TCM History

[RAF]

http://www.cctv.com/english/TouchChina/GloryofChineseCivilization/ScienceTechnology/index.html

Compendium of Materia Medica
CCTV.COM 2002-12-05 09:12:23

The traditional Chinese medicine is a great treasure house, in which The Compendium of Materia Medica is an epoch£_making, encyclopedic work.

Talking about the Compendium, one will naturally call to mind its author, the great medicine scientist Li Shizhen.

In 1518 Li Shizhen was born in Qizhou of Hubei Province. Adjoining to the border region of Hubei, Henan, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, Qizhou was a hub of communications and a distributing centre of medicinal herbs. There grew wormwood and Bamboo used in Chinese medicine.

Li Shizhen's father Li Wenyan was a good doctor and the author of more than ten medical books. Li Shizhen began to study medicine at the age of 23 from his father. At the same time he studied ancient medical books. After ten years as he had become a well£_learned and famous doctor, he was called into the capital city and employed as a palace physician. But Li Shizhen was not interested in fame or wealth. His aspiration was to benefit all the people by finding ways to ensure their health. Therefore he resigned from all his posts in the court and returned home. While collecting medicinal materials and practising medicine, he wrote medical books.

Li Shizhen wrote more than ten books, of which only three survived. They are The Compendium of Materia Medica, The Pulse Studies of Binhu, and A Study of the Eight Extra£_Channels. The three books established his incomparable position in the history of Chinese medicine.

The Pulse Studies of Binhu has been regarded as the guidance for generations of medical workers. Even today it is a must for students of pulse study.

A Study of the Eight Extra£_Channels confirmed the basic methodology of diagnosis on the basis of analysis of the eight extra£_channels. It laid the foundation for Chinese theories on channels and clinical medicine.

The Compendium of Materia Medica, which was completed by Li Shizhen through 27 years of painstaking efforts, encapsulated the highest achievement of ancient Chinese medicine. It surpassed medical works of previous times and brought the theory and practice of Chinese pharmacology to a new height.

The outstanding achievements of The Compendium of Materia Medica are shown in several ways. First, it has abandoned the classification of the medicinal materials into upper, middle and lower classes but has instead put forward a new classification based on 60 types under 16 classes£» second, it gives precise names, places of origin, curing properties and process methods of the 1892 medicinal materials included in the book£» and third, by adding 374 new medicinal materials it has enhanced Chinese medical science£» and fourth, it has recorded more than ten thousand recipes, three quarters of which are newly recorded, and this is a great contribution to Chinese pharmaceutics.

After the publication of Compendium, its value has been increasingly recognized. Through the last four centuries it was repeatedly reprinted. Its influence has reached Asia, Europe and Americas. It has become a treasure house for specialists and researchers in many countries. Many outstanding persons in international field of science have highly evaluated it. In the conference of the World Peace Council held in Vienna in 1951 Li Shizhen was unanimously honoured as an eminent cultural figure of the world.

Editor: Inner Wu CCTV.com

China Central Television,All Rights Reserved
___________________________________________
This is for only the TRUE BELIEVERS. All others must stare in astonishment!

[Former castleva]

Never mind the source (should you happen to dislike it),here´s a fairly nice breakdown of it´s history,evolution,application&acceptance:
http://www.skeptics.com.au/journal/acufacts.htm

[Former castleva]

With all the respect possible RAF,you seem to post a fair deal of unrelated material (or is it just me?).I do not have a problem with a little bit of humor though.

Is that a comment on the article of mine or would you like to comment on it?

For most part,I thought yours was OK.

[RAF]

Castleva:

I'll clean it up for you.

Now, I posed this question: "Do you assume (believe) that there is an inherent logic to the Universe? "

My belief: There is no inherent logic or meaning to the Universe. Science, like Daoism, alternative medicine, etc. it is what we impose on that which we don't grasp and can never grasp. The uncertainty and doubt is okay in my book.

I simply posted a historical piece on TCM for information only with no commentary. What you posted was interesting but its primary point was rhetorical. I think related material is in the eye of the beholder.

You like logic and order. I like intuition, seeking out the possibilities in a given situation. I see humor in it all, especially with regard to the positions held.

You like to challenge the posters' belief systems with science, I like to look at the assumptions on which such challenges are made.

Nonetheless, I mean no personal offense to you or your belief system.

[Former castleva]

"Now, I posed this question: "Do you assume (believe) that there is an inherent logic to the Universe? ""

True enough.You did,and I will answer regardless of it´s relation;
No.

"I simply posted a historical piece on TCM for information only with no commentary. What you posted was interesting but its primary point was rhetorical. I think related material is in the eye of the beholder."

Neither did I post much of a commentary.
Rhetorical? Call it a different take on the same subject,regardless of that,it seems to fit the subject of this thread for long.Right?

"Nonetheless, I mean no personal offense to you or your belief system."

Send all personal attacks directly to me by PM.Do send all "ban castle" messages straight to those in charge. (Kidding a bit).
Back to topic in question.

[RAF]

"Neither did I post much of a commentary.
Rhetorical? Call it a different take on the same subject,regardless of that,it seems to fit the subject of this thread for long.Right?"

The piece from CCTV 9 was historical and advocated no position on Chinese medicine. It was descriptived and factual. The piece from the Skeptical Inquirer advocates a public policy position statement, especially the last 4 or 5 marked statements.

Anything from the Skeptical Inquirer is going to be controversial, especially when posted on this board.

I think I've said enough.

I wouldn't ban anyone from these boards providing they weren't trolling. I think your posts are very much worth reading and pondering.;)

[Former castleva]

"Anything from the Skeptical Inquirer is going to be controversial, especially when posted on this board."

Now that is what I think is right "in the eye of the beholder.".

"The piece from CCTV 9 was historical and advocated no position on Chinese medicine. It was descriptived and factual. The piece from the Skeptical Inquirer advocates a public policy position statement, especially the last 4 or 5 marked statements. "

I cannot counter that,but those last statements make but a small part of it.Additionally,it includes much more history than you first provided us with (NOT that there was something lacking in it).

BTW,Thanks.

[Pilgrim]

Former castle and RAF
And I felt reading Sartre was difficult, nice post about one history regarding Chinese materia medica.Castle the sceptic article was intersting and I especially like the topic of Chi/Qi, it's so much more then energy, so much so that being translated as energy is incorrect. Those that know but do not say know that Qi has a fluid nature, able to assume many manifestations and be different things at different times. Just look at the character of Qi;it consists of two parts,one meaning uncooked rice and the other vapor or steam.Anywho....
I feel fortunate to work at a health clinic that has acupuncture, naturopaths, medical docters, nurse practitioners, massage therapists, social workers, and psychiatrists all WORKING TOGETHER for a hoped for goal: to improve clients health in every sense of the word so that they can lead productive lives, there-by improving the community and society as a whole. There is also the believe that everyone deserves basic needs such as housing, employement, food, safety, relationships and meaningful purpose in life. Hence all those health providers interface with others to work toward that goal.
There's definately research to support or counter all those healthcare modalities. Western medicine had such evil research as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, where the researchers felt,"We only have interest in these people when they are dead." A lot of Chinese research in the past was BS and acupuncture and herbs cured everybody and if it didn't a," better diagnosis was necessary and further treatment would then occur," or some such thing.
No form of medicine is guaranteed to cure everyone and everything. One beauty of Traditional Chinese Medicine is that many of the techniques and theories are considered valid several hundred years after they were originally conceived. This is expalined in Unscheld's Medicine In China. What doesn't work is thrown out. For example, buring a drowning victim from the feet to their head in two hundred catties of ash from a furnace- that doesn't happen anymore. Using ma-huang correctly does occur. Very few ideas or principles of science based medical treatment from 1920 are used in 2003. Are there any?
Today I treated a person with schizophrenia, hepatitis C, the flu, a person with fibromyalgia, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and constipation, a person with nasal polyps and irritable bowel syndrome, a person with depression, prostititis, and asthma,and six others. These folks also see the aforementioned healthcare providers.
Which type of provider is helping those clients? We ALL help.That's how it should be.
Castle I appreciate the offer to read some of your literature but I don't want to make the time to read it. I live with the knowledge of the strengths and problems of the aforementioned medical modalities. I can talk face to face with various medical experts. And we all can smile when people get better and scratch our heads when people don't regain health. And all those medical modalities continue to practice, research and use the knowledge in real life with real people.
Time to train. I lied a couple posts ago this is my end of babble. "Theory without pracice is sterile. Practice without theory is blind." Albert Einstein

[Vash]

Now, I posed this question: "Do you assume (believe) that there is an inherent logic to the Universe? "

Yeppers peppers.

If a butterfly flaps his wings in Indiana and a Hurricane heats the west coast, is that coincidence, or physics in extreme motion?

I have more cool things which show possible relation between two or more unconnected events, and I'll edit those sumbiches in later. Frikkin tired of customers.

And I'm covered in . . . something. A ****ing rash from soap, I think.

Better stop bathing.

[RAF]

Qi and Eastern Metaphysics:

The trouble with most discussions of Qi and its measurement is that few understand its conceptualization, historical development and complexity. Its most likely viewed through the lens of the superficial New Age movement.

The book below is not "A BRIEF History of Qi" but rather one of the best sources in understanding its complexity and historical meaning. Qi is embedded in Chinese consciousness, a world view, a way of seeing and being in the world and cannot simply be reduced to a measurement.

By no means am I advocating anyone, as a Westerner, attempt to live out some psuedo oriental consciousness (they did a movie about that years ago, the kid that thinks he's Bruce Lee in the Ghetto) but at least try to understand the underpinnings of this concept and how it fits into the Art you practice (in particular, if its a traditional Chinese art. You don't have to believe it).

Qi and its complexity is one of those Eastern presuppositions about the Universe (as some assume an unprovable rationality, logic and objectivity about the Universe in order to derive their world view--no one in particular here) and that in itself makes it worth looking into. It doesn't have to compete with Western views--you can hold contradictory views and still function well!
__________________________________________________ __
A Brief History of Qi
Zhuang Yu Yuan and Ken Rose


This book is devoted to a topic represented by a single Chinese character, Qi.

Contemporary linguists hold that if a word or concept can be expressed in any one language or dialect it can be translated into any other language or dialect. However, many who have confronted the problem of how to translate the word Qi might challenge this axiom. Qi is a concept that presents students of Chinese culture, Chinese medicine, Chinese martial arts, and a wide range of Chinese traditional arts and sciences with one of the most perplexing challenges they face in pursuit of their studies.


The book begins with an examination of the linguistic and literary roots of the word Qi which stretch back through the shadowy mists of Chinese precivilization. The first chapter includes a survey of concepts from other (non-Chinese) cultures which can be correlated with the ancient Chinese notion of Qi. The authors then trace the development of the concept of Qi through a number of related traditional Chinese disciplines including painting, poetry, calligraphy, dance, medicine, qi gong, and martial arts. The book concludes with an examination of the depth and breadth of Qi as a concept in daily life in China. The book leads readers on an adventure of discovery, demonstrating from many points of view how the ancient Chinese concept of Qi has been employed to interconnect the very roots of culture in one of the world's most enduring civilizations. It presents for the first time in English an exhaustive examination of this ancient metaphysical concept.

Look for it in May of 2001!


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Now, I will follow Pilgrim's sound advice and go practice.

[Former castleva]

Article "Roots of Chi".

Deals with medical history of-.
http://www.csicop.org/sb/2000-03/qi.html


"Castle I appreciate the offer to read some of your literature but I don't want to make the time to read it. "

Understood.

"Castle the sceptic article was intersting "

Great.