TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
National University of Natural Medicine,
College of Classical Chinese Medicine
A collection of classical texts are used etymologically to define the symbolic significance of the language in Huangdi neijing suwenChapter Eight, the defining quote about the lung organ network.
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
National University of Natural Medicine,
College of Classical Chinese Medicine
A collection of classical texts are used etymologically to define the symbolic significance of the language in Huangdi neijing suwenChapter Eight, the defining quote about the lung organ network.
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE
LIU LIHONG
The organization of the 12 organ systems into 3 yang pairs and 3 yin pairs and the associated system of six conformation diagnostics (liujing bianzheng) remains one of the less explored areas of contemporary Chinese medicine. Twenty five years ago, Dr. Liu Lihong wrote one of China's first doctoral dissertations in the field of Chinese medicine on the six conformation approach to diagnosis and therapy. Since then, he has become known for his deep and clinically relevant lectures on this classical system that was first outlined in the Neijing and Shanghan lan.
Total running time: 112 mins.
Mandarin Chinese, translated into English by Heiner Fruehauf
BY YARON SEIDMAN
Hunyuan Institute
Our associate is an accomplished Chinese medicine physician and emerging scholar on the classical aspects of TCM. His studies with his mentor, Dr. Liu Lihong, have led him to specialize in the six conformation system of Chinese diagnostics introduced in the Shanghan lun. He is presently writing a book on treating infertility with Chinese herbs, wherein he is discussing his thoughts on the deeper meaning of the "three yin and three yang" system. He has allowed us to a preview parts of the book in the Associates Forum—a must read for everyone interested in six conformation theory.
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE
BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
The nature of wood is to spread. Once food qi enters the stomach, it relies entirely on the spreading and dredging function of liver wood, and it is only because of this influence that the food is transformed. If the liver's pure Yang does not rise, it cannot spread and dredge the grain and fluids, and distention and discomfort in the middle region will be the inevitable result. The liver is associated with wood.
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.
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).
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.
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
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...
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.
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.
輔行訣臟腑用藥法要 梁華陽隱居 陶弘景 撰 EXTRANEOUS SECRETS: The Essential Method of Using Medicinal Substances for Differential Treatment of the Organ Networks Attributed to the Hermit of Huayang, Tao Hongjing (456-536), As Recorded and Transmitted by Zhang Dachang (1926-1995) and his Disciples 辨肺臟病證文併方 On [...]
輔行訣臟腑用藥法要 梁華陽隱居 陶弘景 撰 EXTRANEOUS SECRETS: The Essential Method of Using Medicinal Substances for Differential Treatment of the Organ Networks Attributed to the Hermit of Huayang, Tao Hongjing (456-536), As Recorded and Transmitted by Zhang Dachang (1926-1995) and his Disciples 辨心臟病證文并方 On [...]
輔行訣臟腑用藥法要 梁華陽隱居 陶弘景 撰 EXTRANEOUS SECRETS: The Essential Method of Using Medicinal Substances for Differential Treatment of the Organ Networks Attributed to the Hermit of Huayang, Tao Hongjing (456-536), As Recorded and Transmitted by Zhang Dachang (1926-1995) and his Disciples 辨脾臟病證文併方 On [...]
輔行訣臟腑用藥法要 梁華陽隱居 陶弘景 撰 EXTRANEOUS SECRETS: The Essential Method of Using Medicinal Substances for Differential Treatment of the Organ Networks Attributed to the Hermit of Huayang, Tao Hongjing (456-536), As Recorded and Transmitted by Zhang Dachang (1926-1995) and his Disciples 辨腎臟病證文并方 On [...]
輔行訣臟腑用藥法要 梁華陽隱居 陶弘景 撰 EXTRANEOUS SECRETS: The Essential Method of Using Medicinal Substances for Differential Treatment of the Organ Networks Attributed to the Hermit of Huayang, Tao Hongjing (456-536), As Recorded and Transmitted by Zhang Dachang (1926-1995) and his Disciples 辨肝臟病證文并方 On [...]
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.
LIU LIHONG
Institute for the Research and Preservation of Classical Chinese Medicine, Guangxi University of TCM
Total running time: 56 mins.
Mandarin Chinese, translated into English
by Heiner Fruehauf
In this lecture given on the top of Mt. Baishi, meditation site of the great 4th century alchemist Ge Hong, China’s main proponent of classical Chinese medicine gives an articulate and highly personal transmission about the reasons why a Chinese medicine practitioner should study the medical classics and use them as an important cultivational tool.
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.
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)
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.
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)
TRANSLATION AND COMMENTARY BY SABINE WILMS
National University of Natural Medicine,
College of Classical Chinese Medicine
One of the best translators of classical Chinese medicine texts has generously agreed to share her recent translation of this core classic of Confucian thinking, human interaction, and medical ethics. We offer it for complete download together with an announcement of the 3rd Shan Ren Dao Retreat in the West. The Retreat introduces the 5-element teachings of the 19th century peasant saint Wang Fengyi as a practical way to bring the wisdom of the Xiaojing into modern everyday life.
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.
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
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
BY ZHANG XICHUN
(1960-1933)
INTRODUCED AND TRANSLATED
BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
This original translation explores the clinical efficacy of twelve important Chinese herbs, and gives an example of the highly personal and narrative way in which scholar clinicians used to relate to medicinal plants in the past. Selected from the herbal compendium of one of the last master physicians of the classical era of Chinese medicine.
BY HUR JUN (XU JUN) (16th Century)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
The sage healers of ancient times were able to heal the heart of humanity, and thus prevent disease from arising. Today’s doctors only know how to treat disease when it has already manifested in physical form, and don’t know anymore how to work with the heart.
BY SUN SIMIAO (581-682)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
Everyone who aspires to be a great physician must be intimately familiar with the following classics: the Simple Questions (Huangdi neijing suwen), the Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Zhenjiu jiayi jing), the Yellow Emperor’s Needle Classic (Huangdi neijing lingshu), and the Laws of Energy Circulation from the Hall of Enlightenment (Mingtang liuzhu). Furthermore, one must master the twelve channel systems, the three locations and nine positions of pulse diagnosis, the system of the five zang and the six fu organs, the concept of surface and interior, the acumoxa points, as well as the materia medica in the form of single herbs, herb pairs, and the classic formulas presented in the writings of Zhang Zhongjing (fl.150-219, author of the Shanghan zabing lun)...
BY GAO LIAN (16th Century)
TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
The following is a presentation of four famous seasonal tableaux by Gao Lian, a 16th century poet and medical scholar who was an ardent proponent of the art of nourishing life. They originally appeared in Gao's book, Zunsheng bajian (Eight Pieces on Observing the Fundamental Principles of Life), which Chinese physicians used to regard as a comprehensive source of lifestyle related information. Recommencing one of the main themes of the Neijing, these seasonal portraits can be read as a typical attempt to translate the densely crafted teachings of the classic into more contemporary language.