A Manual of Chinese Herbal Medicine : Principles and Practice for Easy Reference (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Kendra Crossen (Author)
Key Phrases: lesser yang, greater yang, greater yin, Bright Yang, Dark Yin, Internal Dampness (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Designed for easy study and reference, this is a complete manual of diagnosis and therapy in the practice of Chinese herbal medicine. Dr. Fan covers important basic concepts as well as causes of disease, classification of symptoms, methods of diagnosis, preventive measures, 342 formulas for common compound drugs, and more.

From the Inside Flap

This manual of diagnosis and therapy is brilliantly organized for study and reference. It might even be called the ?Merck Manual? of Chinese herbal medicine, for it makes the principles and practices of this traditional healing art highly accessible with its concise and lucid compendia. The book covers:

-Important basic concepts of traditional Chinese medicine, such as yin and yang, the five elements, qi, jing, and shen
-Causes of disease
-Classification of symptoms
-Methods of diagnosis
-Approaches to treatment with herbal medicine
-Preventive measures
-Symptoms of common illnesses
-Therapeutic classifications of many common herbs and prescriptions
-342 formulas for common compound drugs
-Case studies from the Chinese medical literature illustrating the application of the principles discussed in the book --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 332 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1 edition (June 25, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570621470
• ISBN-13: 978-1570621475
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,963,287 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, clear, thorough..., October 5, 2000

By	Mauricio C. Quintana "cintain" (Mexico City, DF Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this book in a state of confused abandonment at my local bookstore, lost among a mumbo-jumbo of unrelated material. I took it home and doubted my purchase until I had tried to obtain TCM information from about five other sources and felt completely confused. TCM can be very difficult to understand, let alone explain, without the guidance of such clear minds as Dr. Fan's. Many books on TCM fail to follow a clear line of explanation and get lost among the confusing similarity and seeming interchangeability of terms found in many sources, but Dr. Fan never does that. Clear, scholarly, a bit dry at times, he never leaves the reader in a void, but rather goes back on himself so as to ensure understanding. His presentation really does TCM a great service, as he dispenses completely with esoteric-sounding, tried and trite pseudo-explanations found elsewhere, and shows how TCM really is a scientific, integrated, logical science. Even obscure concepts such as "disrespect" among the five phases are explained clearly. Differential diagnosis is covered step by step, and Dr. Fan again shows he did extensive homework by summarizing and giving clear correlations between all stages of this most important TCM diagnostic technique. The explanations are brief, but they are a sure starting point and landmark for the student pursuing in-depth knowledge of TCM. For anyone who is looking to study TCM, and for students already lost in the half-english works of authors whose use of the language is their most appalling shortcoming, Dr. Fan's work is my recommendation. And for all practitioners of TCM, please give this book a read, you will find in it a renewed sense of the scientific coherence and depth of TCM at its best.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, useful, and very informative book., September 14, 1998

By A Customer

This is the book that I find that I consult most often on questions of Chinese medecine. I think the book is easy to read, interesting, and filled with useful information.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TCM clarity, December 8, 1999

By	Mr. TJP "Being positive. Starting where my fe... (Chicago, US) - See all my reviews

For both acupuncturists and herbologists, a clean and clear review of Chinese Traditional Medicine techniques and diagnotstics. One of the best teaching guides/references I have read thus far.