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It is one of the goals of this website to participate in the global movement of preserving and appreciating ancient wisdom, for the specific purpose of utilizing its variegated modes of diagnostic and therapeutic knowledge in a modern clinical context.
The field of Classical Chinese Medicine encompasses a vast reservoir of extant materials, comprising a cache of thousands of documents written between 500 B.C.E. and the 1930s. The knowledge therein stems from the direct observation of natural processes, cultivated through a millennia long tradition of textual commentaries. The ancient Chinese first recorded macrocosmic cycles and patterns in the form of graphic symbols; followed by the creation of pictograms that gave names to the processes of nature; followed by the composition of text that gave details to the names; followed by the formation of commentaries on the textual record.
Much of this rich depository of scientific thought on the interconnection between macrocosm and microcosm remains available in classical Chinese. Yet even in China itself, the number of people who are able to read and understand these records at a deep level is dwindling. For Western readers, only a small fraction has been translated into English or other European languages. In both East and West, moreover, the interest in classical texts appears to be waning, perpetuated by the belief that ancient documents may have some historical value, but that modern textbook interpretations of the principles of Chinese medicine have far greater clinical relevance. In contrast to this development, most ancient master physicians report that they reached their level of clinical achievement by seeking “proximity to the source” through the life-long immersion in the original wellsprings of Chinese cosmology, philosophy, and medicine.
While it may be impossible to create a complete record even in the original Chinese, this section of the site is designed to participate in the evolving process of translating classical Chinese medicine source materials of the broadest possible variety and flavor. We hope that practitioners, students, and recipients of Chinese medicine will thus gain an additional opportunity to experience the original beauty and sophistication of this medicine.
For further translations and additional material about classical Chinese medicine, please visit the Associates Forum.
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.
Übersetzt von Heiner Frühauf
Übersetzung ins Deutsche Markus Goeke
Das Qi der Erde steigt hinauf, das Qi des Himmels steigt herab. Auf diese Art und Weise reiben sich Yin und Yang aneinander und Himmel und Erde verschmelzen in wogender Umarmung. Wird diese Szenerie in Schwingung versetzt vom Donner, erregt von Regen und Wind, bewegt vom Fluss der vier Jahreszeiten und liebkost vom keimenden Licht der Sonne und des Mondes, dann werden die myriaden Vorgänge und Wandlungen der Welt erweckt.
Aus: Buch der Riten (Li Ji), fl. 2. Jahrhundert v.u.Z.
Thank you for your interest in our work. This page serves as a gateway to several categories of written articles about classical Chinese medicine and a variety of other pertinent topics. We work to upload new articles as often as possible. This is only a sample of the material this website contains.
In addition to this material, many more in-depth articles and video presentations are available in the Associates Forum members area. You can see what titles and content are available–over 20 in-depth articles and 50+ hours of video presentations that contain clinically and scholarly relevant material to classical Chinese medicine.
Please explore our offerings in the following categories:
Classical Chinese Medicine : The materials presented in this section seek to foster awareness about the multi-dimensional depth of Chinese medicine, as well as the political mechanisms that seek to homogenize, standardize, and effectively limit these time-honored resources in the TCM model. The intention of these articles is to inspire a reevaluation of the direction and the fundamental convictions that we set for ourselves, both as providers and recipients of Oriental medicine.
Clinical Information : This section contains a sampling of articles and case studies that demonstrate the clinical efficacy of the broadly defined classical approach to healing in a modern setting.
Translations : This section of the site is designed to participate in the evolving process of translating classical Chinese medicine source materials of the broadest possible variety and flavor. We hope that practitioners, students, and recipients of Chinese medicine will thus gain an additional opportunity to experience the original beauty and sophistication of this medicine.
Science of Symbols : The materials presented in this section introduce the preliminary results of a research project that was conceived in 1998. The focus of this research was to demonstrate how ancient symbols, such as the names of organ networks or acupuncture points, contain very detailed information spanning from the material layer (this is how it looks) to the functional layer (this is what it does) to the macrocosmic layers of space and time (these are the planets and seasons by which it resonates with and is influenced by). The results reveal a tightly woven system of symbolic references that spell out in detail the multi-layered qualities of macrocosmic and microcosmic reality, including the “how,” “where,” “when,” and “why” of the connection between the Above and the Below.
For additional material about classical Chinese medicine, clinical application, translations, and the science of symbols, please visit the Associates Forum.
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.
Übersetzt von Heiner Frühauf
Deutsche Übersetzung Markus Goeke
Der folgende Text ist eine der detailliertesten prä-modernen Beschreibungen der traditionellen Kultivierung von medizinischem Aconitum in China. Er wurde vor mehr als 900 Jahren von einem für die Grafschaft Zhangming verantwortlichen Beamten aus Sichuan verfasst. Zhangming liegt im Gebiet des heutigen Bezirks Jiangyou, dem Epizentrum des jüngsten Erdbebens in Sichuan und wurde von allen antiken Gelehrten der Materia Medica als das einzige Gebiet betrachtet, aus dem echtes chinesisches Aconitum bezogen werden sollte.
Translated by Heiner Fruehauf
1) 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 (Huainanzi), fl.110 B.C.
Übersetzung von Heiner Fruehauf
Das Herz: Ansichten aus der Vergangenheit
„Das Herz ist der Herrscher der fünf Organnetzwerke. Es kommandiert die Bewegungen der vier Extremitäten, es lässt Qi und Blut zirkulieren, es durchstreift die Reiche des Materiellen und des Immateriellen und steht im Einklang mit den Toren jeglicher Handlung. Danach zu trachten, den Fluss der Energie auf Erden zu regieren, ohne ein Herz zu besitzen, wäre daher wie danach zu streben, Gongs und Trommel stimmen zu wollen, ohne Ohren zu haben, oder zu versuchen, ohne Augen ein Stück kunstvoller Literatur zu lesen.“
Aus dem daoistischen Klassiker, Kontemplationen der Huainan Meister (Huainanzi), ca. 110 v. Chr.
It is an integral part of the beauty and the genius of Classical Chinese Medicine that its significance exceeds the realm of the purely theoretical. In fact, it is the core assertion of the classical mandate that deep grounding in the mythopoeic, symbol-oriented way of classical thinking will lead to profound clinical results. Now as ever, classical standards of quality, depth, and breadth are needed if a practitioner wishes to advance beyond the present state of Chinese medicine, which primarily has come to be defined as a modality limited to the treatment of body pain and sports injuries. The classical model of diagnostic insight can provide keys to treatment approaches for a wide variety of serious and chronic diseases that afflict the world today, including many recalcitrant disorders and “mystery syndromes” that cannot be satisfactorily resolved by modern medicine.
This section contains a sampling of articles and case studies that demonstrate the clinical efficacy of the broadly defined classical approach to healing in a modern setting.
By Heiner Fruehauf
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.
By Heiner Frühauf
Übersetzung ins Deutsche Markus Goeke
Gancao Xiexin Tang findet ihre erste Erwähnung durch den Han-Arzt Zhang Zhongjing vor etwas 1.800 Jahren. Sowohl das Shanghan lun als auch das Jingui yaolüe, die beiden heute getrennten Teile seines klassischen Führers über Kräuterrezepturen (Shanghan zabing lun), erwähnen diese besondere Rezeptur.
Classical Chinese Medicine invites you to explore the essence of Oriental medicine from a perspective that goes far beyond the institutionalized phenomenon presently known as “TCM” (traditional Chinese medicine). Since the 1970s, the TCM process of packaging the multi-faceted roots of Chinese medicine into the sterile confines of a highly standardized model has been eagerly absorbed by educational institutions in Europe and America, and is rapidly becoming the dominant face of Oriental medicine today.
While TCM represents the recent marriage between local Chinese resources with the methodology of scientific materialism, Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) remains firmly committed to its ancient roots. CCM is a science in its own right, embedded in the mytho-poetic mode of observing and describing nature, which linked the spheres of macro- and microcosm in ancient China and became preserved in a set of works honoured as “the classics.” The primary distinguishing feature of CCM is thus its way of thinking—why and when and how does one chose to apply a therapeutic modality, rather than insisting that the use of acupuncture and herbs alone defines a practitioner of the traditional art of Chinese medicine. CCM does not advocate a blind adherence to things past, but embraces the classical spirit of utilizing time-honoured modes of holistic thought in an ever changing space-time environment.
The materials presented in this section seek to foster awareness about the multi-dimensional depth of Chinese medicine, as well as the political mechanisms that seek to homogenize, standardize, and effectively limit these time-honored resources in the TCM model. The intention of these articles is to inspire a reevaluation of the direction and the fundamental convictions that we set for ourselves, both as providers and recipients of Oriental medicine. Otherwise, the natural beauty and profundity of Chinese medicine and other ancient medical traditions may quietly fade away, and we may become thoroughly entrapped in the spiritless mechanisms of state agencies, insurance companies, and most of all, our modern mind that has been conditioned to fancy a linear and uniform approach to all aspects of knowledge.
Heiner Fruehauf’s lead article describes the development of “TCM,” the medical system that has monopolized the practice of Oriental medicine in mainland China, and that has come to serve as the main mold for the budding profession of Oriental medicine around the globe. It exposes a system that has been conditioned by a distinctly political agenda, and reveals its logo “TCM” (traditional Chinese medicine) as a grave misnomer—designating a medicine that is not at all aiming to preserve the traditional characteristics of Chinese medicine, but, on the contrary, to expurgate, reform, and control the classical and folkloric texture of the traditional record in the name of progress.
As the materials document further, this crisis of Chinese medicine has recently elicited the call for a renaissance of classical values by a group of international scholar physicians. At the heart of this call is the credo that first-rate clinical results and true integration between ancient and modern medical traditions can only be achieved if the philosophical foundations of this medicine are transmitted in their original depth and complexity, and if the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities of Chinese medicine are respected and transmitted as a science in its own right.
For additional material about classical Chinese medicine, please visit the Associates Forum.
All levels of scholarly discourse in Chinese medicine are presently saturated with a general confusion about the term “science” and its relationship to the roots of the field. Prof. Deng Zhongjia, former dean of the Foundational Studies Department at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, once aptly summarized this predicament in the following manner: “TCM has made the concept of ‘science’ an equivalent to ‘Western medicine’ while our roots are shoved off into the museum; there they stand on a pedestal gathering dust.”
Prof. Deng’s statement echoes the age-old scholar-physician’s lament over the erosion of the cosmological sources of medical knowledge–the concept of the body as a microcosm, which demands that all bodily micro-sciences remain embedded in a macrocosmic frame of reference. Since the creators of Chinese medicine, now often referred to as Huang-Lao Daoists, took the implications of this maxim further to produce a highly complex system of diagnostics and therapy, physicians of all ages have called for a return to this system’s view of the world. What is remaining unclear, however, is how Chinese master physicians envisioned this return, and what, exactly, they thought was so worth while returning to.
The materials presented in this section introduce the preliminary results of a research project that was conceived to shed light on these questions. Since 1998, Prof. Heiner Fruehauf has directed a detailed investigation of ancient Chinese medical symbolism in cooperation with the CCM Terminology Research Group of the School of Classical Chinese Medicine at National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. The focus of this research was to demonstrate how ancient symbols, such as the names of organ networks or acupuncture points, contain very detailed information spanning from the material layer (this is how it looks) to the functional layer (this is what it does) to the macrocosmic layers of space and time (these are the planets and seasons by which it resonates and is influenced). The results reveal a tightly woven system of symbolic references that spell out in detail the multi-layered qualities of macrocosmic and microcosmic reality, including the “how,” “where,” “when,” and “why” of the connection between the Above and the Below.
For additional material about the science of symbols, please visit the Associates Forum.
By Heiner Fruehauf
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.
von Heiner Frühauf
Übersetzung ins Deutsche Markus Goeke
Die Sechs Schichten stellen ein weiteres System symbolischer Methodologie dar, das von großer Bedeutung für die Praxis der Chinesischen Medizin ist. Seine Ursprünge stehen sowohl zur Yin Yang-Theorie als auch zur Theorie der Fünf Wandlungsphasen in Beziehung, dennoch ist es häufig die primäre diagnostische Vorgehensweise, die bestimmte Praktiker verwenden, besonders jene, die in der Abstammungslinie der Kräuterheilkunde des Shanghan lun ausgebildet sind.
Compiled by Heiner Fruehauf
By Heiner Fruehauf
By Heiner Fruehauf
By Heiner Fruehauf
By Heiner Fruehauf
Compiled by Heiner Fruehauf
Aus dem Englischen übersetzt von Dr. med. Alexander Simon.
by Heiner Fruehauf
by Heiner Fruehauf
by Heiner Fruehauf
Japanese Kanpo (“Chinese modalities”) medicine has in many ways distinguished itself as an independent school of Oriental medical practice. Although Kanpo practitioners generally derive their inspiration from the Chinese classics, they have developed their own set of diagnostic procedures, therapeutic methods, and medical theories, certain aspects of which vary quite drastically from standard approaches adopted by their colleagues in modern China. To dismiss the Japanese system as an unorthodox branch of Chinese medicine, however, would belittle the age-old Japanese practice of “creative imitation” as baseless esotericism, and miss important aspects of classical Chinese theory that have been preserved and illuminated by the Japanese approach. Abdominal diagnosis, for instance, was first mentioned in the 2nd century clinical classic Shanghan zabing lun (On Disorders Caused by Cold and Miscellaneous Diseases), but is now virtually forgotten in China. Kanpo medicine, on the other hand, has developed abdominal examination into a diagnostic modality in its own right. The Kanpo concept of “blood path disorder” (Chinese: xuedao zheng) is another example that fits this particular context. The purpose of this investigation is to illuminate the clinically extremely significant concepts of “blood” and “blood path disorders” by exploring their Chinese origins.
by Heiner Fruehauf
