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Leo Lok is a practitioner and independent scholar of Chinese medicine. As a native speaker of multiple Chinese languages and a fluent reader of premodern texts, he is passionate about transmitting ancient knowledge and perspectives to a modern audience which he does through his online platform, Voices of Our Medical Ancestors. In this interview, recorded in April 2024, Leo talks with the editor of the Journal of Chinese Medicine, Daniel Maxwell, about aspects of textual transmission, acupuncture styles, needle retention and how to make progress along the path of Chinese medicine.

A literature review was performed to determine the evidence-based effectiveness of the ancient traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) ‘Surrounding the Dragon’ (SD) acupuncture technique for different types of health conditions. A total of 40 articles published between 1992 and 2023 were retained. The quality of each article was assessed based on a pilot methodology, the overall risk of bias index (ORBi). Only 7 articles out of the 40 obtained an ORBi score that indicated high quality evidence, while 5 articles were medium quality and 28 low quality. High and medium quality articles provide evidence of the SD’s effectiveness for treating dermatological manifestations such as chloasma, acute herpes zoster, post-herpetic neuralgia, pressure sores, skin ageing, skin wounds and non-segmental vitiligo. The SD technique can also be effective for the treatment of other dermatological manifestations, as well as for mastitis and a number of musculoskeletal and neurovascular conditions, particularly if combined with other therapeutic modalities. This systematic review also shows a convergence of biomedical research results with the TCM theorised effects of the SD technique.

This article is a translation of the water pattern chapter from Professor Liu Duzhou’s concise yet powerful work, Shang han lun lin zheng zhi yao伤寒论临证指要 (Essential Points on Clinical Patterns in the Shanghan Lun). The initial sections offer insights into the concept and emergence of water-related pathologies, as well as discussions on the primary presentations and treatment approaches. The remaining portions of the chapter will appear in a future edition of the Journal of Chinese Medicine.

This article explores the formula Dìng Zhì Wán 定志丸 (Settle the Emotions Pill) from a historical perspective, documenting the individual constituents, before sharing the author’s experience of using it both personally and with patients in the clinic.

Eye diseases are becoming more widespread as the cohort born post-World War II enters their sixth and seventh decades of life. Age-related ophthalmic diseases are likely to become more common in acupuncture practices over the coming years. The English-language literature on Chinese medicine ophthalmology is relatively scarce, especially with regard to primary sources. Discussions of the aetiology and pathogenesis of eye diseases are historically common in books of traditional pharmacotherapy, but relatively rare in texts devoted to acumoxa therapy. To help offset this gap in the literature, this paper presents the discussions on eye diseases and treatment found in Zhēn Jiǔ Féng Yuán (Encountering the Origins of Acumoxa), a Qīng-era acumoxa manual, and offers an English-language rendering and brief commentary on the texts.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an illness that can be triggered by the use of almost any class of medication. Although some cases of DILI are resolved without intervention, some can cause liver cirrhosis or jaundice. In the presented case, Professor Huang Huang demonstrates the use of two classical prescriptions – Yin Chen Hao Tang (Virgate Wormwood Decoction) and Yin Chen Wu Ling San (Virgate Wormwood and Five-Ingredient Powder with Poria) – in the treatment of a 52-year-old female who arrived in clinic with jaundice, a symptom of DILI, after self-medicating with herbs for a case of COVID-19. Professor Huang successfully resolved the jaundice. The client’s yellow complexion gradually faded, and her liver function laboratory results returned to normal range. Yin Chen Hao Tang and Yin Chen Wu Ling San are both used to treat jaundice, but at different stages. Each prescription has its own fang-zheng (formula pattern). To achieve the maximum effect of the prescription, fang-zheng differentiation is key.