TCM Basics
Core concepts like Yin-Yang, Five Elements, Qi, and the organ systems.
53 articles · Page 2 of 6
TCM Herb Combination Principles (君臣佐使): King, Minister, Assistant, and Courier
Learn the君臣佐使 (Jun Chen Zuo Shi) system — the ancient framework for combining herbs in TCM formulas. Discover how each role creates balanced, synergistic prescriptions that maximize efficacy and minimize side effects.
TCM Herb Processing (炮制 Pao Zhi): Why Raw Herbs Are Transformed Before Use
Discover Pao Zhi (炮制), the traditional art of processing Chinese medicinal herbs. Learn how methods like stir-frying, honey-roasting, and carbonizing change herb properties, reduce toxicity, and enhance therapeutic effects.
The Eight Treatment Methods in TCM: Sweating, Vomiting, Purging, and Beyond
Learn the eight classical treatment methods (汗吐下和温清消补) in Traditional Chinese Medicine — how practitioners choose between sweating, vomiting, purging, harmonizing, warming, clearing, dispersing, and tonifying to restore balance.
Zheng Qi and Xie Qi in TCM: The Battle Between Upright and Pathogenic Energy
Understand the central TCM concept of Zheng Qi (upright energy) vs. Xie Qi (pathogenic energy) — how disease develops when evil overwhelms the righteous, and how treatment restores the balance.
TCM Pathology: How Disease Develops — The Battle Between Zheng Qi and Xie Qi
Understand how Traditional Chinese Medicine explains the development of disease through the conflict between Zheng Qi (upright Qi) and Xie Qi (pathogenic Qi), and why some people get sick while others stay well.
The Holistic Concept in TCM (整体观念): Why Chinese Medicine Treats the Whole Person, Not Just the Disease
Understand the foundational TCM principle of holism (整体观念) — how the body is an interconnected whole, humans and nature are unified, and treatment addresses the complete person rather than isolated symptoms.
The Three Causes of Disease in TCM (三因学说): Understanding How Illness Begins
Learn about the TCM Three Causes theory (三因学说) — external causes (six pathogens), internal causes (seven emotions), and neither-internal-nor-external causes (diet, lifestyle, trauma). Understand how TCM explains why we get sick.
TCM Four Levels Pattern Identification (卫气营血辨证): Understanding the Progression of Warm Diseases
Learn about the Four Levels (Wei, Qi, Ying, Xue) pattern identification system in TCM — a diagnostic framework for warm diseases that tracks pathogenic heat from the surface to deep organ damage, guiding stage-appropriate treatment.
TCM Three Jiao Pattern Identification (三焦辨证): Diagnosing Damp-Warm Diseases by Upper, Middle, and Lower Body
Learn about the Three Jiao (三焦) pattern identification system — a TCM diagnostic framework for damp-warm diseases that tracks pathogenic damp-heat through the Upper, Middle, and Lower Jiao, guiding stage-appropriate treatment.
TCM Acupressure Self-Care: A Practical Guide to Treating Common Ailments at Home
Learn practical acupressure techniques you can use at home for headaches, nausea, insomnia, neck pain, digestive discomfort, and stress relief — with clear instructions for finding and stimulating the most effective points.