，生也，此人所稟六氣以生者也。故《鉤命決》曰：「情生於陰，欲以時念也；性生於陽，以就理也。陽氣者仁，陰氣者貪，故情有利欲，性有仁也。」

What is the nature of our emotional disposition (qingxing)? Our moral values (xing) represent an expression of yang, while our emotional urges (qing) are a transformation of yin...

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Fuxing Jue and Tangye Jing Translation Project: Preface

CCM2022-09-07T12:11:13-07:00Tags: Chinese herbs, classical texts, Fuxing Jue, Fuxing Jue and Tangye Jing Translation Project, translations|

TRANSLATED BY MICHAEL DELL'ORFANO
EDITED AND CRITICALLY ANNOTATED
BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

The Hermit says: Every student of the Dao and all seekers of longevity must first learn how to expel disease. Practitioners often suffer from chronic health problems or acute manifestations of seasonal illnesses. In this case, one needs to first employ the systematic methods of tonifying or reducing the five zang organs by imbibing several doses of herbal medicine.

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Introducing the Fuxing jue (Extraneous Secrets) and Tangye jing (Decoction Classic) Translation Project

CCM2022-09-07T12:39:42-07:00Tags: Chinese herbs, classical texts, Fuxing Jue, Fuxing Jue and Tangye Jing Translation Project, translations|

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

Chinese herbal formulas are typically distinguished as jingfang (classical remedies) or shifang (contemporary remedies). During the last millennium, the origin of all classical formulas has generally been attributed to the Shanghan zabing lan (Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders and Miscellaneous Diseases), Chinese medicine’s seminal work on the systematic categorization of disease patterns and corresponding formulas by the Han dynasty scholar-physician Zhang Zhongjing (150-219 ACE). Historical sources reveal, however, that at least eleven classical herb primers (jingfang) existed before Zhang’s birth.

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Li Jie: The Life Story of a Forgotten 20th Century Master of Nourishing Life

CCM2022-09-07T12:18:12-07:00Tags: classical texts, Daoism, Daoist Medicine, Heiner Fruehauf, Li Jie, translations, Wang Qingyu|

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
ADAPTED AND TRANSLATED FROM BIOGRAPHICAL TEXTS BY GUI SHOUZHEN, WANG QINGYU, AND WANG CHUNWU

The Hermit With the Ubiquitous Smile (Huanxi Daoren), Master Li Jie, also carried the epithets Taiqing (Supreme Purity) and Yonghong (Eternally Magnificent). He was born in Mingjing Village of Jiangyou County in Sichuan Province during the 2nd year of the Qing dynasty emperor Guangxu’s reign (1876). There, he is remembered as a child of extraordinary intelligence with an interest in martial arts, especially stick and sword forms. At age 7 he entered into private education, and eventually passed the test to become a mandarin of the first degree (Xiucai) at age 25. He was the first person ever in Mingjing Village who achieved this official rank, and with it came the love and adoration of his community. Afterwards, he worked as a teacher in local private schools around the counties of Jiangyou and Jiange.

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An Excerpt from Qianjin yifang (Supplemental Prescriptions Worth a Thousand in Gold) on the Importance of the Acupuncture Point Names

CCM2022-09-07T12:48:14-07:00Tags: acupuncture points, classical texts, Heiner Fruehauf, Sun Simiao, translations|

BY SUN SIMIAO (581-682)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

None of the acupuncture names were chosen randomly, all of them contain deep meaning. All point names containing the character for the wood element 木 are related to the Liver. All point names associated with Spirit (shen) 神 are related to the Heart. All point names associated with metal 金 or jade 玉 are related to the Lung. All point names associated with water 水 are related to the Kidney. Similarly, the Spirit’s state of movement is also potentially reflected in the point names. All points with the character Fu 府 (Storage) in their name affect the gathering of Spirit.

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Single Herbs: Sanqi (Panax notoginseng)

CCM2021-03-19T19:21:43-07:00Tags: Chinese herbs, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, didao yocai (terroir), paozhi (traditional processing), sanqi, Single Herb Series|

By Heiner Fruehauf Heiner Fruehauf's prolific research trip to China and Vietnam in the summer of 2014 to source high quality, potent, directly-traded Chinese herbs from small family farms provided a significant amount of material and information about didao yocai and paozhi - terroir [...]

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Single Herbs: Baishao (Paeonia lactiflora)

CCM2021-03-22T13:29:36-07:00Tags: baishao (white peony), Chinese herbs, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, didao yocai (terroir), paozhi (traditional processing), Single Herb Series|

By Heiner Fruehauf Heiner Fruehauf's prolific research trip to China and Vietnam in the summer of 2014 to source high quality, potent, directly-traded Chinese herbs from small family farms provided a significant amount of material and information about didao yocai and paozhi - terroir [...]

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Single Herbs: Shanyao (Dioscorea opposita)

CCM2021-03-22T13:30:02-07:00Tags: Chinese herbs, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, didao yocai (terroir), paozhi (traditional processing), shanyao (dioscorea), Single Herb Series|

By Heiner Fruehauf Heiner Fruehauf's prolific research trip to China and Vietnam in the summer of 2014 to source high quality, potent, directly-traded Chinese herbs from small family farms provided a significant amount of material and information about didao yocai and paozhi - terroir [...]

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Guizhi (Cinnamon) – From Bencao qiuzhen (Exploring the True Meaning of the Materia Medica, 1769)

CCM2022-09-07T12:23:20-07:00Tags: Bencao qiuzhen, Chinese herbs, classical texts, guizhi (cinnamon), Heiner Fruehauf, translations|

BY HUANG GONGXIU (18th Century)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

Cinnamon twig primarily enters the muscle layer at the surface of the body. At the same time, it enters the heart and liver channels. It is the branch of the cassia tree which also yields cinnamon bark. Cinnamon twig is light, its nourishing essence is pungent, and its color is red (therefore its affinity to the heart). The action of cinnamon twig is rising without descending.

FROM BENCAO QIUZHEN (EXPLORING THE TRUE MEANING OF THE MATERIA MEDICA, 1769)

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The Qualities of a Good Physician

CCM2024-09-12T15:01:52-07:00Tags: Chinese medicine, classical texts, Heiner Fruehauf, self-cultivation, translations|

BY ANONYMOUS (12 Century)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

Everyone who walks the path of healing has to first understand the fundamental principles that are behind all technical aspects of medicine. Only then should herbs and other modalities be prescribed. If healing is approached from the underlying source, all treatment efforts will be sublime and clinical results will naturally follow.

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Single Herbs: Shichangpu (Acorus gramineus)

CCM2021-03-22T13:30:59-07:00Tags: Chinese herbs, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, didao yocai (terroir), paozhi (traditional processing), shichangpu (acorus), Single Herb Series|

By Heiner Fruehauf Heiner Fruehauf's prolific research trip to China and Vietnam in the summer of 2014 to source high quality, potent, directly-traded Chinese herbs from small family farms provided a significant amount of material and information about didao yocai and paozhi - terroir [...]

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Single Herbs: Banxia (Pinellia ternata)

CCM2021-03-22T13:32:00-07:00Tags: banxia (pinellia), Chinese herbs, Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas, didao yocai (terroir), paozhi (traditional processing), Single Herb Series|

By Heiner Fruehauf Heiner Fruehauf's prolific research trip to China and Vietnam in the summer of 2014 to source high quality, potent, directly-traded Chinese herbs from small family farms provided a significant amount of material and information about didao yocai and paozhi - terroir [...]

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Wuzhuyu – Evodia (Translation)

CCM2022-09-07T12:21:38-07:00Tags: Bencao qiuzhen, Chinese herbs, classical texts, translations, whuzhuyu (evodia)|

BY HUANG GONGXIU (18th Century)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

Wuzhuyu (Evodia ruticarpa) eliminates counterflow of cold liver qi. Its flavor is bitter, and its quality is hot and dry. It is slightly toxic. It has a primary affinity to the qi layer of the jueyin networks. It counteracts bloating. Li Dongyuan once said: “For a situation where turbid yin toxins do not descend and cause severe counterflow symptoms above, in severe cases accompanied by bloating and swelling, Wuzhuyu is the only substance that can effectively treat this condition.” Overuse of this herb, however, will cause harm to a person’s source qi.

FROM BENCAO QIUZHEN (EXPLORING THE TRUE MEANING OF THE MATERIA MEDICA, 1769)

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The Path of Acting in Accordance with Heaven (From Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals) – A Monograph on Longevity

CCM2022-09-07T12:40:28-07:00Tags: classical texts, heart, Heaven and Earth, longevity, translations|

BY DONG ZHONGSHU (179 - 104 BCE)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

Dong Zhongshu was a Han dynasty scholar with Confucian inclinations. His most important work, potentially a collaboration of different authors, is the Chunqiu fanlu (Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals). Written around the same time that the main classic of Chinese medicine (Huangdi neijing) was first edited into a coherent whole, it contains a variety of treatises on yin-yang cosmology and the five phase elements. In particular, it establishes the central importance of the earth element in Chinese philosophy, a concept that later took on pivotal importance in the development of Chinese medicine theory.

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Guizhi – Cinnamon Twig (Translations)

CCM2022-09-07T12:40:09-07:00Tags: Chinese herbs, classical texts, guizhi (cinnamon), Single Herb Series, translations|

BY HUANG GONGXIU, ZHANG XICHUN
(18th and 19th Centuries)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

Cinnamon twig primarily enters the muscle layer at the surface of the body. At the same time, it enters the heart and liver channels. It is the branch of the cassia tree which also yields cinnamon bark. Cinnamon twig is light, its nourishing essence is pungent, and its color is red (therefore its affinity to the heart). The action of cinnamon twig is rising without descending. Therefore, it can also enter the lung and facilitate uninhibited movement of qi, and enter the bladder channel and stimulate water metabolism.

INDIVIDUAL MONOGRAPHS

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Fuzi – Aconite (Translations)

CCM2022-09-07T12:39:58-07:00Tags: Chinese herbs, classical texts, fuzi (aconite), translations, Zhang Xichun|

BY HUANG GONGXIU, ZHANG XICHUN
(18th and 19th Centuries)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

Aconite primarily enters the vital gate of life (mingmen). Its nutritive essence is pungent and extremely hot. Aconite is purely yang in nature and thus toxic. Its function is to move being confined to one place, so it is known to move through all twelve channels, and there is no place in the body it can not reach.

INDIVIDUAL MONOGRAPHS

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Cosmological Thought in China and Europe: Introduction, Yin & Yang

CCM2023-04-11T13:42:55-07:00Tags: cosmology, Frank Fiedeler, Huainanzi, symbolism, Yin and Yang|

BY FRANK FIEDELER
TRANSLATED BY GABRIEL WEISS

This original translation is the introduction and first chapter from the volume Yin und Yang (Yin and Yang), by the late Prof. Frank Fiedeler, one of the best modern interpreters of the Yijing, and is one of the few scholars who have made the symbolic methodology of Han and pre-Han dynasty thought accessible for the field of Chinese medicine.

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Liu Yiming: Die Flusskarte

CCM2022-09-07T12:30:19-07:00Tags: cosmology, Daoism, Daoist Medicine, Five Phases (Elements) Theory, German, Liu Liming, yin/yang theory|

BY LIU YIMING (18th century)
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY BENJAMIN WITT

Liu is the most influential Daoist writer and commentator in the last 500 years. He is known for translating some of the esoteric and highly symbolic concepts of Daoism into clear language. His commentary on the River Map is a vital piece for the understanding of yin/yang and Five Phase Element theory.

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