Formula Writing

[Guest guest]

Geoff wrote:

>>>I'd like to share how my herb teacher, Sara Bayer, taught our herb &

formula class.  Herbs and formulas were taught on two different days.

In the begining, we were taught formula by formula, herb by herb,

following Bensky.  We would get a little bit of information about the

herbs that we didn't know when we had a formula. <<<

 

In our school--Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture--the herb instruction has been based on the program from what I believe is called the Institute of Chinese Herbal Medicine, by Reese and Morris. This program seems similar to the above, with the teaching categorized beginning with Qi Tonics, and that being first an intro to the field, then various important qi supplementing herbs and herbs from other categories that go into the main qi supplementing formulas--Si Jun Zi Tang, Liu Jun Zi Tang, Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang, and Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang. The next category is Blood Tonics, then Kidney Tonics, Liver Herbs, and so on. What I like about this approach is that it integrates things probably in much the same way apprentices have learned directly from masters throughout the ages. And it leaves room for some interesting diagnostic discussions. The person who founded the school learned her herbs this way and was so jazzed by it that she insisted on this being the format for her school.

 

However, this format has two serious drawbacks. Firstly, the herbal students in our school mostly need serious remedial work on their herb categorization. The way they were introduced to the herbs leaves them remembering the formulas well but the individual herbs not-so-well. Perhaps our teaching is faulty, but we do keep hammering the categories at them each time herbs are mentioned. Secondly, students who transfer in from other TCM colleges with previous herbal training don't fit anywhere. And our students who transfer out don't fit elsewhere either. Please refer to my previous post on this topic for what I have decided is the best approach. I must say I do like the idea of simultaneously teaching an individual herb class and a formula class, but perhaps the initial formula class in such a setting should be a dui yao class.

Joseph Garner

[Guest guest]

I believe that this is an important step as formulas are a bunch of DuiYao's that address a unique syndrome. Dui Yao's are like treatmentprinciples. These are the building blocks of formulas.>>>And some styles such as Dr Lai (founders of ACTCM) only practice in that way. He almost never mention a "formula" (except when doing book lecture) but combination of herbs as they relate to a patient. Although this style was looked down upon by most of my teachers in China, after all these years I find myself using this style of herbal med 80% of the time

Alon