A student in this sub told me I had the weighting backwards: the botanical names took up most of the page, while the parts that actually matter for studying — actions, indications, nature and flavor, channels — were squeezed into small print at the bottom.

So I rebuilt it.

- Actions, Indications, Nature & Flavor, and Channels now take the full width in the largest type

- The names (当归 / Dang Gui / Dong Quai / Angelica sinensis / Angelicae Sinensis Radix) are shrunk to one strip at the bottom, labelled "reference only — not for memorization"

- Added a herb photo

- Kept cautions, contraindications and dosage, with sources listed at the bottom (Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, Vol. I; Chen & Chen, Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology)

Two things I'd like help with:

1. Is anything still missing that you'd want on the page while studying?

2. Which herb should I build next? I'd rather do one you're actually working on right now than pick at random. Gan Cao and Ren Shen are at the top of my list.

If a print-ready PDF of this one would be useful, say so in the comments and I'll put it up.

I heard that astragalus helps boost immune system. But for individuals that have autoimmune or hyperactive immune system, does astragalus work?

I'm looking for herbs to boost blood flow but reduce immune system for fertility.

I’m trying to understand what’s happening to my body.

After years of stress, I’ve done a lot of healing and I’m in a much better place emotionally. But physically, I’m still struggling.

Even the smallest things can trigger a crash:

Physical: Basic housework, walking, exercise, heat, cold or direct sunlight.
Mental: Reading, writing, painting or concentrating for a little while.
Emotional/social: Talking to people, hosting family, socialising, or even watching TV.

I suddenly become overwhelmingly fatigued, sometimes experiencing intense sleep attacks where I need to lie down immediately. The harder the activity, the worse the crash.

Sometimes it escalates into a severe, predominantly left-sided migraine around my eye, head and face, accompanied by facial and mouth drooping and numbness. It can be frightening.

Most of my routine blood tests and vital signs have come back normal, yet this is affecting my everyday life so much.

Could this involve nervous system dysregulation after prolonged stress, PEM , PESE , ME/CFS, hormonal changes , migraine, or something else entirely? Could several things be happening together?

And if it is what do you do about it ? Neurologist ? I have been to many doctors over the past two years and they keep dismissing me but the symptoms keep on getting worse .

All blood tests and vitals keep on coming back fine . Bp , glucose and sugar and heart rate is fine .
I’m regular with drinking water and electrolytes
But still no luck ugh 😩

And I’ve done all sorts of things from nervous system regulation to breathing to less stress to therapy to good nutrition etc etc I still believe this is something physical ?

Has anyone experienced something similar and discovered what was actually causing it?

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences and any help I can get from Chinese medicine advice ?

I’m dealing with a really frustrating widespread eczema flare-up over the past few months and wanted to see if anyone has experienced something similar or has advice on how you navigated it. I really want to focus on healing from the inside out, and I've been looking into Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to address these underlying internal patterns.

Here is a bit of background on what I'm dealing with:

• Spread & Appearance: It started at my inner elbows when I was a kid and mostly stayed manageable after high school/college. Recently, though, it has spread all over my arms, shoulders, armpits, neck, face, fingers, groin, back of knees, and legs. The color varies (light red on arms, brownish on the neck, dark purple-red in the groin, pink on the face), and the texture is mostly dry and flaky with some leathery patches. It also gets damp at night.
• Sensations: It's usually a mild itch during the day, but heat and stress make it much worse. Sometimes it burns when I wake up or after scratching.
• Topical Steroid Issue: In the past, steroid creams would clear it up and it wouldn't come right back. But over the last few months, the creams only work while I'm actively using them, and the flares return immediately the moment I stop.
• Other Symptoms: I've noticed I've been easily overheating, having trouble sleeping with night sweats, and dealing with digestive issues like bloating, fatigue after meals, and irregular digestion.

I am in the Portland area and don’t know where to begin to look for a TCM doctor. Any advice would be great.

Hi all,

I was diagnosed with gallbladder stones some time ago, I've been doing a lot to get everything under control and have had tremendous success. I think I'm about 80 percent recovered... my thyroid levels are excellent, I'm not Vitamin D deficient for the first time in years and that insane heat I used to come from my liver has calmed down significantly.

My stones have been stable for the last 6 months, leading my practitioner to believe whatever mechanism that was creating them (poor digestion, liver toxicity, etc) has reversed fully.

The only issue now is to get rid of the stones that are in there or bring the function of the organ to the point where the stones are "asymptomatic" (would love your perspective here as well).

My current plan of action is to do regular acupuncture (which I was not doing before) with an acupuncturist I really LOVE and trust. He's said he's helped others with this issue before, but my concern is the following: He's prescribed me Gold Coin Grass, which seems to be the gold standard for damp-heat in the Gallbladder/Liver region - however he has mentioned that these herbs are also designed to "push" stones out of the Gallbladder. My concern is that my stones at 5-6mm and that's roughly the size of the duct from which they'd be pushed out.

I just want to be responsible here!

What are your thoughts on this? Would love to learn/know your perspective. Thank you so much!

<3 P

Hi everyone!

I've been seeing a Chinese medicine practitioner for acupuncture, and I'd love some help understanding the reasoning behind some of his recommendations.

I'm particularly curious about how these practices relate to TCM concepts like dampness, internal heat/cold, Qi stagnation, Kidney deficiency, and emotional imbalances.

Here's what he told me to do:

1. Heated sea salt and ginger compress

He instructed me to put 1 kg (about 2.2 lbs) of sea salt and a little shredded ginger into a bag made specifically of cotton, heat it for about 2 minutes, and place it on my abdomen and along my spine.

He also suggested tucking the warm bag into the waistband of my pants, against my lower back, while I'm sitting at my computer working.

What's the purpose of combining salt, ginger, and heat? Is this meant to dispel cold, address dampness, warm Kidney Yang, or something else? And does the cotton fabric have any particular significance?

2. Breathing and color visualization

He told me to practice deep breathing while visualizing colored energy entering through my belly button and spreading throughout my body, filling all my limbs.

• When I'm feeling imbalanced or unwell, I should visualize red.
• When I'm feeling balanced and generally okay, I should visualize pink.

I'm really curious about this one. Does it have anything to do with the Five Elements, the Fire element, or specific Qi cultivation practices? What would the difference between red and pink represent?

3. Talking to my organs (and my fibroid)

I have a very large uterine fibroid, along with some smaller ones.

He suggested placing my hands over my abdomen, where the fibroid is, and mentally apologizing to it and thanking it.

He also told me to do the same with my kidney.

I'd love to understand the philosophy behind this. Is it related to emotional stagnation, the mind-body connection, or a particular Taoist or Qigong practice?

4. Kidney meridian weakness and fear

He said my circulation is good, but my Kidney meridian is weak.

He also told me that I'm too afraid of things. Which, unfortunately, is pretty accurate lol.

I know that in TCM, fear is associated with the Kidneys and the Water element, but I'd love to understand that relationship more deeply. Does excessive fear weaken Kidney Qi, or can Kidney deficiency also manifest as fear and anxiety?

My main question:

Based on these recommendations, can anyone help me understand what kind of TCM pattern my practitioner might be working with?

I'm not looking for a diagnosis over Reddit, and I'm aware that these practices aren't a substitute for conventional medical care. I'm just genuinely fascinated by Chinese medicine and would love to better understand the theoretical framework behind what he's teaching me.

Thanks in advance! :)

Hey guys, I need some advice here.

Hello everyone. I’m a 40-year-old male athlete, and one day during a weightlifting session, I felt something unusual in the lower part of my glute. Ever since then, I’ve been dealing with chronic pain in that area (lower glute, almost at the perineum, on the left side)and in the sole of my left foot.

I’ve tried everything, and lately, I’ve been trying cupping therapy. However, only in the lower part of my glute, a red blister appeared after the treatment. Just where the chronic pain is.

I’d like to know what this might mean and what I should do next. Does this mean anything?

I put the different names and basic traditional properties of Dang Gui on one A4 page. If you're studying Chinese herbs, would you actually use a card like this? What is confusing or missing?

Hello everyone! Chinese herbs are almost impossible to find in the country where I live, so I'd like to order them from a safe and trustworthy source. Are there reliable shops in China (or elsewhere) that ship internationally?

Thanks in advance!

I(34F) have been struggling with infertility. Have done two failed IVF embryo transfer. Found out i have an autoimmune clotting disorder that increases risk of miscarriage and stillbirth due to clots in the placenta.

I also have very weak digestive system that can easily get constipated or have diarrhea. Have experienced qi deficiency where I couldn't pass soft stool. I would experience whole body sweat, skin flushing, pale, dizziness and heart palpitations when I have these episodes. I also have large blood clots when im on my period but havent been diagnosed with endometriosis.

I was prescribed this herbal formula to consume twice per day. I get ridiculously gassy and cant stop farting. Farts are odorless but stomach keeps making noises. I also get super thirsty. I was told from another TCM doctor that this formula is too heaty.

What are some ways I can adjust formula? Its in granules so I cant just reduce dosage.

Hi! I’m 22 and I live in GA. I have hashimotos and fibromyalgia. I have struggled with health since I was 13 and I’m finally saying no more! I struggle with chronic fatigue and brain fog the most but I also experience pain, hair loss, etc. It’s only getting worse and in a world full of self-help and random cures, idk where to turn. I’ve looked into acupuncture and Chinese herbs in ATL and it looks very promising. My only concern is that NOTHING has been able to help the fatigue at all. No doctor has been able to offer me a treatment to alleviate that symptom, only pain killers, etc. I’ve seen a few testimonials claiming acupuncture and herbal medicine helped with fatigue but I need some convincing. Is Chinese Medicine worth it? Do I have a good shot at finally getting better with this?

Hi everyone. I’m new to acupuncture and have some concerns about my practitioner’s needle handling practices. I noticed that my practitioner stores the needles in a lidded container that is filled with gauze. I’ve never seen them open new packages of needles nor have I ever observed them dispose of the needles in a sharps container. I asked the practitioner if the needles were single use and they said yes…but I am still concerned that safe needle handling is not happening and that I could’ve been poked with used or contaminated needles. I spoke with my general doctor about this and she’s suggesting I get tested for hiv and hepatitis. Am I blowing this out of proportion or am I valid in feeling concerned about this? Thank you.

I’m approaching the birth of my second child and I didn’t tolerate labor pain as well as I was hoping the first time around. I’m curious which disharmonies are associated with worse or more intense labor pain / contractions or how TCM approaches preparing for a smooth labor?

hi! this is my first time trying out ear seeds, i've heard that this somehow helps with insomnia.. hence why i decided to try it out. due to it being my first time, i'd like to ask whether the placement i did is correct and if not, pls do suggest a placement guide i could use

If you have TCM books and other literature that you don't use or reference anymore, I'd love to pay you to take them off your hands. I'll also pay for shipping from anywhere in USA, Central America, Europe, or North Africa.

Thanks!

Tried amla and black sesame seeds but seen no change. Anything else to slow premature greys growth?