History of Chinese Medicine

OM301: HISTORY OF EASTERN MEDICINE: Week 4: Qin & Han Dynasty to Three Kingdom Period part 2 Yueqikun Wang, L.Ac, Dipl.OM ywang17@vuim.edu

SHÉN NÓNG BĚN CǍO JĪNG 神農本草經

First “Materia Medica”

Běn Cǎo 本草 “roots and grasses”

365 medicinal substances, including indications, taste, toxicity, dosage, identification & sources

52 are plant derived, 67 animal 46 minerals

Herb Categories : Jade/ Stones; Herbs; Woods; Animals; Fruits & Vegetables; Grains

Breaks herbs into levels: upper level; middle level; lower level

• The upper-level herbs consist of 120 types. These function as rulers[ju ̄n 君]. They are in charge of nurturing Destiny and thereby correspond to Heaven. They are not poisonous and, [even] when taken in large quantities or over a long time, do not harm the person. If you want to lighten the body, boost qì, avoid aging, and extend your lifespan, root [your prescriptions] in the upper [section of the] Classic.

• The mid-level herbs consist of 120 types. These function as Ministers [chén ⾂]. They are in charge of nurturing the Heavenly Nature and thereby correspond to Humanity. Some of them are poisonous and some are not, so deliberate their suitability carefully. If you want to check illness and supplement vacuity emaciation, root [your prescriptions] in the middle [section of the] Classic. (

• The lower-level herbs consist of 125 types. These function as the assistants[zuo ̌ 佐] and messengers[or Envoys/shǐ 使]. They are in charge of treating illness and thereby correspond to Earth. In most cases, they are poisonous and may not be taken over a long period of time. If you want to eliminate the evil qì of cold and heat, break up accumulations and gatherings, and cure diseases, root [your prescriptions] in the lower [section of the Classic].

Channel Entering of Herbs/ guī jīng 歸經

• Refers to the selective therapeutic effect of a herb on a certain part of the body

• Herbs can enter more than one channel

• Properties of herbs such as shape, color, qi and flavor determine channel entering

SHĀNG HÁN ZÁ BÌNG LÙN傷寒雜病論

Shāng 傷 - Injury

Hán 寒 - Cold

Zá 雜 - Mixed or Miscellaneous

Bìng 病 - Diseases

Lùn 論 - Treatise/Theory/Discussion

ZHĀNG ZHÒNG-JǏNG 張仲景(142 – 220 AD)

Lived in a village with over 200 family members

An epidemic killed 2/3rd of family in a ten year period

7/10th of those were caused by invasion of exterior cold

Author of Shāng Hán Zá Bìng Lùn 傷寒雜病論

SHĀNG HÁN ZÁ BÌNG LÙN 傷寒雜病論/ON COLD DAMAGE & MISCELLANEOUS DISEASES TREATISE

Comprised of two parts

Sha ̄ng Hán Lùn 傷寒論/ Discussion on Cold Damage

Jīn Guì Yào Lüè ⾦匱要略/ Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet

More than 25% of the key formulas in modern day fa ̄ng jì⽅劑/prescription books come from this text

THREE KINGDOMS 220-280CE

HISTORY OF PULSE TAKING

The practice of taking the pulse on the radial artery was started by the Nàn Jīng 難經/ Classic of Difficulties

In the Sù Wèn 素問 the pulse was felt at nine different arteries which reflected the state of the energy of the Upper, Middle and Lower Burners

WÁNG SHŪ HĒ 王叔和

Best known for composing the 10 volume Mài Jīng 脈經/Pulse Classic

This included the 24 pulse qualities. Later will become 28 qualities

Described the different positions and depths and their Zang Fu resonance and diagnostic significance

MIDTERM PAPER

Students will write a four (4) page paper double spaced, 12 point font, APA format, with at least three (3) references which are different from the lecture notes and required text books.

Students will select a topic which of interest or expanding on information from class discussion or on a subject that was not discussed but related to history of Chinese medicine from the Chinese Dynasties prior to the Song dynasty 960-1279 CE.

Topics include historical figures, texts, events.