ClassicalChineseMedicine.org

Etymological Analysis of the Defining Quote on the Lung Official in Chapter Eight of the Huangdi neijing suwen (肺者,相傅之官,治節出焉)

2021-03-19T17:55:07-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , |

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

Developing the Core Essence of Chinese Medical Science: An Interview With Liu Changlin

2017-02-20T15:52:53-08:00Tags: , , , , |

WITH LIU CHANGLIN
Chinese Academy of Social Science,
Department of Philosophy


TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

In these translated excerpts from a comprehensive interview, one of China’s leading theorists explores the philosophical differences between Eastern and Western modes of thinking, and how they shaped two distinct systems of medicine: Chinese medicine, described as a medicine of time, and Western medicine, described as a medicine of space.

FROM THE ESSAY COLLECTION LIU CHANGLIN: CHINESE MEDICINE: PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS ON THE PROFESSIONS

GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

Three Yin and Three Yang: Clarifying Zhang Zhongjing’s Diagnostic Approach of the Six Conformations

2019-06-11T21:30:07-07:00Tags: , , , , , |

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

Six Conformation Diagnosis in Context: The Six Cosmic Qi (liu qi) and the Six Stages of Qi Transformation (liu jing)

2022-09-07T12:47:22-07:00Tags: , , , , , |

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

The six conformations represent another system of symbolic methodology that is of great importance for the practice of classical Chinese medicine. Its origins are related to both yin-yang and five phase element theory, yet it is often the primary diagnostic modality that certain practitioners, especially those trained in the lineage of Shanghan lun herbalism, choose to utilize.

The Liver and Gallbladder: Selected Readings

2022-09-07T12:38:25-07:00Tags: , , , , , |

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.

Chinese Medicine In Crisis: Science, Politics, and the Making of “TCM”

2022-09-07T11:12:32-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , |

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY SEPP LEEB

This article is based on the conviction that the traditional art of Oriental medicine is dying—both in mainland China, home of the mother trunk of the field, and consequently overseas where branches of the tree are trying to grow. It may be an anachronistic piece, written at a time when TCM administrators around the world are celebrating major advances in the field, such as increasing numbers of students, practitioners, patients, colleges, universities, and hospitals, which all appear to reflect a booming state of Oriental medicine.

On the Relationship Between Medicine and Philosophy

2022-09-07T11:15:22-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , |

BY ZHANG XICHUN (1860-1933)
TRANSLATED AND INTRODUCED
BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

Zhang Xichun (1860-1933) is one of China's great scholar-physicians. He is primarily remembered for his prominent role in spearheading the early movement of Chinese-Western medicine integration during the first three decades of this century. The depth of his knowledge and the broad range of his activities, moreover, distinguish him as one of the last of the classical cast of renaissance physicians.

Selections from Shan Yutang, Annotated Excerpts from the Shanghan Lun With Suggestions for Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy (1984): “Shaoyang”

2017-04-01T18:56:27-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , , |

BY SHAN YUTANG

TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

One of modern China’s last masters of acupuncture interprets shaoyang function and provides a model for transforming Shanghan lun information into elegant point prescriptions.

GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

Reflections on the Relationship of Traditional Wisdom, Precision, and Clinical Efficacy in the Herbal Science of Chinese Medicine (2 Parts)

2021-11-08T13:27:48-08:00Tags: , , , , , , |

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
National University of Natural Medicine,
College of Classical Chinese Medicine


This essay represents Heiner’s contribution to 2011’s Fuyang suntan (Discussion Forum on Supporting the Yang), China’s premier conference dedicated to upholding the roots of classical Chinese medicine. He notes the enormous transformative potential that natural medicine holds in the precarious times we live in, and underscores the importance of clinical efficacy in the process of promoting our medicine. In particular, he points out the importance of the “technological” details of the clinical encounter in Chinese medicine, which have been the basis for optimum clinical results in the past. In Part 2, he shares some aspects of his personal journey toward mastering the details of precise herb prescribing.

ENGLISH / GERMAN / CHINESE
GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

Ginkgo: Cultural Background and Medicinal Usage in China

2022-09-07T11:56:47-07:00Tags: , , |

BY SUBHUTI DHARMANDANDA
AND HEINER FRUEHAUF


In the Western hemisphere, the gingko tree has long been a symbol for the exotic atmospheres of East Asia. More recently, German researchers have tapped into the memory enhancing effect of the gingko leaf, triggering an avalanche of books and articles on the medicinal properties of the gingko. As the Western public becomes increasingly exposed to various gingko products, I would like to take the opportunity and reflect on the rich cultural lore and early medicinal usage that characterize this plant in its country of origin, China.

All Disease Comes From the Heart: The Pivotal Role of the Emotions in Classical Chinese Medicine

2022-09-07T11:54:59-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
National University of Natural Medicine,
College of Classical Chinese Medicine


Most modern clinicians find that a majority of their patients suffer from the symptom complex generally referred to as “stress.” Emotional stress, however, is usually regarded as a confounding rather than a causative factor in pathophysiology. This assessment is contrary to the tenets of classical Chinese medicine, which originally regarded emotional imbalance as a spiritual affliction of primary significance. While ancient Chinese philosophy considered emotional sensibility as our greatest asset in the process of fulfilling human destiny, it also regarded human temperaments as our greatest liability due to vast pathogenetic potential.

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

2022-09-07T12:03:32-07:00Tags: , , , , |

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.

Lyme Disease: An In-Depth Interview with Heiner Fruehauf

2022-09-07T11:29:43-07:00Tags: , , , , , , |

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.

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

2022-09-07T11:25:22-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , |

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.

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

2022-09-07T11:25:45-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , , |

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).

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

2022-09-07T12:04:34-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , , |

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.

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

2022-09-07T12:13:03-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

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

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

2022-09-19T20:42:52-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , |

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.

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

2022-09-07T11:50:28-07:00Tags: , , , , |

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.

The Lung and the Tiger Image: An Example of Decoding the Symbolic Record of Chinese Medicine

2017-04-01T19:26:22-07:00Tags: , , , , , , |

BY HEINER FRUEHAUF
National University of Natural Medicine,
College of Classical Chinese Medicine


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.

GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

A Die Aufzeichung vom Luofluss

2017-04-01T19:27:43-07:00Tags: , , , , , , |

BY LIU YIMING
(18th century)

For our German speaking audience, 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.

GERMAN TRANSLATION BY BENJAMIN WITT

Liu Yiming: Die Flusskarte

2022-09-07T12:30:19-07:00Tags: , , , , , , |

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.

Between Heaven and Earth: Selected Translations from the Classics

2017-04-01T19:41:11-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , |

BY VARIOUS AUTHORS

TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

The qi of earth ascends, the qi of heaven descends. In this fashion, yin and yang grind against each other, and heaven and earth merge in undulating embrace. If this setting is vibrated by thunder, excited by wind and rain, moved by the flow of the four seasons, and fondled by the germinating light of sun and moon, the world’s myriad processes of transformation become aroused.

FROM BOOK OF RITES (LI JI), FL. 2ND CENTURY B.C.E.

GERMAN TRANSLATION BY MARKUS GOEKE

The Heart: Selected Readings

2017-04-01T19:41:19-07:00Tags: , , , , , , , , |

BY VARIOUS AUTHORS

TRANSLATED BY HEINER FRUEHAUF

The heart is the ruler of the five organ networks. It commands the movements of the four extremities, it circulates the qi and the blood, it roams the realms of the material and the immaterial, and it is in tune with the gateways of every action. Therefore, coveting to govern the flow of energy on earth without possessing a heart would be like aspiring to tune gongs and drums without ears, or like trying to read a piece of fancy literature without eyes.

FROM THE DAOIST CLASSIC, CONTEMPLATIONS BY THE HUAINAN MASTERS (HUAINAN ZI) FL.110 B.C.

Die Wurzeln der chinesischen Medizin, Teil I

2022-09-07T13:13:09-07:00Tags: , , |

VON HEINER FRÜHAUF
AUS DEM ENGLISCHEN ÜBERSETZT
VON SEPP LEEB

Dieser Artikel fasst die ersten Ergebnisse eines laufenden Forschungsprojekts zusammen, das von der Akupunkturpunkt-Forschungsgruppe des College of Classical Chinese Medicine an der National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, durchgeführt wurde. Erstveröffentlichung im Journal of Chinese Medicine (Februar 2002).

Die Wurzeln der chinesischen Medizin, Teil II

2022-09-07T13:13:37-07:00Tags: , , |

VON HEINER FRÜHAUF
AUS DEM ENGLISCHEN ÜBERSETZT
VON SEPP LEEB

Dieser Artikel fasst die ersten Ergebnisse eines laufenden Forschungsprojekts zusammen, das von der Akupunkturpunkt-Forschungsgruppe des College of Classical Chinese Medicine an der National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, durchgeführt wurde. Erstveröffentlichung im Journal of Chinese Medicine (Juni 2002).

Über die Beziehung von Medizin und Philosophie

2020-09-22T10:29:49-07:00Tags: , , |

VON ZHANG XICHUN
(1860-1933)
Übersetzt von Heiner Frühauf und Markus Goeke

Zhang Xichun (1860–1933) gehört zu den größten Gelehrtenärzten Chinas. Im Gedächtnis geblieben ist er hauptsächlich wegen seiner führenden Rolle in der frühen Bewegung der Integration von Chinesischer und Westlicher Medizin während der ersten drei Dekaden des 20. Jahrhunderts. Die Tiefe seines Wissens und die Bandbreite seiner Aktivitäten kennzeichnen ihn darüber hinaus als einen der letzten Vertreter der klassischen Renaissance-Ärzte.

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