The Great Traditional Chinese Medicine Physician Closest to Our Time

After reading "Treatise on Cold Damage" and "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet", and then reading "Record of Syndrome Differentiation", one will have already developed the thinking process for differentiating syndrome types.

Many people at this stage are already able to handle common ailments.

To further improve our skills, we would like to recommend another book: Zhang Xichun's "Records of Chinese and Western Medicine in Combination".

"Records of Chinese and Western Medicine in Combination" is a classic work of modern Chinese medicine clinical practice.

The author, Zhang Xichun, is known as "the foremost expert on classical Chinese medicine formulas in modern times".

The book is based on traditional Chinese medicine, with appropriate reference to Western medical physiology and pathology, and includes a large number of modified classical prescriptions, original effective prescriptions, and real medical cases.

It is completely different from the article-style writing of the previous three ancient books.

It's more like a practical notebook, with theories, methods, and complete case studies.

What are the benefits of reading this book?

First, we should revitalize the use of classical prescriptions and break away from the limitations of "blindly adhering to the original prescriptions".

The first three books mainly teach the standard usage of classic prescriptions, while Zhang Xichun was most skilled at modifying classic prescriptions to expand their application scope.

For example, White Tiger Decoction not only treats excessive heat in the Yangming channel, but also febrile diseases and postpartum fever; Cinnamon Twig Decoction not only treats external stroke, but also regulates various internal diseases.

His additions and subtractions all have clear indications, and are supported by medical records.

With a foundation in classical prescriptions, reading these materials will immediately open up new avenues of thought, allowing one to understand the specific practice of "adapting prescriptions to symptoms," and moving beyond simply copying the original prescriptions.

Second, it fills gaps in medical records and exposes patients to real clinical scenarios.

Previous classics and the "Record of Syndrome Differentiation" mainly focused on syndrome types and prescriptions, lacking a complete diagnosis and treatment process.

This book contains hundreds of real medical cases, detailing every step from initial symptoms, diagnostic reasoning, prescription composition, to follow-up adjustments and post-treatment summaries.

It's like following a clinician throughout the entire clinical process, connecting the scattered knowledge points learned before into real cases, and solving the problem of "understanding everything from books but getting confused in clinical practice".

Third, from the perspective of integrating Chinese and Western medicine, we thoroughly explain the underlying logic of traditional Chinese medicine.

Zhang Xichun did not use obscure classical Chinese; he used plain language to explain medical principles. He also used Western medical theory to verify the views of traditional Chinese medicine. For example, he used vascular circulation to explain blood stasis and nerve function to explain liver wind.

With the foundation of pure TCM theory laid in the preceding text, these interpretations will not lead you astray. On the contrary, they will help you ground abstract TCM concepts in reality, gain a more thorough understanding, and broaden your diagnostic and treatment approaches.

Studying this book involves two main aspects: learning how to adapt classic formulas and how to create your own core formulas.

The focus should be on his application of modifications to commonly used formulas in "Treatise on Cold Damage" and "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet," and then on mastering representative formulas such as Raise the Sinking Decoction, Calm the Liver and Extinguish Wind Decoction, and Regulate the Chong Decoction.

These prescriptions are all extensions of the classical prescription approach, corresponding to common syndromes such as qi deficiency and sinking, liver yang hyperactivity, and blood stasis, and can directly replenish your clinical ammunition.

Second, pay attention to the details of diagnosis and medication in medical records.

When reading medical case records, pay attention to two key points:

First, there are differentiating points for similar diseases. For example, why is ephedra used in some cases of asthma while astragalus is used in others?

Secondly, the logic for adjusting medication dosage, such as how to increase the dosage for severe cases and how to decrease the dosage for mild cases.

Understanding these details thoroughly is far more useful than memorizing a hundred recipes.

Third, we must focus on a practical understanding of medical principles.

Don't get hung up on the form of combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine; focus on learning his pragmatic approach to explaining medical principles.

For example, when discussing the efficacy of commonly used medicines such as astragalus, yam, and gypsum, the explanations are based on clinical experience, avoiding empty theoretical discussions, and helping you to truly connect the medicinal properties with clinical practice.

Why mention this book last?

It's about ensuring that everyone treats traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine equally.

Don't show favoritism.

Don't dismiss traditional Chinese medicine as feudal superstition; Western medicine is all good.

Either Western medicine is a rip-off, or traditional Chinese medicine is pure nonsense.

Let's see what everyone has to say.

Therefore, there is no need to worry that "integrating Chinese and Western medicine" is not authentic.

The core of this book is always the TCM syndrome differentiation, with Western medicine serving only as an auxiliary explanatory tool; its essence remains the classical formula system.

With the solid foundation laid by the first three books, reading this one will only deepen your understanding and prevent you from going astray.

In addition, be sure to read more medical case studies.

The essence of this book lies in its diagnostic approach and the details of its medical cases.

When reading this book, you should compare it with previous classics as you read. For example, when you see him using Chengqi Decoction, recall the symptoms of Chengqi Decoction in the Treatise on Cold Damage. Compare and verify them with each other. Only in this way can you truly internalize it.