Announcing a 10-month course on Hu Xi-Shu’s understanding and clinical use of Shang Han Lun formulas with Professor Feng Shi-Lun

About a year and a half ago I traveled to Portland Oregon to attend the Shang Han Lun seminar with Dr. Zeng Rongxiu.  While there, I had the chance to share several lunches with Eran Evan.  I’ve mentioned Eran’s classical formula case study blog in my own blog previously.  On the way back to the conference from lunch one day Eran and I were talking about the treatment of cough.  Eran mentioned to me his work with Professor Hu Xi-Shu’s 胡希恕material.  He and Michael Max are translating Professor Hu’s Five Steps to Shang Han Treatment Based on Pattern Identification’ (方证相对：伤寒辨证论治五步), which should be out some time next year.

Anyway….Eran told me about Dr. Hu’s flexible use of classic formulas for the treatment of coughs and especially his use of Da Chai Hu Tang.

Coincidently, just after I returned home, a patient came to me with acute pneumonia.  She was averse to taking antibiotics and wanted to try Chinese herbal medicine first.  Interestingly this patient had undergone breast reduction surgery 3 weeks before coming down with pneumonia.  She had been to the western physician, gotten the diagnosis and received a prescription for antibiotics.  Upon examining I saw the following presentation: extreme fatigue, chest pain and fullness, deep resounding cough with moderate phlegm sounds, poor appetite, slight constipation with dry stool, full pulse, wiry on the entire left side and a slightly red tongue body with thin normal moss.  Abdominal diagnosis revealed strong resistance under both rib-sides.  Scars were visible and healing below each breast.  Pressure with both hands on her chest was uncomfortable.

I may not have considered Da Chai Hu Tang if I had not had the conversation with Eran in Portland.  This is unfortunate considering how clear the Da Chai Hu Tang presentation was but luckily I did have that conversation so my mind was open to looking beyond a lung formula.  I gave her 3 packages of Da Chai Hu Tang in raw herb form.  The patient agreed to see a western physician if her symptoms did not improve by the next day, however this proved to be unnecessary.  By the next day she had significantly improved and after 3 days she was back to normal.

This was my first introduction to the work of Professor Hu Xi-Shu.  Since then I have waited with baited breath for the upcoming text but have also had an incredible opportunity develop….

Professor Hu Xi-Shu passed away in 1984.  He was considered a modern master of classic formulas by the world renowned Liu Du-Zhou 刘渡舟 and there is now a Hu Xi-Shu Research Centre in Beijing.  A primary disciple of professor Hu Xi-Shu and the current director of the research center is an amazing doctor and teacher, Professor Feng Shi-Lun 冯世纶.  White Pine Institute, in conjunction with Pearls of Wisdom Chinese Medicine seminars is offering a 10-month course on Hu Xi-Shu’s understanding and clinical use of Shang Han Lun formulas.  This course gives participants 4-5 hours of monthly classes, translated case studies and materials related to the classes and the chance to communicate directly with both Dr. Greta Young Jie De 杨洁德and Professor Feng Shi-Lun.  Greta, Eran and I will be providing translated support material through out the course.  This course culminates with the chance for 15 students to travel to Beijing to do a two-week internship with Professor Feng Shi-Lun.  This is a chance for serious classic formula enthusiasts to immerse themselves over time in a powerful tradition.