Despite my personal fears that it is somehow gauche to add my own commentary about the death of Robin Williams to the vast dialogue that has recently taken place, I have been unable to shake the following Huáng Dì Nèi Jīng (黄帝内经) passages from my mind: “Double yáng reverts to yīn; double yīn reverts to yáng.” (Huáng Dì Nèi Jīng Sù Wèn, Ch. 5) “Extreme joy damages ... Continue Reading
Licorice
The licorice root is well known among herbalists for all the numerous benefits it can offer. It is particularly popular in traditional Chinese medicine where it goes by the name Gan Zao or Gancao and is used in 79% or more of the preparations. Licorice extract, which can be produced by boiling the licorice root, is sweeter than sucrose and has medicinal properties because of ... Continue Reading
Rehmannia
Traditional Chinese medicine relies heavily on herbs, shrubs, mushrooms, as well as animal based medicine, etc. to cure various ailments. One of the well-known herbs used in Chinese medicine is Rehmannia, or what is known as Di-Huang in Chinese. Technically speaking, Rehmannia is an herb, more along the lines of foxglove, and has yellow hued flowers. However, the part of the ... Continue Reading
Ginseng
Ginseng is more than just an aphrodisiac as is commonly believed by many people. In fact, there are as many as 11 species of Ginseng that fall under the Panax genus, of which Panax Ginseng and Panax Quinquefolius are of primary importance to us. The former variety is typically found in Asia (China, Korea and Siberia), whereas the latter can be found growing on American ... Continue Reading
An Introduction to Chinese Medicine
Our dependence on modern medicines has led to a boom in the pharmaceutical sector, and it's sad to note how closely the two are related. Modern pharmaceutical companies have made a killing (pun unintended) in mass producing medicines that temporarily relieve pains and aches but don't really delve into the actual problem and eliminate it. Moreover, popping pills for every ... Continue Reading