Chicory is pleasantly (and unusually) bitter in flavour. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine this bitter cooling nature both fortifies the Heart Qi and Blood, and helps to clear Damp-Heat from the Liver, perhaps making it the perfect vegetable for countering post-Christmas blues and overindulgence. High in folate, and several vitamins, its use as a Blood tonic is well deserved.
Seeds are good for a lot more than filling your bird feeder and giving your gerbil a treat. With a little work, these little storehouses of goodness can be tasty too.
According to Chinese Medicine theory, they have a dense, heavy nature – lots of potential in a tiny package – and strengthen our energy (qi) and in some cases our reserves (Jing). This is the energetic equivalent of having money put not only into your current account, but into your Continue reading
1. Name: Lets start with the name and essence of the point. A spring suggests something refreshing, rejuvinating and purifying – contacting the Qi at it’s source. The character 泉Quan in it’s modern form has the radical “white” or “pure” above (the light from the first rays of sun), Continue reading
Scalp points are so useful, and so underused. At the request of a clinical student at CICM, here is a quick review, starting with the front.
First lets look at that line of points 0.5 cun posterior to the natural hairline. If you are unsure what 0.5 cun looks like, or there is no hairline, remember that the forehead measures 3 cun, with a ridge at 1 cun.
Du 24 – is at the midline
St 8 – is at the corner of the head Continue reading
Hua Tou is best remembered for the acupuncture points named after him (see the description below). He was also a famous surgeon, acupuncturists, herbalist, QiGong practitioner, and teacher.
His rather unusual name (華佗 HuaTou – flowery hunchback?) has led scholars to suggest that his name was Indian, and that some of his teachings were imported from the Ayurvedic traditions. His acupuncture and moxibustion style was simple, with very few points. Continue reading