The Yin and Yang of Herbs Article
Published in the Journal of Chinese Medicine June 2016
The previous two articles in this series (‘The First Materia Medica: Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing’ and ‘Returning Our Focus to the Flavour and Nature of Herbs’, issues 104 and 105 respectively) focused on classical herbal perspectives. This article discusses the yin and yang of herbs in order to better understand the clinical applicaton of the concepts of flavour (味, wei), nature (氣, qi - often translated as temperature), thinness (薄, bo), thickness (厚, hou), lightness (輕, qing) and heaviness (重, zhong). Although essential for clinical effectiveness, the modern transmission of Chinese herbal medicine has neglected this understanding of herbal medicine.
Your Instructor
After hospital internships in China during the summers of 2003 and 2004, JulieAnn moved to China full time to work with ATS to document two of Beijing’s most famous traditional practitioners Dr Li Hongxiang (1924-2018) and Dr Chen Tongyun (1922 -). This exposure to classically based clinical medicine led JulieAnn to understand the naturalistic perspective and utter practicality of Chinese medicine in a new light. Encouraged by Dr Li to complete doctoral level studies, JulieAnn focused on the classical perspective of herbs investigating the flavor and nature of the herbal substances applied in the Shanghan Lun compared to the qualities of the same herbs today.
After eight and a half years living in China, JulieAnn and husband Andrew returned to the United States due to changing regulations for foreigners practicing medicine. Now residing in Asheville, North Carolina, JulieAnn treats patients at the Alternative Clinic, oversees development of Appalasia tea and herb farm, and teaches post graduate herb programs in Zurich, London and Frankfurt.