Pao Zhi: An Introduction to the Use of Processed Chinese Medicinals [Paperback]

Philippe Sionneau (Author), Bob Flaws (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0936185627 | ISBN-13: 978-0936185620 | Publication Date: April 1, 1995 | Edition: 1

In Chinese herbal medicine, the effectiveness of any medicinal is dependent upon its correct preparation before being used in any formula. The specific functions desired of a Chinese medicinal may be maximized or selected by this correct preparation, thus insuring a more successful overall effect for the formula in which it is included. Such processing is called pao zhi in Chinese and is a very ancient part of the practice of Chinese medicine, dating back to at least the 2,000 years. This book describes specific preparation instructions and used for over 250 Chinese herbs. It is an excellent addition to any Chinese herbal practitioner's reference shelf.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

As practitioners ourselves, we have run our own Chinese herbal dispensary for many years. Therefore, we have had ample opportunity to compare the clinical effectiveness of processed versus unprocessed Chinese medicinals. Our experience confirms that processing Chinese medicinals according to the directions contained in this book does make these medicinals more clinically effective. The author goes so far as to say that differently processed medicinals are actually different ingredients! This is an aspect of Chinese herbal medicine that is poorly known In the West and deserves much greater attention.

About the Author

Philippe Sionneau was born in Soyaux in the Charente region of Cognac, France in 1967. In 1986 he earned a BA in economics and in 1987 he received a diploma from the Naturopathic Institute of R. Masson. In 1994, Philippe earned a B.S. degree in Chinese medicine from the Hubei College of Chinese Medicine. Philippe currently teaches at the Traditional Japanese Medicine School in Paris, the Association for the Research of Asian Medicine, and for a number of private TCM study groups in France. He conducts a private practice in acupuncture and Chinese medicine in the environs of Paris. Philippe has studied and practiced a number of types of qi gong. These include the Five Animal Frolics, nei yang gong, and dao yin yang sheng gong with Bruno Lazzari and xing yi quan and southern shao lin with Frederic Cresel,

Philippe is the author of a number of Blue Poppy Press pulbications. These include Pao Zhi: An Introduction to the Use of Processed Chinese Medicinals; Dui Yao: The Art of Combining Chinese Medicinals; and The Treatment of Disease in TCM. The last is a seven volume series covering diseases from the head to the feet with acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Philippe's French language publications include L'acupuncrture practiquee en Chine, Tome 1: les points traditionnels & Vol 2: les traitments efficaces; Troubles psychiques en medecine chinoise; and Utilization clinique de pharmacopee chinoise.

Philippe is married and has two children by a first wife.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Blue Poppy Pr; 1 edition (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936185627
• ISBN-13: 978-0936185620
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #799,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The only book dealing with altering properties of Chinese herbs, May 3, 2007

By 

Karen Vaughan "Herblady" (Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pao Zhi: An Introduction to the Use of Processed Chinese Medicinals (Paperback)

I highly recommend this book as it is the only one that deals with the preparation of medicinal herbs in such a way as to alter their properties. In Chinese medicine Pao zhi is the technique of altering the properties of crude drugs by such means as roasting, honey frying, wine frying, earth frying, vinegar frying, calcining, or other means. This is a kind of alchemical processing used in everyday preparation of herbal, mineral and animal medicinals. (There are also more esoteric traditions of pao zhi, including those involving mercury, but the book refers to the more common preparations.) For instance, frying with wine is believed to enhance the circulatory properties of herbs. Frying with salt is believed to draw the herbal actions to the kidneys. Otherwise cooling herbs may be warmed up by heated techniques.

I remember being given an herbal prescription that included honey fried ephedra but the school pharmacy only had the raw herb. Just adding honey wouldn't work, because the frying in honey water extracts the blood-pressure raising elements in the nodes of the ephedra stems. This book helped me do the preparation, albeit a bit blindly. (I later took pao zhi workshops with Sionneau and David Winston, which helped immensely.) The techniques really need demonstration and I hope that a further edition of the book is accompanied by a DVD.

For any practitioner of Chinese medicine who operates a raw herb pharmacy this book is essential. The techniques can be applied to western herbs with similar effect.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars La primera aproximacion, July 29, 2008

By 

Angel Gonzalez (Argentina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pao Zhi: An Introduction to the Use of Processed Chinese Medicinals (Paperback)

Este es un libro muy clasico, fundacional, que sirve una vez estudiado, para proseguir y profundizar en los temas tratados. Del mismo modo que la Iatroquimica en la medicina Ayurvedica, la preparacion de la materia medica es imprescindible pues sino el elemento esta "inerte y crudo" por decirlo de algun modo y de ese modo no es biologicamente asimilable. Totalmente recomendable.