Mastering Classical Chinese Herbal Medicine: A Six Divisions Approach

Welcome to a transformative journey into Classical Chinese Herbal Medicine. My teaching methodology goes beyond traditional learning to offer you a deeper, more intuitive understanding of herbal formulas through the ancient wisdom of the six divisions (liu jing).

Why the Six Divisions Matter

While many practitioners stop at the five elements, I’ll show you how the six divisions – first described in the Huang Di Neijing – provide an elegant framework for understanding both herbal formulas and human physiology. This classical approach reveals profound insights into how organs work in pairs to maintain health:

• Tai Yang & Shao Yin

• Yang Ming & Tai Yin

• Shao Yang & Jue Yin

What Makes This Course Material Different

Instead of memorizing endless lists of herbs and formulas, you’ll learn a systematic approach that:

– Organizes formulas by their functional relationships

– Connects classical wisdom with clinical application

– Builds on your existing TCM knowledge

– Reduces complexity while deepening understanding

Course Structure

Each module explores:

– Distinctive characteristics of each division

– Essential herbs for key classical formulas

– Modern formula applications

– Clinical pattern recognition

– Practical treatment strategies

The Result

By understanding how classical formulas align with the six divisions, you’ll:

– Need fewer herbs to achieve better results

– Recognize patterns more accurately

– Make more confident clinical decisions

– Develop a deeper appreciation of Chinese Medicine’s elegance

This course material is designed to transform not just your understanding of herbal medicine, but your entire clinical practice. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or recent graduate, you’ll gain practical insights that make Classical Chinese Medicine more accessible and effective.

Ready to elevate your practice? Explore my course materials below and begin your journey into the deeper wisdom of Classical Chinese Herbal Medicine.

Course Material

Introduction to the Shang Han Lun

Unlock the Ancient Wisdom of Chinese Medicine: Understanding the Shang Han Lun

Are you a practitioner or student of Traditional Chinese Medicine looking to deepen your understanding of one of its most fundamental classical texts? Paul Freedman’s comprehensive guide “Understanding the Shang Han Lun” offers a clear, practical approach to mastering this essential knowledge.

This invaluable resource:

– Breaks down complex classical concepts into understandable, practical insights

– Bridges critical knowledge gaps between the Shang Han Lun and Yellow Emperor’s Classic

– Provides detailed explanations of the six conformations and their clinical applications

– Offers clear connections between theory and practical treatment strategies

What sets this guide apart:

– Systematic approach that builds understanding from foundational principles

– Clear explanations of how theoretical concepts translate to clinical practice

– Detailed exploration of timing in treatment based on classical principles

– Essential background information often missing from modern TCM education

Perfect for:

– TCM practitioners seeking to enhance their clinical effectiveness

– Students struggling to grasp classical concepts

– Clinicians wanting to integrate classical wisdom into modern practice

– Anyone interested in deepening their understanding of Chinese Medicine’s theoretical foundations

Understanding the Shang Han Lun is more than just a textbook – it’s a practical guide that will transform your comprehension of Chinese Medicine and enhance your clinical results. While mastering the Shang Han Lun traditionally requires a lifetime of study, this guide provides the essential framework you need to begin applying its wisdom in your practice today.

Take your practice to the next level with this clear, comprehensive guide to one of Chinese Medicine’s most important classical texts.

Formulas Based on Gui Zhi Tang

Master the Art of Classical Chinese Herbal Formulas

A Comprehensive Guide to Gui Zhi Tang and Its Modifications
by Paul Freedman, TCMWoerden.com

Unlock the profound wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine through this authoritative guide to one of its most fundamental and versatile formulas – Gui Zhi Tang. This meticulously researched work provides an unprecedented deep dive into the theoretical foundations and practical applications of over 50 classical herbal formulas.

What You’ll Discover:

• In-depth analysis of the three core aspects of Gui Zhi Tang: yang qi tonification, yin qi nourishment, and earth support
• Detailed exploration of key herbs including Gui Zhi, Bai Shao, and Zhi Gan Cao
• Comprehensive examination of formula modifications organized by their theoretical basis
• Clear explanations of clinical applications with classical references
• Ancient wisdom interpreted for modern practice

Perfect For:

• TCM practitioners seeking to deepen their understanding of classical formulas
• Students of Chinese medicine looking for clear, systematic explanations
• Herbalists interested in the sophisticated principles of formula modification
• Clinicians wanting to expand their therapeutic options

Features:

• Over 50 classical formulas explained in detail
• Original source text references from the Shang Han Lun
• Clear theoretical frameworks for understanding formula construction
• Practical insights into herb combinations and modifications
• systematic organization for easy reference and study

Enhance your clinical results and deepen your understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine with this essential guide to one of its most important formula families.

Transform your practice with the time-tested wisdom of classical Chinese herbal medicine.

Herb Pairs of the Shang Han Lun and Jin Gui Yao Lue

The biggest challenge in using herbs and herbal formulas in the treatment of disease is in choosing.

The vast amount of formulas can be overwhelming, which can cause uncertainty and insecurity.

Studying Chinese Classical formulas offers structure in application and learning. These formulas are based on Chinese Medical thought and represent normal physiology, pathology, and treatment all at the same time.

These Classical formulas represent principals, which when understood can be applied to other herbs and formulas.

For example, the herb Chai hu,Bupleuri radix represents the free movement of the liver blood. Understanding how chai hu is used gives insight into the use of other herbs like Sheng ma, Cimicifugae rhizome.

Most classic formulas are built on principles and structure. This information gives you the building blocks of formulas in the form of simple herb formulas and the most common herbal pairings.

Thirty herb pairs found in the Shang Han Lun and Jin Gui Yao Lue are discussed.

These simple formulas are described in terms

of taste and temperature, yin yang, five elements, six climatic qi, and its associated key symptoms. Where possible herbal formulas are described showcasing the herbal formula.

The most common herb pairs are described in terms of their therapeutic effect.

Understanding simple herb combinations makes understanding more complex formulas easier.

Treating Tai Yang

Tai yang represents all the yang qi in the body. Learning to treat tai yang is to master the concepts of yin and yang. Yin and yang manifest as function and form, but also as fire and water.

Tai yang is connected internally and externally with shao yin. Together they represent the true fire and true water of the body. Is is yang fire that connects us to the heavens and Dao. It is yin water that represents the earth, which ensures the smooth harmonious transformation and growth of our body.

Together they ensure that the rising and falling, and the entering and exiting flow according to the laws of the five elements and six climatic qi.

In this course the Tai yang conformation of the cold water of the north is explained. Its relationship to shao yin, and how it manifests in nature and in our body. Further how tai yang manifests when diseased, and how to treat it.

Qian Heaven and Kun Earth

In Chinese Medicine we tend to look at the transformational aspect of the myriad beings. And with good reason, because this is how we treat disease. Yet, it is the functionality that brings Chinese Medicine diagnostic methods together and connects it to the past.

The concepts of Qian heaven and Kun earth represent the functionality of Qi. Qi can be defined as having two different aspects, namely yang and yin. Both yang and yin have two distinct aspects. One aspect is how it functions and the other is how it transforms and changes into living beings.

In Chinese Medicine we work with the concepts of fire and water. This emphasizes the importance of form. Form is the way fire and water manifest in the body. Yet, we must never forget the importance of function. Function is best represented by the concepts of Qian heaven and Kun earth.

Fire and water each have a direction that it associates with. Fire corresponds with the south, and water with the north. Both Qian heaven and Kun earth have no location of their own. Which means that they are constantly present in all of the theoretical models concerning yin and yang. In fact understanding Qian heaven and Kun earth will unify and connect the concepts of the five agents and the six conformations.  

Have you ever wondered why there are five agents and not six. If yin and yang give birth to the five elements, then why are there five and not an even number? This question has troubled me since I was a student. It always seemed unlikely that the two yin and yang images could make five subdivisions. Why are there two sorts of yang called heat and fire in the six qi? Why is the name of the shao yang ministerial fire conformation have no location? Tai yang cold water of the north has a location, the north. All these questions can be answered by Qian heaven and Kun earth having no location of their own.

The Union and Separation of the Conformations

The six conformations are sometime called the six divisions. A conformation is confirming the presence of something and it is conforming one of the six divisions. The divisions are referring to a yin or yang type. In the Yellow Emperor’s Classic it is referred to as the three yang and three yin.

The three yin and three yang are tai yang, yang ming, shao yang, tai yin, shao yin, and jue yin. The names of tai yang, and shao yang, and tai yin, and shao yin are not limited to Chinese Medicine, but are commonly used in all of Chinese areas of study. It is yang ming and jue yin that are unique to Chinese Medicine. They are the key to understanding Chinese Medicine. More about them later.

In order to understand the six conformations we need to go back to the birth of the four images. The four images are the first subdivision of utmost yin and utmost yang. The four images is a concept found in the I Ching. Using the I Ching to illustrate the energetic qualities of yin and yang makes it easy to understand the each of the six conformations.

I am going to describe each of the conformations according to its qualities, associations and connections. Most students of Chinese Medicine have a basic understanding of the conformations, especially if they know the acupuncture vessel system. I am going to deepen this knowledge by describing how the conformations came about, and what they represent. I only use one source for my writing and that is the Yellow Emperor’s Classic.

The starting point of our discussion is the eternal Dao. Chinese Medicine is connected to the Daoist theory of how nature exists, transforms, and changes. The Daoist idea of nature is applied to our body in Chinese Medicine. The yin and yang that we use in Chinese Medicine is born out of the movement of the eternal Dao. All subsequent models such as the five agents of transformation and six conformations reflect this movement. The five agents and six conformations are subdivisions of yin and yang. And each element of the five agents consists of a yin and yang aspect. This holds true for each of the conformations. There are three yin and three yang conformations. And each conformation has both a yin and yang quality.

The Foundations of Classical Chinese Medicine

The document, The Foundations of Classical Chinese Medicine, explores the foundational principles of Chinese medicine and Daoist philosophy, linking these concepts to cosmology, natural cycles, and metaphysical theories. It covers the role of key elements like Yin, Yang, Qi, and Jing in understanding the universe, health, and the human body. Ancient Chinese thought sees human beings and the cosmos as interconnected, with health depending on harmonizing with nature’s cycles and energies. Symbolism from texts like the I Ching illustrates these dynamics, with hexagrams and trigrams representing natural phenomena, seasonal cycles, and cosmic energies. The document also emphasizes the Dao, or “the Way,” as the ultimate, undefinable source from which all things emerge, underscoring a holistic perspective on health, existence, and the interplay between Heaven and Earth.

The document The Foundations of Classical Chinese Medicine can be seen as the base from which modern Traditional Chinese Medicine stems from. It will deepen your understanding of T.C.M. and its underlying principles.