Deepest Health: Exploring Classical Chinese Medicine » Herbal Medicine

These symbols are meant to be questioned (they just don’t often give clear answers)

Eric — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:29:52 +0000

I have a feeling I’m going to get in trouble for my teaching. It’s not that I’m that revolutionary, or that I really even know that much more than my students. It’s just that my fundamental orientation towards the universe is to be always, always asking questions. I don’t always need to let those questions come out of my mouth (undergrad philosophy students, take notice!) but they are always in there. In particular, I tend to question fundamentals. Fundamentals, here, are those basic concepts that act as building blocks for entire edifices of knowledge. Fundamentals, here, are also those things that people most often tend to take for granted.

It’s just the philosopher in me, some might say. But, I could just have easily learned the habit in my work in a microbiology lab in my undergrad years. Or in my work as a forest ranger. Or in my all-important work as a father. I think almost any situation can be helped by a willingness to ask very simple, very essential, very difficult questions with a willingness to be surprised. The clarity of thought that can emerge from such investigations is worth the effort. It is effort, though, there’s no doubt.

So, what are these trouble-making lectures I’m giving? Well, I probably inflate myself unnecessarily. Some of it is just introducing the students to interesting concepts at an early stage – such as the flavor/element combinations introduced in the “lost” Yiyin Tangye Jing (伊尹湯液經). I’m assuming that a number of you have already read the eye-opening article by Wang Shumin, found in the book Medieval Chinese Medicine: The Dunhuang Medical Manuscripts after her extensive research into the remnants of the text found in the Dunhuang caves. While it’s not instigating trouble as such, I do think that being forced to consider these things makes the students more inquisitive, and more likely to think deeply about what they are learning in other classes. But, again, maybe I am congratulating myself a little too quickly.

If not, and if you’re not familiar with the text at all, the essence is this : twenty five herbs are categorized according to the five elements. This would be cool enough, particularly given that the text was likely referenced by Zhang Zhongjing in his writing. What an insight into the construction of Han dynasty formulas! But the herbs are also given flavors, some contradictory to those we know in modern times and the flavors are in turn related to the five elements in a unique way.

You know wood as being affiliated with sour. In the Tangye – it’s affiliated with pungent. Think of the spreading action of wood, its reaching and movement and activity.
You know fire as being affiliated with bitter. In the Tangye – it’s affiliated with salty. What is softer than fire? And what better to soften than salt?
You know earth as being affiliated with sweet. Ok, no changes there.
You know metal as being affilated with pungent. Perhaps predictably, the Tangye talks about sour instead. Think about the condensing and gathering power of sour, and the condensed and gathered nature of metal.
You know water as being affiliated with salty. Bitter anyone? Bitter is a downward draining flavor, one that is almost universally associated with cooling and making things more dense for their eventual expulsion. That is fitting for water, our “lower” (but Northern!) element, and while not condensed as such – is certainly the coolest of our elements.

Anyway – in class we have been making use of these flavors as we work with our senses to understand herbs. I’m learning, of course, just as much as they are – it’s a wonderful journey so far.

One thing I’ve noticed, and something I continually impress upon my students, is the importance of keeping within categories – at least at first. Let me explain, briefly. Consider a spectrum. On the left side, you have the world of ideas, of Form (in the Platonic sense) and of the Universal. Moving rightward you have the constellations, stars, planetary motions. Further finds you looking at the Earth, the weather patterns, moving on to flora and fauna. Getting still more focused we find the human being, but considered as a whole, and organ systems considered in their symbolic totality. Going further right, we have specific physiology of organ systems (generation of Qi and so forth) and even getting a little more narrow to consider biochemistry, genetics. Finally, we have pathology and the specifics of what goes wrong, when and why. It’s a kind of focusing down to the smallest thing, and represents for me my process of clinical focus (whether bottom up or top down).

When I’m trying to think through something, like the flavor/element relationships in the Tangye Jing, I try to stay in a narrow part on the spectrum. So, for instance, I tried to stay on a more symbolic level in my explanation above. I was talking about the elements as they show up on Earth, but not really within the human body. They’re still in the realm of ideas. I think I would be speaking less clearly if for wood and fire I talked about pathology, and for earth I talked about physiology, and for metal I talked about the world of Form and Idea and for water I discussed the Kidney. I see that kind of thing a lot, and it sort of confuses me.

What do you think? Am I being unnecessarily narrow? I think it’s, at least, been a useful teaching tool. Maybe one of my students will speak up and debunk me. Have no fear, dear students! In the true Socratic spirit, I encourage you to assassinate me!

Eric

These symbols are meant to be questioned (they just don’t often give clear answers)

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Chinese medicine question of the month : intro to a new method of engagement

Eric — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:27:58 +0000

As a first-year student, I was so blown away by everything I was learning in school for Chinese Medicine, I couldn’t keep my mind straight. I was being rearranged, challenged on every level. I really couldn’t have blogged about the questions I was having if I tried. During my second year, things were less windswept but busier – that was my strongest blogging year during my tenure at NCNM. My third and fourth years were *much* busier in terms of work at school, work outside of school – the blogging clip declined. Also, while I was more able to formulate relevant questions, I was less likely to actually pose them. Why? Part bravado, part fear, part exhaustion.

Bravado might be the wrong word, let me explain. Learning something new, especially something as new as Chinese medicine was to me, is always a meandering path of discovery. You don’t know who to listen to, you don’t know how to even find the right information – it’s all just surprise after surprise. As you progress, things come into focus a bit. In a field as vast as Chinese medicine, even a little focus feels like an incredible accomplishment. However, if you’re a humble person (or even just a marginally intelligent person) you realize that this little bit of focus is a REAL little bit and you’ve got several lifetimes of work to do.

But imagine… you’re a second or third year student, a year or two to go. You’ve invested lots of time, energy and money into learning a profession. You’re looking to make a career of the thing. At some point you realize that you’re basically just going to escape school with enough knowledge to avoid killing people. This is scary, because you want to graduate with enough knowledge to be as good as your teachers. At least close, anyway.

You have a couple of choices at this point. First, you can act like you know more than you know. Many people take this approach. Ill advised. Second, you can become despondent and drop out. Equally ill advised. Third, you can become despondent and a pain in the butt to the school administration, your fellow students and the profession in general. Please don’t do that. Finally, you can do some version of what I’ve done – hunker down and get to learning.

The problem with how I’ve done the latter is that I stopped being vocal. I stopped asking questions, even when I had them. It’s sort of like this – as soon as I think of a question, I see how it is attached to a million other questions and I don’t even know where to begin. So, I shut my trap. This is NOT GOOD FOR BLOGGING. It’s only when I had a particularly crystal clear question that I was able to pull something together for a post. Those posts tended to generate a lot of discussion, but they were few and far between.

What I want more than anything is for Deepest Health to grow into a vibrant community for students and practitioners of Classically oriented Chinese medicine. A place where we can come together, discuss issues, get to know one another and get busy becoming the future of the medical profession. A place where we can exchange news, resources, advice and anecdotes. A place for the genesis of new ideas that will help our patients. I’ve been working the last couple of weeks to figure out how to make this vision a reality. If you read the last 30 or so posts on DH, you might see that I’ve actually been working on this for a couple of years! :D

In service of all of this, in service of the work I’m doing to write a book, in service of the work I’m doing to be a good teacher to my fine students at NCNM – I am going to try something. Each month, I will search my soul to find a topic that is most standing out to me and will focus on that for the majority of my posting during that month. I hope that this will help us, as a community, to engage more deeply with a topic while also keeping me focused and motivated to blog. In some ways, it’s an extension and development from the Year of Sagely Living and other “grand projects” that have been discussed here. In other ways, it’s just a representation of my own development as a scholar and practitioner. It seems like an interesting possibility. The timeframe may contract or expand, depending. The topic may be vast (reading Classical Chinese) or very narrow (Mahuang in Shanghan Lun formulas) – I will try to trend a little closer to the former. We’ll just see how it goes.

We’re a little far into January, but I have to start somewhere. This month is all about flavor, wei 味.

I’ll post some introductory thoughts shortly. Thanks, as always, for your support.

。

Chinese medicine question of the month : intro to a new method of engagement

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Mahuang (ephedra) and it’s utter legality for Chinese medicine practitioners

Eric — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:00:52 +0000

Many practitioners and proprietors of herbal pharmacies are under the mistaken impression that the purchase, storage and prescription of Mahuang (Ephedra) is illegal. It isn’t. I guess I could just keep this post short like that, because it’s really all that needs to be said, but let’s be a little more verbose – shall we?

I was reminded about this issue by a student at NCNM, my friend Tim Rudowsky. He’s an enterprising fellow, always researching, and apparently this issue piqued his interest. See, at the NCNM school pharmacy, students are unable to use Mahuang. Students and professors who have a strong preference for Classical formulas often lament this fact. It’s an issue of particular concern during this time of the year in the cold, wet, windy Columbia River Gorge area. We need our Mahuang!

I wrote a short, simple article about the qualities and uses of Mahuang a while back. I do not use it frequently, but do use it when it is necessary. What would Mahuang Xixin Fuzi Tang be without Mahuang? Has anyone ever had success replacing Mahuang in Gegen Tang or Mahuang Tang?

I thought I had already written on Deepest Health about this important issue. However, it appears that my post never made it out of draft stage. Instead, I had sent an email to my friends and colleagues through our student email list. I’ll post some of the information from that email here:

“I’ve been investigating Mahuang. As you know, there is simply no substitute for it in our materia medica or any other. It’s hard to find, although people in Portland have secured sources. My research indicates that the major herb companies don’t carry it because they are worried about getting into trouble from the FDA – but that research only involves two herb companies – anything but rigorous. Does anyone else have any information?

Anyway – I have not seen any compelling evidence to suggest that we, as licensed acupuncturists, could ever get in trouble for using Mahuang. Read this FDA document about Mahuang, check around page 28. It specifically states that licensed acupuncturists are exempt from the restrictions placed on the major herbal product distributors. I have been searching for some time, and cannot find any evidence that the rule has been amended in any way, so this information would appear to be correct. The same holds for Xixin. You just have to FIND IT, and then you can use it, as far as I can tell.

Here is a short excerpt of the email that my friend Tim sent me about his experience researching Mahuang access:

After an incredible amount of leg-work, I got in contact with the NW FDA rep who sent me the most recent official ruling on the use of Mahuang. No one seems to understand how the herb is to be legally handled, and, in fact, our own medicinary manager is convinced the herb is illegal for prescription in the US. This Federal document explains that Mahuang is completely legal for use by licensed Chinese herbalists as long as it’s not being used, long term, to induce weight loss. (He references the same document that I link to above)

The fact is that despite the fact that there’s no compelling reason for us to stop using Mahuang, it is getting harder and harder to purchase. Qualiherbs, an East coast distributor of Chinese herbs, used to carry it in granules but no longer does so (though I believe they still have some granulated formulas containing Mahuang). I don’t know of any major bulk herb distributors that carry it. What are we to do, as practitioners, to gain access to the herbs we need for the complete practice of our medicine?

AAAOM, our professional organization in the United States, claims to make herbal access one of their main legislative priorities. I don’t have a lot of contact with the organization, so don’t know what they are doing around this issue. However, it has been my experience that working on issues like this is usually made more successful by utilizing the power and legitimacy of a membership driven professional organization. Thinking about this issue makes me more inclined to consider being involved with the AAAOM.

I’m interested to hear from readers on this issue. Do you use Mahuang in your practice? If not, why not? Do you have any more information about Mahuang and its use in the United States? Have anything to say about the AAAOM and their handling of this issue? Have any thoughts about strategies to ensure our access to the herbs we need?

Mahuang (ephedra) and it’s utter legality for Chinese medicine practitioners

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The concept of constitution in Chinese herbal medicine

Eric — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:00:41 +0000

I have to admit to some weirdness around the concept of “constitution.” This is absolutely unfounded, I have no clinical or theoretical information to back up my feeling. I think I’ve just seen this concept be misused. Once you get an idea in your head that a patient is a “Chaihu person,” or a “Bladder CF,” or a “Shaoyang patient,” it seems to be a little difficult to think outside that box. It offends my desire to meet the patient where they are without preconceptions.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I realize that this is part of what WE DO in Chinese medicine in particular and natural medicine in general. We look at the gestalt of the patient, and we make a helpful generalization about their condition and the treatment that is likely to rectify it. We look into past and future and consider how the patient came to be where they are and where they might be going, and treat them based on all of this information. I have no problem with that. But, I find myself a little worried when I persistently think about a person as, say, a “Chaihu” person, even before they come in – and use that lens to view whatever it is they might be presenting with in the current moment.

Before you click on the comment button prematurely – know that this is an attitude that is changing for me. The more patients I see, the more I see really weird cases. These cases involve patients who present with a certain picture that so strongly speaks to a particular treatment strategy but for whom that treatment strategy does not work. Searching for a remedy usually guides me in a very unexpected direction. In retrospect, looking through the patient’s case, I usually see a certain pattern emerge.

Here’s an example from my time in the student clinic.

A patient presenting with very serious symptoms (serious blood stasis, ongoing memory loss, digestive chaos, emotional instability and more) also had a *very* excess pulse – pounding, tight and wiry at all depths with some choppiness throughout. A dong (flicking bean) pulse was found on both sides between the first and second positions. A lot of stasis in the tongue. The supervising doctor and I discussed the case for a while, trying to seek out the best formula. For the next six or eight weeks, we used some variation of Taohe Chengqi Tang + Zhishi Xiebai Guizhi Tang with some incorporation of Guizhi Fuling Wan. We wanted to treat the most excess, the most “outward” of the symptom picture first.

As the treatment progressed, however, it… uh, didn’t. The patient’s symptoms didn’t lessen much, the pulse picture didn’t change. We decided to work from another direction. Following the recommendation from one of my mentors, I used a modification of Shenqi Wan with some additional blood movement incorporated. The patient found almost immediate improvement and continued to improve for the next several months. Later acute episodes found us changing our formula strategy a bit, but Fuzi has always been involved and when the Fuzi is removed, the patient worsens.

Now part of this is just my clinical immaturity and maybe my inability to see signs that, for a more experienced practitioner, would seem obvious. I’m sure there are several of you in the audience shaking your heads sagely – ah yes, of course, Fuzi. But, one could easily see something about “constitution” in this case. I’ve had similar experiences otherwise. It’s not always obvious in the pulse, it’s not always clear in the history, but when you go with it – improvement is found on all levels.

There doesn’t seem to be something that binds these cases together in every case. For instance, I am in no way convinced that if a different person with a similar presentation as above were to come to the clinic that I would be able to resolve their situation in the same way. But, I may be able to look at this person and – over time – learn some basic characteristics that help me to identify patients who might need this approach… this is, to me, constitution.
I’ve been reading the Classicalformulas.com blog over the last couple of months, though I have not yet read the book “10 Formula Families.” I’ve recently requested it on Interlibrary Loan and will review it as soon as I am able. Anyway – a recent post got me thinking about the constitution question again : http://classicformulas.com/constitutin-formula-scope/ . Has anyone read this book yet? Find it valuable? Definitely leave your impressions in the comments.

I’m wondering about others’ experience with constitution, or similar concepts. Have you seen a constitutional approach be crucial in your success with patients? Have you seen problems with the approach? If so, what were they? How did you resolve them? Where is the classical support for this method? What have you been learning in your classes and seminars about constitution? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

—–

Site updates : Please notice the “Follow Me” tab on the left side of your screen. If you’re on Twitter and don’t already follow me – you can click that button to read my tweets. You can also check out the Twitter feed for my clinic, which is in some ways more tightly focused on Chinese medicine, but intended primarily for patients. Finally, please consider joining the burgeoning Classical Chinese language online study group, mentioned in my prior post about Richard Goodman’s fine texts. If you are interested, please contact me sooner rather than later. It should be a good time!

By the way – If you’re confused about Twitter and Social media in general, I’ve got some excellent beginners information for you. Links to some incredible, simple instructional videos. Definitely watch these in a place where you can listen to the audio.

About social media in general : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE
About Twitter in particular : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o

The concept of constitution in Chinese herbal medicine

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The sages of Chinese antiquity stood facing South

Eric — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:51:45 +0000

Today, on a walk I was taught an important lesson by some late migrating geese. In the late summer and autumn, we get a whole lot of geese flying overhead in my neighborhood. We live pretty close to a couple of wildlife refuges, one being specifically devoted to waterfowl. In general, in Portland, the autumn is always accompanied by the resonant, melodic sound of Canadian geese fleeing Canada. It’s one of those things that is commonplace, yet never seems to lose its magic. I’ve noticed a lot of things in Autumn are like that – the leaves turning, the miracle of the harvest, the start of formal schooling and so on.

Anyway, today I had one of those magic moments – fog bank just rolled in, walking on a hill in clear view of the setting full moon and the rising sun reflecting pink and crimson off of morning clouds. Mushrooms bursting from beneath damp fallen leaves. People out, coffee in hand, walking overly excited dogs. That nestled place between Lung and Large Intestine time – things cracking forth, but the calm and presence of the early morning still laying on its soothing balm. Very nice.

Then there were the geese. There were seven or eight of them, so just a paltry flock. There was some confusion (not uncommon) where they seemed to be trying to figure out which way to go. Now, I know enough about geese to know that just because they seem to be flying North doesn’t mean they’re lost – often they’re just heading to a feeding or resting ground. It’s the larger direction that matters, not my little snapshot views. But, that doesn’t matter for my story. There was some confusion in the sky, and about half started heading clearly North, the other half clearly South. One goose was caught – she flew North, she flew South, she started calling loudly – she seemed pretty distressed by the whole thing.

Finally, she broke South – doing double time to catch up with her chosen group and they continued off into the distance. As I watched them cruise, I got a series of images as I faced South – the direction that all Sages must face, the direction that helps us make sense of so much Chinese medicine physiology and pathology. Mostly, I just got a sense of great peace, of openness, of newness and warmth and a bright future. I thought – good choice, little goose.

Now, I’ve been particularly prone to reading signs in everything these last few weeks, so pardon me. But, the whole drama (!) seemed curiously familiar. I think it might seem familiar to some of you, as well.

At NCNM, I was introduced to a wide variety of schools of thought regarding medicine – herbalism in particular. Without getting too much into it, let’s just say that people can get a little spirited about what they see as the “truth” of the matter. I certainly have been guilty of this. As students, I think we were looking for something to hold on to. Something to call our own – or rather – something to say, “This is right, this is true and I know it, I subscribe to it.” Some way to make sense of the seemingly insurmountable task of learning a medicine that is thousands of years old and must be translated into what we have available in contemporary times.***

I’ve sometimes felt torn because of my particular proclivities and the wrinkles and folds of my personal situation. I had moments when I didn’t want to practice medicine at all. It seemed too impossible to figure out what was right – the clinical stage didn’t clarify things any better than the classroom and I just felt totally overwhelmed. I had moments where I wanted to have a time travel machine and visit Han dynasty and ask Zhang Zhongjing what the whole deal was really about. There were also times when I felt pretty confident, pretty sure, and even a little fanatical about what I was learning. Those times were always followed by a lesson (pride precedes a fall, afterall).

In the last month, things have settled out. I felt very much like that goose for the last year or so, and I’ve started flying in a particular direction. It hasn’t been without its consequences. Moving towards one thing almost always means leaving another behind. Some good goose friends had to be parted from, on some level. I only have so much time and attention. I have had to repeatedly remind myself that the direction I’m turning away from is not WRONG, just different. Demonizing people who think differently from we do only serves to make us demons in the eyes of others. It never serves the quest for knowledge and healing.

You know? Darnit if I don’t feel just like I felt on that hilltop watching those geese disappear. Warmth, openness, a surge of energy, signs from all over God and Creation. It’s not that the other way is wrong, it’s just that this way is right. It leads to more, not less. It opens me into an endless realm of possibility and sweetness. I have already seen the results in my acupuncture, in my herbal prescriptions, in my presence with my patients, and in my bank account.

So, to any of you who are feeling this – particularly you students – take heart. You will find your way. Sit quietly with yourself, go on walks, get treatment, sing songs, talk to animals and go through your rebirth. Getting born is rarely pain-free, but it always opens into a whole universe of experience that was previously unavailable to you. I promise.

—

***Note : I’m not saying that ancient medicine isn’t directly relevant to contemporary times and people. Please. I’m just saying that some of the things they had available, we don’t have available – or very nearly (Fulonggan, for one – Sheng Fuzi for another – there are legal implications for some acupuncture techniques). Further, while there is truly nothing new under the sun – people do have a different way of living, eating, and even dying today and we would be idiots not to at least consider that fact sometimes, even if we are just “treating what we see,” and even if we are (correctly) not taking into account Western disease names and categories, etc…

The sages of Chinese antiquity stood facing South

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Reawakening the faculty of touch in learning Chinese herbs

Eric — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:38:56 +0000

So, I didn’t write much about using the faculty of sight in learning Chinese herbs. That’s mostly because I’m doing other research about it, particularly around the doctrine of signatures and I’d prefer to write more when I have more to say. I’m already retooling my NCNM class for next year based on what I’ve learned. Let it suffice to say for now that, in class, we enjoyed ourselves working with our eyes. Overall, one of the most interesting things I learned is that many have resistance many people have to just sitting with something and looking at it. Maybe it’s because so many cultures find it rude to stare? I don’t think the plants care. Anyway…

Many people seem to believe that what they see at first glance is as much as there is to see. Nothing could be further from the truth. My hope is to encourage students, and consistently re-encourage myself, to really SEE things in their fullness. The subtle changes in color, the textures, the shadows cast, the subtle suggestions of where they were on the plant, how they were treated during growth and in processing. It isn’t as if this information is recorded as data and filed away for use in therapy – but just like getting to know a person, all of these tiny pieces of information fill in the skeletal lines of first impressions with color, depth, beauty.

Sight aside, I’ve had a lot of fun with the students at NCNM working with our underused faculty of touch. We have been working with two types of touch, though I haven’t had time to go into depth with either. One of the hardest things about this class is the fact that it’s only an hour. That’s why an online version will be so great – more time, more space! However, this limitation does force me to try to get the teaching down to essentials.

The two ways we are using touch:

The most basic – “just touching.” There is a ton of information a person can get from touching an herb, even at the most superficial level. You can get a sense for its density, its heft – particularly in relation to other herbs. You get a greater sense for the texture of the herb. With some herbs, like Mutong, you can start to understand what the herb does – it feels like a filter! Or think about something like Ganjiang that feels like it is, drying and warm. Aside from looking to get a sense for what part of the plant is, simple touching can also give you some good information for the doctrine of signatures. Light things may tend to rise, heavier things to sink – and so on.
A little deeper. At NCNM, we are taught a variety of ways to use our hands to perceive more subtle sensations. But, anyone can get good information by just sitting with an herb in their hands. I usually take some time to do some Qigong or prayer, just connecting with subtle reality. Then I close my eyes and touch the herb, allowing my mind to rest and eventually to wander. I may just hold the herb in place, or may manipulate it. Usually, going deeper in this way allows one to get information that is a little outside of what one would expect. Actions, temperatures, even colors start to flood the mind.

This week, with the class, we used blindfolds to isolate the feeling faculty. While in practice I encourage everyone to use all of their senses, it can sometimes be extraordinarily helpful to just focus on one at a time. Exhaust it! See what you can find.

Just using touch, the class interacted with Baihe – lily bulb. Now, note, these are second year students – just learning herbs. Here is the list of qualities they got, blindfolded, without knowing the name of the herb or anything about it beforehand.

Lung
Treats diabetes
Treats arthritis
Neutral to cooling
Expels phlegm
Whitish yellow (I kid you not)
Slightly transparent (seriously)
Taiyin
Claws
Relieves dampness
Clears heat
Pungent – bitter
Cold
Replenishing
Moves, but not through Yang force

There are a lot of interesting observations here, I think you will agree!

Baihe is sweet, according to the Shennong Bencao Jing (SNBCJ) – though later commentators say it is sweet and slightly bitter. In the SNBCJ it is listed as neutral, though later commentators say it is slightly cooling. Of these basic affinities, only the bitter is out of place in what the students found. It does clear heat, and while the dampness and phlegm properties are contrary to basic understanding of the herb, it’s not so far out of the realm of possibility. It is indeed replenishing, related to Taiyin and interestingly, is known to treat diabetes!

Most interesting to me is the symbolic association of the Lung organ system. Lily, in channel affinity language, does enter the Lung (as well as the Heart). Again, we do have the relationship with Taiyin. But what about the claws?! Now Baihe in its dried form does feel a little like toenails, as many students jokingly remarked. The claw association could have something to do with that, but more than one student did get a sense of actual claws or talons. This, to me, is related to the Tiger – the animal associated with the earthly branch Tai and the Lung organ system. I just thought it was interesting that these associations came up so consistently.

We did several other herbs in class, and I was just astonished at how much information we could get with just an hour of holding the herbs. If you haven’t tried this before, I recommend it. Yes, just the dried herb. While fresh herbs are great, while plants are great, I do believe that the dried herb holds a lot of information in a holographic way. Students in class were getting senses of the way the plant grows, what kinds of conditions it likes, all without having any contact with the living plant at all. Give it a try!

I want to make clear that I’m not suggesting people just sit with herbs and use that information exclusively. It’s a matter of using our sensory experience to enhance and ground the head knowledge of which we get so much. Also, I wonder how long it will take for these students to forget that Baihe is related to the Lung? Won’t they have a slightly better understanding of the herb, having spent a little time with it? What if they were to use all their senses, and consistently reengage with it over a period of months, years? It gives me high hopes for their future as herbalists! Give it a try, and come back here to tell us how it went – add your thoughts in the comments!

Reawakening the faculty of touch in learning Chinese herbs

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Setting yourself up for learning success : First, know thyself

Eric — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:51:27 +0000

In my last article, I mentioned my idea that the best way to learn Chinese herbs is through what I’m calling the “relational method.” Before we can dive headlong into the process I am describing, we need to prepare some ground. Today, I want to talk a little about learning in general, relationship styles and relationships skills. My motivation for doing this is twofold.

First, I really believe that an astonishing number of people looking to learn aren’t really sure how they do that best. Yes, folks, there is more than one way to take in information. The way you learned in grade school is NOT necessarily the best one. Second, the nature of my developing theories on teaching and learning are deeply interwoven with the relational method of learning Chinese herbs. I think you’ll see how that works as time goes on.

As I’ve made clear in other posts, I’m a big fan of the concept of learning styles.

I think that the material associated with this concept can help stuck students get unstuck pretty quickly. I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, I was quite sure that there was only one way to learn – words, words and more words. Fortunately, I’m good with them so I didn’t suffer TOO much. However, some people learn more readily by using their bodies in the learning process. Others really excel when listening, even music, is involved. Still others are visual – but not so verbal – they like pictures and diagrams. These are the basic learning styles most frequently discussed in the literature. Obviously, we’re missing some important learning methodology that we will use in our study of Chinese herbs – the more subtle faculties that have been the tools of herbalists for centuries.

In addition, I find that different types of material often require different methods. That’s actually one place I diverge a bit from the traditional “learning style” literature – I don’t necessarily think that every person has a single method that works well in all cases. Some material lends itself better to one method or another, or a combination of methods. One person may find that using sound to learn herbs is the best method, others may find it to be completely useless. Yet, that same person might find that they can’t use sound to learn points at all. Further, there are some teaching and learning strategies that seem to work well for everyone – for instance associating very vivid imagery with something you are trying to remember. All of that aside, the core of what I’m saying is simply that there are a lot of ways to learn new information.

The first thing you need to do is figure out how you learn best.

Now, some of you will scoff – thinking that such material is below you, you “instinctively” know how best you learn. Fine. For most of you, however, you’re a little bit intrigued by the idea and want to know more. You’re the ones I’m talking to. :) There are a variety of great tools out there to help you investigate your own learning style. One of the simplest is here. I encourage you to give it a try. Answering the questions honestly is very important – and note that you can tick more than one box. The results of this simple quiz will help you get started in your quest to understand your own learning style. You will get a list of your preferences for free – showing which are the strongest preferences. You can also purchase a downloadable report and e-book to learn more information. I have not tested either of the paid options myself, instead researching more about my preferred learning styles (Read/Write and Aural) on my own using Google. :)

An online quiz won’t give you all the answers, of course. Fortunately, most of the deepest information is readily available to you – in your memory. You need to reflect on your prior learning experiences. Sit for a minute and think about your prior learning experiences – positive and negative, formal and informal. Accept the possibility that you have a unique learning style – be curious about finding it. Consider this a voyage of internal discovery that will help you to excel, not just in Chinese herbalism, but in anything you choose to learn. Here is some guidance you can use in your quest.

When have you really excelled in a learning situation?
Better yet, when have you been so immersed in your learning that it didn’t feel like work – you couldn’t even stop if you wanted to – and you retained the information?
Maybe it was a situation where you were able to explore a topic of your choice in as much detail as you wanted. On the other hand, perhaps it was in a multiple-choice testing environment.
Perhaps it was during a lecture where the teacher was very animated, using lots of examples and stories. On the other hand, maybe you prefer being nestled deep in the library stacks with a book.
Perhaps you always study best when there is music playing, or when the information is presented in a musical way?
Try writing a really vivid description of the times you have enjoyed the most in learning – and make a list of the characteristics of that time. Reflect on those characteristics and try to get a sense for yourself, in general, as a learner. This is also a good time to reflect on those characteristics you prefer in instructors – both formally and informally.

Give yourself time with this exercise, perhaps reflecting on what you’ve found over a couple of days. This information will become useful as we continue.

Leaving that important information aside, I will ask to delve into your own habits and talents yet again.

This time, I would like you to focus on yourself as a person in relationship. When you meet someone for the first time – what do you do? How do you interact with them? Are you forward, asking lots of questions? What kinds of questions? Are you more reserved, responding to questions and observing? What are you looking for? What is the most basic information you feel like you need about a person before you feel that you “know” them on some level? What kind of deeper information do you require before you consider a person “a friend?”

There are lots of possibilities here, I’ll mention just a few to get you started:

When you meet someone and are getting to know them, are you always fascinated by where they have lived and travelled, and want to know more about their hometown, or where they hang out in the current town where they live?
Do you prefer to talk about people’s families – their parents, partners, children and friends? Are you always excited to talk about their relationship problems and how they are making things work within their significant relationships?
Perhaps instead you are attracted to people based on what they do – their activities and work, their function in the world?

There are many ways to know people – some easier to explain than others. Just give it a try – think about the last 10 relationships you have formed (whether shallow or deep relationships) and consider how the relationship developed. What do you talk about? Do you notice any patterns? For those people with whom you share a close bond – how do you know that this bond is close? What do you know about that person, what types of experiences have you shared, that make that a very special relationship?

Obviously – one of the reasons we go from acquaintance to friend often has to do with shared experiences – that will come into play as we continue to talk about a relational method of knowing Chinese herbs. For now, just keep it in mind. Allow yourself to reflect further, both on your learning style and your relationship/communication style. Think about the interactions you have with other beings, even your pets. Jot down what you notice in a journal, and feel free to share it with us here, in the comments.

The next post will discuss how to use what you’ve noticed to go from stranger to acquaintance with our herbal friends. I’ll use myself as an example and my very favorite herb. Look forward to it soon.

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If you are interested in reading more about learning styles, I can recommend the books below:

“Learning Styles” (Marlene LeFever)

“So Each May Learn: Integrating Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences” (Harvey F. Silver, Richard W. Strong, Matthew J. Perini)

Setting yourself up for learning success : First, know thyself

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A relational method of learning Chinese herbs

Eric — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:54:11 +0000

I’ve been working on developing some courses I want to teach. I plan to teach them online, via an extension of Deepest Health, but also some using the Gift Economy model at my clinic – Watershed Community Wellness. Some of these courses will be geared toward Chinese medicine students and practitioners who are having a difficult time resonating with herbs, or already resonate and want to go deeper. I’ve worked hard over these last few years to deepen my own relationship with herbs, so I’ve tried pretty much every technique one could dream of – in some ways, this suits me ideally to teach classes about the topic. However, it’s been a while since I’ve taught formally. The last time I taught was in the context of academic Philosophy, quite some time ago. So, it’s taken me some time to get into the flow of thinking about exactly how to teach something like this.

Recently, on a walk, I came to understand how I want to move forward. It’s going to take some time to develop the flashes of inspiration into a course that would be really beneficial for others, but I feel like I’ve taken some significant steps. I would like to share my process with DH readers, as I develop the insights into more fully fledged teaching flows. I think this material could be beneficial even rough and slightly haphazard. Hopefully, you think so, too! Further, maybe – just maybe – it will whet your appetite for the full courses! :) Finally, I hope that people will offer their thoughts and critiques so that I might improve my own understanding. In the end, we are all working together to elevate the understanding of the group – so please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Herbs are not tools

When I learned Chinese herbs in school, I fell in love. In part, that was because the teacher used the Shennong Bencao Jing as part of his teaching materials. This connected me to the larger stream of my tradition while also adding some interesting flavor to the information – those of you who have perused this text will know what I mean. I have seen class notes from other herbs classes, and what I see there helps me to understand why so many people don’t enjoy learning herbs. The herbs are reduced to a series of bits of data : flavor, nature, channel affinity, primary indications, maybe some formulas or combinations. The students are then asked to absorb a huge number of such bits of data, in preparation for the even more data heavy formulas class. Many students leave this experience feeling more than a little dismayed and disillusioned. That is true even for those who come to school really excited to learn this stuff. I can’t even imagine what it must be like for those of you who don’t like herbs to begin with!

While knowing the basic information is important (flavor, nature, etc) dwelling too long in the lap of this information without moving beyond is deadening. It causes one to relate to the herbs as tools, as objects, as things to be manipulated. Theories and ideas come to the foreground and drown out the mutable, messy relationship that has been the experience of herbalists for centuries. All of you know that I’m a sucker for data (and databases) and also have a deep and abiding love for theory. However, I know their place, and I know their peril.

Ultimately, I see herbs as Beings with which I can have a relationship. This relationship has many of the same facets, and requires many of the same skills, that I use in my relationships with human beings. When I come into this fully, I am more easily able to understand herbs, remember herbs and – most importantly – accurately and effectively prescribe herbs to my patients. Yep, folks, this is clinically relevant stuff. Seriously!

Even if you don’t believe it is TRUE, try thinking of herbs as Beings with a capital B

What would it be like if you were to think of herbs as something with which you can have a relationship? I mean a real relationship. I’m talking about “getting to know them” and “developing rapport” and “sharing experiences” and “building memories” and all the rest. What if you thought about herbs as multi-faceted Beings with likes, dislikes, a home, a family, preferred activities, favorite places, present, past and future? What if you used the same skills you’ve learned in building relationships to get to know herbs? It’s possible, it’s powerful and it’s what helped me to learn herbs so deeply that they infiltrate my dreams on a regular basis! :D

I would like to share some best practices about this, and some stories about how it has helped me move into a whole different world with regards to my herbalism. I’ll break it down into bite-sized chunks, however, and release it over the next few days. So, please read tomorrow to learn more about building your relationship with Chinese herbs. As always, I’m interested to hear what you have to say in the comments. Have you done something similar to what I’m describing, either with Chinese herbs or something else? Has this post stimulated any thoughts or discussion? Let us know – it’s easy to leave a comment on the post – no sign up is required.

A relational method of learning Chinese herbs

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