Yves Requena book on Botanical Medicine

[Guest guest]

Hi Todd et al,

re the discussion on the relationship between biomedicine and Chinese

medicine:

 

I just started reading Botanical Medicine: A European Professional

Perspective by Dan Kenner and Yves Requena. They discuss western herbs and

essential oils from the point of view of several whole-system models used in

European botanical therapy, including Five Phase theory. They discuss each

phase in biomedical terms, for instance, in discussing Earth:

 

" The Spleen is synonymous with the lymph system and the upper digestive

tract. It is the enzyme headquarters of the body. Digestion takes place not

only in the gut, but peripherally throughout the body in the form of

macrophage (literally, 'big eater') activity, and in the antigen-antibody

reaction. Many of the enzymes used in the digestive tract are found outside

the gut participating in these functions.

Like Mother Earth, the Spleen or lymph system is the nourishing and

protecting mechanism for the cells that live in the tissue fluid. It is

moistening, nourishing, digestive, soft and warm. The direction of Earth is

the center. The Spleen is truly the center of activity, the actual location

of the terrain. It feeds the cells and carries away their waste products and

permeates all systems of the body to a depth that no other system can. "

 

I find the correspondences with the biomedical view of physiology

interesting and sometimes helpful though sometimes I wonder if they are

stretching it a bit to make it fit. Here's another one:

 

" Water Creates Wood: Adrenal secretions trigger the conversion of glycogen

from the Liver into sugar in the blood. Bones support the musculature of the

body. If the Water is insufficient, there is demineralization which causes

muscle cramps, coldness, vertigo. Water becoming Wood too easily causes an

accumulation of hormones in the blood and the subject becomes willful and

domineering. "

 

Is anyone familiar with this book? It first came out in '95 I think, but

there's a 2001 revision.

 

Catherine

[Guest guest]

One of the many paths that lead me to TCM (besides the taoist philosophy,

martial arts, longevity for siritual enlightment, heal for the hell of it,

the profit is in the pudding or Tang of it) is the poetry. As for the few

pieces you quote, my impressions are, anything that is able to wed poetry

especially TCM poetry to a subject I would not, could not digest can

stretch my imagination as far as the reality based universe goes - until

It, Da Qi an De Intuition becomes apparent to my gestalt. And then I can

see that science and poetry are the same because they begin in awe and the

devil is in the detail.

It stirs my imagination and probably yours too.

 

 

 

>Catherine Hemenway <chemenway

>

> " "

> Yves Requena book on Botanical Medicine

>Thu, 07 Jun 2001 22:08:39 -0700

>

>Hi Todd et al,

> re the discussion on the relationship between biomedicine and Chinese

>medicine:

>

>I just started reading Botanical Medicine: A European Professional

>Perspective by Dan Kenner and Yves Requena. They discuss western herbs and

>essential oils from the point of view of several whole-system models used

>in

>European botanical therapy, including Five Phase theory. They discuss each

>phase in biomedical terms, for instance, in discussing Earth:

>

> " The Spleen is synonymous with the lymph system and the upper

>digestive

>tract. It is the enzyme headquarters of the body. Digestion takes place not

>only in the gut, but peripherally throughout the body in the form of

>macrophage (literally, 'big eater') activity, and in the antigen-antibody

>reaction. Many of the enzymes used in the digestive tract are found outside

>the gut participating in these functions.

> Like Mother Earth, the Spleen or lymph system is the nourishing and

>protecting mechanism for the cells that live in the tissue fluid. It is

>moistening, nourishing, digestive, soft and warm. The direction of Earth is

>the center. The Spleen is truly the center of activity, the actual location

>of the terrain. It feeds the cells and carries away their waste products

>and

>permeates all systems of the body to a depth that no other system can. "

>

>I find the correspondences with the biomedical view of physiology

>interesting and sometimes helpful though sometimes I wonder if they are

>stretching it a bit to make it fit. Here's another one:

>

> " Water Creates Wood: Adrenal secretions trigger the conversion of glycogen

>from the Liver into sugar in the blood. Bones support the musculature of

>the

>body. If the Water is insufficient, there is demineralization which causes

>muscle cramps, coldness, vertigo. Water becoming Wood too easily causes an

>accumulation of hormones in the blood and the subject becomes willful and

>domineering. "

>

>Is anyone familiar with this book? It first came out in '95 I think, but

>there's a 2001 revision.

>

>Catherine

>

>

 

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