Pursuing the Elixir of Life Chinese Medicine for Health 10365hc_9789813207035_tp.indd 1 17/10/16 2:13 PM b2530 International Strategic Relations and China’s National Security: World at the Crossroads TTTThhhhiiiissss ppppaaaaggggeeee iiiinnnntttteeeennnnttttiiiioooonnnnaaaallllllllyyyy lllleeeefffftttt bbbbllllaaaannnnkkkk b2530_FM.indd 6 01-Sep-16 11:03:06 AM Pursuing the Elixir of Life Chinese Medicine for Health Hong Hai MD, PhD Karen Wee BSc(Hons), BMed Nanyang Technological University and The Renhai Clinic, Singapore World Scientific NEW JERSEY • LONDON • SINGAPORE • BEIJING • SHANGHAI • HONG KONG • TAIPEI • CHENNAI • TOKYO 10365hc_9789813207035_tp.indd 2 17/10/16 2:13 PM Published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Hong, Hai, 1943– author. | Wee, Karen, author. Title: Pursuing the elixir of life : Chinese medicine for health / by Hong Hai and Karen Wee. Description: New Jersey : World Scientific, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016047614| ISBN 9789813207035 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9789813207042 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: | MESH: Medicine, Chinese Traditional | Acupuncture Therapy Classification: LCC RM184.5 | NLM WB 55.C4 | DDC 615.8/92--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016047614 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Copyright © 2017 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher. For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher. Printed in Singapore JQuek - Pursuing the Elixir of Life.indd 1 25-10-16 10:09:18 AM 9”x6” b2709 Pursuing the Elixir of Life: Chinese Medicine for Health Preface The title of the book reflects the perennial hope of Man to find the Elixir of Life that confers on him longevity if not also immor- tality. Immortality remains a distant dream, even though high- powered biomedical scientists believe they are getting close to understanding why we age and look to the prospect of quan- tum leaps in life extension. For the humbler Chinese physicians, the elixir of life is the practice of life cultivation or yangsheng that enables us to live in good health up to the natural limit of the human lifespan, declared by the ancient medical classic the Huangdi Neijing to be around a hundred years. The main theme of this book revolves around yangsheng. We hope it will enable the reader to take the first step toward achieving health and longevity. v b2709_FM.indd 5 10/25/2016 12:42:45 PM b2709 Pursuing the Elixir of Life: Chinese Medicine for Health 9”x6” vi Pursuing the Elixir of Life: Chinese Medicine for Health This book has been compiled from lectures to many batches of participants in courses run by the authors over the years. It sets out in plain language what we have found to be a difficult subject to teach in English, not only because many terms in Chinese medicine do not translate well into other languages, but also on account of the concepts and ideas in Chinese medicine being deeply intertwined with culture and philosophy. Nevertheless, the continuing good attendance of our courses encourages us in the conviction that no subject, however diffi- cult, cannot be explained in simple terms if the instructor has thought deeply about it and teaches it with a passion. We begin the book with a few introductory chapters on the principles of Chinese medicine before delving into the secrets of health cultivation and longevity. As this is an introductory book, no attempt has been made to define terms in a rigorous manner that would satisfy the Chinese medical scholar. Instead we have taken liberties to explain the subject in such a manner that a person who a basic knowledge of science can relate to its concepts and methods and make use of them in daily living. This book can be read together with its companion volume Principles of Chinese Medicine: A Modern Interpretation (Imperial College Press) by Hong Hai, which treats the theory of Chinese medicine in greater depth and discusses the scientific and philosophical aspects of Chinese medicine. We would like to thank Imperial College Press for permission to adapt some materials from that volume for use in this book. We are also grateful to our editor Ms Joy Quek for her meticulous and tire- less effort bringing out the book. Hong Hai Karen Wee 30th September 2016 b2709_FM.indd 6 10/25/2016 12:42:45 PM 9”x6” b2709 Pursuing the Elixir of Life: Chinese Medicine for Health Contents Preface v Chapter 1 From Spirits to Natural Science 1 The origins of Chinese medicine Chapter 2 Why Chinese Medicine Matters 7 Ten distinguishing characteristics of TCM Chapter 3 The Precious Ingredients of Life 22 Basic substances in the body Chapter 4 The Inner Workings of the Human Body 28 A unique narrative drawn from experience Chapter 5 Why We Fall Ill 45 Diagnosis and principles of therapy vii b2709_FM.indd 7 10/25/2016 12:42:45 PM b2709 Pursuing the Elixir of Life: Chinese Medicine for Health 9”x6” viii Pursuing the Elixir of Life: Chinese Medicine for Health Chapter 6 Hope Springs Eternal 62 Ancient wisdom on the elixir of life Chapter 7 Nature’s Goodness in a Humble Root 69 The nature and flavour of herbs Chapter 8 Potions That Heal 83 Herbs and herbal formulations Chapter 9 Navigating the Body’s Meridian Network 107 Acupuncture and Tuina Chapter 10 Attaining Longevity and Vitality 119 The art and science of cultivating life Chapter 11 Medicated Foods and Teas 137 Healthy recipes that please the gourmet Chapter 12 Nip It in the Bud 153 The prevention and management of chronic diseases Chapter 13 A Brave New World 171 Will TCM and biomedicine converge? Annex 1 Common Chinese Herbs 179 Annex 2 Common Chinese Prescriptions 201 Annex 3 Glossary of Common Names of Herbs 209 References 219 Additional Information on TCM 221 Index 222 b2709_FM.indd 8 11/30/2016 6:33:49 PM 9”x6” b2709 Pursuing the Elixir of Life: Chinese Medicine for Health Chapter 1 From Spirits to Natural Science The origins of Chinese medicine Glamorous Hong Kong Phoenix TV hostess Liu Hairuo was seriously injured in a British train accident in May 2003, suffer- ing severe multiple fractures to her ribs and damage to her head, liver, lungs and spine. She underwent several surgeries at the Royal Free Hospital in London but remained in a coma on life-support. British doctors conjectured she was brain dead and were prepared to pull the plug and end her life. 1 b2709_Ch-01.indd 1 10/25/2016 12:35:20 PM b2709 Pursuing the Elixir of Life: Chinese Medicine for Health 9”x6” 2 Pursuing the Elixir of Life: Chinese Medicine for Health Her grieving family refused to give up and decided to seek an alternative in Chinese medicine. A month after the accident she was admitted to Beijing’s Xuanwu Hospital. An astonishing miracle happened. After receiving treatment with a combination of Chinese and Western medicines, Liu Hairuo regained con- sciousness, made a full recovery and resumed her career, with the additional mission of speaking and writing about her experi- ence of Chinese medicine snatching her from the gates of death. One of the key medications used to treat Liu was the hum- ble Angong Bezoar or angong niuhuang wan (安宫牛黄丸), a common traditional resuscitative medication used to revive patients who faint from excessive stress or exposure to heat, also often used in Chinese hospitals for patients in the immedi- ate aftermath of a stroke. In the SARS world epidemic in 2002, the average mortality rate was 12–25% in countries outside China, compared to an estimated 7% in China where a combination of Chinese herbal medications and Western drugs were used.1 There are numerous impressive anecdotes of the power of Chinese medicine to cure unusual illnesses, as well as millions of patients throughout the world who seek and find Chinese medical cures for both acute and chronic illnesses. Such accounts give comfort to Chinese physicians and their patients. Their belief in the efficacy and scientific nature of Chinese medicine is frequently challenged by Western medical practi- tioners, who may be uninformed about Chinese medicine and therefore view it with scepticism over its safety and efficacy. In fairness and to be more convincing, Chinese physicians need to view the successful results of Chinese therapy with 1 Report of the International Expert Meeting to review and analyse clinical reports on combination treatment for SARS (2004) referenced in http://apps. who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js6170e/3.html (retrieved 8 September 2016). b2709_Ch-01.indd 2 10/25/2016 12:35:21 PM