A RETURN TO

THE CLINICAL POWER

OF OUR ROOTS

Classical Chinese Herbal

Alchemy
 Classical Pearls

A Division of Hai Shan Center, Inc.

P.O. Box 402
Corbett, OR 97019
U.S.A

Tel: 503.695.2985
Fax: 503.695.2968
www.classicalpearls.org

The Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas product line is an organic offspring of Dr.
Heiner Fruehauf's prolific career in the research, teaching, and practice of Chinese
medicine. Heiner is at the forefront of a global movement to return to the true roots
of Chinese medicine.

Heiner Fruehauf, Ph.D., L.Ac. is the Founding Professor of the School of Classical
Chinese Medicine at National College of Natural Medicine, and the clinical director of
the Hai Shan Center for Natural Healthcare. He is an experienced herbal practitioner
who has specialized in the treatment of chronic and difficult diseases for two
decades. He is also an international author/lecturer who stands at the forefront of a
global movement aimed at restoring the clinical efficacy of Chinese medicine by
deepening the understanding of its theoretical foundation. Classical Pearls represents
the culmination of his clinical and scholarly experience, as well as the passing of an
herbal legacy through him and the many master practitioners he encountered during
a life-time of research in China and Japan.
 To relieve the suffering of ones time, there is no greater
path than medicine. Within it, nothing is more effective
than the prescription of herbs.

Imperial Patent Formulary to Aid the People

(Taiping huimin heji jufang) 1107

Herbal medicine was once the only modality to cure serious diseases. Today, the intricate
alchemical principles and the experience based approach of traditional herbal science has become
overshadowed by laboratory parametersoften to the detriment of clinical results. It is the mission
of Classical Pearls to launch a return to the classical and clinic-based roots of Chinese herbal
medicine:

Emphasis on the alchemical integrity of classical formulas

Focus on the synergistic fusion effect of herb combining
Integrating the deepest classical level of understanding organ network physiology
Attention to inherent yin-yang balance in formula design
Flexible, experience based modification approach that addresses the clinical problems of our
day
Preservation of effective herbal approaches that are in danger of getting lost
Highest standards of ingredient purity
Promotion of traditional alchemical growing technique

OUR FORMULAS

Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas are unique herbal formulations designed for the treatment of
chronic diseases in modern-day practice. They represent the culmination of two decades of research
by noted Chinese medicine scholar and herbalist, Heiner Fruehauf, Ph.D.

Each formula batch is tested in independent laboratories for heavy metals, pathogenic
bacteria, and pesticide/herbicide residues.
All formulas are highly concentrated to a ratio of 10:1 or higher to minimize the number of
capsules patients need to consume.
All formulas are produced in cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice) facilities in the
U.S. and China.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPLICATIONS INDEX

GU FORMULAS

THUNDER PEARLS PAGE 1

LIGHTNING PEARLS PAGE 3

DRAGON PEARLS PAGE 5

WOOD

BAMBOO PEARLS PAGE 7

MOON PEARLS PAGE 9

EASE PEARLS PAGE 11

EVERGREEN PEARLS PAGE 13

FIRE

MAMA PEARLS PAGE 15

PEACE PEARLS PAGE 17

HEART PEARLS PAGE 19

LOVE PEARLS PAGE 21

COUNTERFLOW PEARLS PAGE 23

EARTH

VITALITY PEARLS PAGE 25

GINKGO PEARLS PAGE 27

EARTH PEARLS PAGE 29

TIGER PEARLS PAGE 33

SUGAR PEARLS PAGE 35

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

METAL

PERILLA PEARLS PAGE 37

GOLDEN PEARLS PAGE 39

WIND PEARLS PAGE 41

GLACIER PEARLS PAGE 43

WATER

OX BONE PEARLS PAGE 45

GUANYIN PEARLS PAGE 47

OCEAN PEARLS PAGE 49

FUZI GRANULES

FUZI PAGE 51

RESOURCES

Professional Development Activity

Sacred Chants

Driving Out Demons and Snakes, Gu Syndrome, A Forgotten Clinical Approach

to Chronic Parasitism

Treating Chronic Inflammatory Diseases with Chinese Herbs: An Interview with

Heiner Fruehauf on the Practical Applications of Gu Syndrome

Thunder Pearls: An Effective Chinese Herbal Treatment for Chronic Parasitism

The Importance of Aconite (fuzi) & Teachings From the Sichuan Fire Spirit School

Qianyang Dan - A Key Formula in the Sichuan Fire School (An In-Depth Interview
with Heiner Fruehauf)
 APPLICATIONS INDEX*
([ ] = formulas appear in order of importance with page numbers referenced)

--A--
Acid reflux (GERD); Symptom complex of [Counterflow23, Gingko27, Earth29]
Acne pustules & other suppurative skin conditions [Golden39, Perilla37, Lightning3, Earth29, Wind41]
Adrenal imbalances; menopausal [Peace17, Love21 Heart19, Guanyin47]
Airline travel (prevention of colds, food poisoning and jet lag) [Earth29, Lightning3, Perilla37]
Allergic asthma [Wind41, Earth29, Golden39]
Allergic rhinitis [Wind41, Golden39]
Allergic skin and mucous membrane reactions [Wind41, Golden39]
Allergies (due to inflamed mucous membranes) in late-stage cold situations [Golden39, Wind41]
Allergies affecting ears, eyes, and nose; spring-time [Ease11, Wind41, Golden39]
Alzheimers [Evergreen13, Gingko27, Earth29, Vitality25, Love21]
Amenorrhea [Moon9, Evergreen13, Earth29]
Amoebic dysentery [Thunder1, Dragon5, Earth29]
Anemia [Earth29, Moon9, Evergreen13]
Anemia; pernicious [Vitality25]
Anemia; aplastic [Tiger33, Sugar35]
Anxiety/Depression; cyclical [Peace17, Ease11, Vitality25, Earth29, Gingko27]
Anxiety/Depression; pre-menopausal [Peace17, Moon9, Ease11]
Anxiety/Depression; post-menopausal [Guanyin47, Vitality25, Peace17]
Anxiety; due to chronic adrenal stress and/or central nervous system imbalance [Peace17]
Arthritis; rheumatoid arthritis [Bamboo7]
Asthma; allergic [Wind41, Earth29, Golden39]
Atherosclerosis [Evergreen13, Heart19, Gingko27, Earth29]
--B--
Babesiosis [Lightning3, Thunder1, Dragon5]
Bacteria infections [Dragon5, Golden39, Perilla37]
Bacterial infections; intestinal [Thunder1, Lightning3, Dragon5]
Bladder infections; acute [Dragon5]
Blood pressure; high [Counterflow23, Evergreen13, Heart19]
Blood sugar imbalances [Sugar35, Vitality25]
Bone fractures; acute stage (zero to six weeks) [Ox Bone45]
Bone fracture; chronic stage (two month+ recovery) [Bamboo7, Ox Bone45]
Bone spurs [Bamboo7, Ox Bone45, Earth29]
Brain disorders; degenerative (MS, Parkinsons, etc.) [Evergreen13, Gingko27]
Breath; shortness of [Vitality25, Heart19, Guanyin47]
Brittle nails; menopausal [Guanyin47, Moon9]
Bronchitis; acute [Perilla37, Golden39, Dragon5]
Bronchitis; chronic [Earth29, Golden39, Perilla37, Glacier43]
*These products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Please note that our products are formulated according to classical
Chinese alchemical principles. References to modern disease names in this presentation are intended to convey a general idea of how these classical
principles might be applied in a modern clinical context. This should not be understood as a claim on our part that the Classical Pearls products
treat, cure, or prevent these conditions.
 APPLICATIONS INDEX*
([ ] = formulas appear in order of importance with page numbers referenced)

Bulging discs [Bamboo7, Ox Bone45, Evergreen13]

--C--
Cancer; bladder [Ocean49]
Cancer; brain [Gingko27, Evergreen13, Mama15]
Cancer; cervical [Ocean49, Moon9, Mama15]
Cancer; esophageal, throat, nasopharyngeal [Gingko27]
Cancer; heart [Mama15, Glacier43]
Cancer; lung [Glacier43]
Cancer; kidney [Ocean49]
Cancer; ovarian [Ocean49, Mama15]
Cancer; prostate [Ocean49]
Cancer; protection of tissues & mucous membranes during radiation and chemotherapy [Glacier43]
Cancer; support of conventional skin and colon therapy [Glacier43]
Cancer; female (breast cancer, ovarian cancer) [Mama15]
Cancer; stomach [Gingko27]
Cancer; support of conventional therapy in patients with tumors in the upper part of the body,
especially the lung, neck, and throat [Glacier43]
Cancer; uterine [Moon9, Ocean49, Mama15]
Cervical dysplasia [Moon9, Mama15]
Chemotherapy; ease side-effects of [specific to cancer types see above]
Cholesterol; elevated [Counterflow23, Sugar35, Heart19]
Chronic fatigue syndrome [Lightning3, Thunder1, Earth29, Vitality25]
CMV [Lightning3, Dragon5]
Cold/Flu (especially in elderly patients) [Earth29, Golden39, Perilla37, Wind41]
Cold; common [Perilla37, Golden39, Earth29, Wind41, Ease11]
Colitis; chronic [Wind41, Earth29, Thunder1, Ease11, Tiger33]
Constipation; chronic [Tiger33]
Crohns disease [Earth29, Wind41, Thunder1, Ease11, Tiger33]
Cushings Syndrome [Ginkgo, Evergreen13]
Cysts; breast [Ease11, Mama15, Earth29]
Cysts; kidney [Ocean49, Earth29]
Cysts; ovarian [Ocean49, Moon9]
--D--
Deep vein thrombosis [Evergreen13, Heart19]
Dengue Fever and other infections by tropical pathogens [Lightning3, Thunder1, Dragon5]
Depression/Anxiety; cyclical [Ease11, Earth29, Gingko27, Vitality25]
Diabetes (type II), Pre-diabetes, and other sugar diseases [Sugar35, Heart19]
*These products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Please note that our products are formulated according to classical
Chinese alchemical principles. References to modern disease names in this presentation are intended to convey a general idea of how these classical
principles might be applied in a modern clinical context. This should not be understood as a claim on our part that the Classical Pearls products
treat, cure, or prevent these conditions.
 APPLICATIONS INDEX*
([ ] = formulas appear in order of importance with page numbers referenced)

Digestive weakness; chronic [Earth29, Vitality25]

Dry eyes; menopausal [Moon9, Guanyin47, Sugar35]
Dysmenorrhea [Moon9, Earth29]
--E--
Eating disorders [Gingko27, Counterflow23, Earth29, Ease11]
Edema [Heart19, Earth29]
Emotional volatility; menopausal [Moon9, Guanyin47, Vitality25, Earth29, Ease11]
Emphysema; prevention of further degeneration and symptom relief in patients with [Earth29,
Glacier43, Vitality25]
Encephalitis [Lightning3, Dragon5, Ease11]
Endometriosis [Moon9, Evergreen13, Mama15]
Epididemitis [Ocean49, Golden39, Earth29, Mama15]
Erectile dysfunction [Love21, Heart19, Vitality25]
--F--
Fibroid; uterine [Moon9, Mama15]
Fibroids, breast; prevention of malignant development of [Mama15, Ease11, Moon9, Earth29]
Fibromyalgia [Lightning3, Bamboo7, Earth29, Thunder1]
Food allergies/sensitivities [Vitality25, Earth29, Wind41]
Food poisoning [Earth29]
Frozen neck/shoulder [Bamboo7, Evergreen13, Ox Bone45]
Fungal infections (candida, aspergillus, mucor racemosus, etc.) [Thunder1, Earth29, Vitality25, Ease11]
--G--
Gas/Bloating [Ease11, Earth29, Vitality25, Sugar35]
Gastritis; chronic [Ginkgo, Counterflow23, Earth29, Vitality25]
Gonorrhea [Ocean49, Dragon5]
Gu Syndrome (chronic parasitism; first and second stage of treatment [Thunder1, Lightning3,
Dragon5, Earth29 Bamboo7, Ease11]
Gu Syndrome (chronic parasitism); second and third stage of treatment [Vitality25, Earth29, Tiger33,
Sugar35]
--H--
Hair loss; menopausal [Guanyin47, Moon9, Vitality25]
Headache/Migraine [Ginkgo, Ease11, Earth29]
Heel pain [Bamboo7, Earth29, Ox Bone45]
Hepatitis; acute, hepatitis A [Ease11, Dragon5]
Hepatitis; chronic (hepatitis B/C) [Ease11, Counterflow23, Mama15, Sugar35]
Herniated discs [Bamboo7, Ox Bone45]
Herpes; simplex and Zoster [Lightning3, Perilla37, Dragon5]

*These products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Please note that our products are formulated according to classical
Chinese alchemical principles. References to modern disease names in this presentation are intended to convey a general idea of how these classical
principles might be applied in a modern clinical context. This should not be understood as a claim on our part that the Classical Pearls products
treat, cure, or prevent these conditions.
 APPLICATIONS INDEX*
([ ] = formulas appear in order of importance with page numbers referenced)

Herpes; genital [Ocean49, Lightning3, Dragon5]

Hormone replacement; an alternative option to conventional therapy [Love21, Guanyin47, Vitality25]
Hot flashes; menopausal [Guanyin47, Moon9, Vitality25, Peace17]
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) [Ocean49, Dragon5, Sugar35]
Hypothyroidism [Vitality25, Guanyin47, Love21]
--I--
Impotence [Love21, Heart19, Vitality25, Sugar35]
Infertility (in males/females with signs of deficiency [Vitality25, Moon9, Love21]
Infertility (in young males/females with sufficient hormone counts) [Ease11, Earth29]
Injuries; external including fractures [Ox Bone45, Bamboo7]
Insomnia [Peace17, Vitality25, Ease11]
Intercostal neuralgia [Ease11]
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) [Thunder1, Earth29, Ease11, Tiger33]
--K--
Kidney failure [Tiger33, Heart19, Sugar35, Ocean49, Ease11, Earth29]
Kidney infections; acute (pyelonephritis) [Dragon5, Ocean49]
Kidney infections; chronic (glomerulonephritis) [Heart19, Earth29, Sugar35]
--L--
Leaky gut syndrome [Earth29, Tiger33]
Leukorrhea [Earth29, Moon9]
Leukemia [Dragon5, Ease11]
Libido, reduction in; female [Love21, Guanyin47, Moon9, Vitality25, Heart19, Sugar35]
Libido, reduction in; male [Love21, Vitality25, Heart19, Sugar35]
Listeriosis [Lightning3, Thunder1, Dragon5]
Liver cancer [Mama15, Glacier43, Ocean49, Sugar35]
Liver cirrhosis [Ease11, Earth29, Mama15, Evergreen13, Ocean49, Counterflow23]
Loss of energy, menopausal [Moon9, Guanyin47, Vitality25]
Lumbago [Bamboo7, Ox Bone45, Evergreen13, Earth29]
Lyme disease (borreliosis) [Lightning3, Thunder1, Dragon5, Bamboo7, Earth29]
Lymphatic swelling [Perilla37, Ease11, Dragon5, Lightning3, Thunder1]
Lymphoma [Ease11, Dragon5, Perilla37]
--M--
Malaria [Ease11, Lightning3, Dragon5]
Malaria; for prevention during journeys to tropical areas [Lightning3]
Menieres syndrome [Earth29, Golden39, Evergreen13]
Meningitis [Lightning3, Dragon5, Ease11]
Menopause, Hot Flashes [Ease11, Guanyin47, Moon9]

*These products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Please note that our products are formulated according to classical
Chinese alchemical principles. References to modern disease names in this presentation are intended to convey a general idea of how these classical
principles might be applied in a modern clinical context. This should not be understood as a claim on our part that the Classical Pearls products
treat, cure, or prevent these conditions.
 APPLICATIONS INDEX*
([ ] = formulas appear in order of importance with page numbers referenced)

Menopause; all symptoms of [Moon9, Guanyin47, Vitality25, Love21]

Menstruation; chronic spotting [Moon9, Earth29]
Menstruation; heavy bleeding [Moon9, Earth29]
Menstruation; irregular [Moon9, Earth29, Ease11]
Menstruation; painful [Moon9, Evergreen13, Heart19]
Microcirculation issues [Heart19, Evergreen13]
Morning sickness [Earth29, Ginkgo]
MS [Evergreen13, Gingko27, Heart19]
Myeloma; multiple [Tiger33, Ocean49, Glacier43, Dragon5]
Myocarditis; viral [Perilla37, Golden39 Lightning3, Dragon5, Heart19]
--N--
Nausea and dizziness in chemotherapy patients [Ginkgo, Earth29, Heart19]
Nausea and/or dizziness in patients with brain tumors or brain chemistry imbalances [Gingko27]
Nausea [Ease11, Gingko27, Earth29]
--O--
Obesity [Earth29, Sugar35, Heart19, Vitality25]
Obsessive compulsive disorders [Ginkgo, Earth29, Ease11, Lightning3]
Osteoporosis [Vitality25, Ox Bone45, Guanyin47, Love21]
--P--
Palpitations; due to chronic adrenal stress and/or central nervous system imbalance [Peace17,
Vitality25, Gingko27]
Parkinsons [Evergreen13, Gingko27, Heart19]
Plumpit Syndrome [Ease11, Earth29]
PMS breast distention [Ease11]
Premature ejaculation (primarily in elderly men) [Love21, Heart19, Vitality25]
Protozoan infections (amoeba, giardia, blastocystis, toxoplasma) [Thunder1, Lightning3, Dragon5,
Earth29]
Pulmonary heart disease [Earth29, Heart19, Vitality25, Glacier43]
--R--
Rabies [Lightning3, Thunder1, Dragon5]
Radiation; see cancer remedies
Respiratory syndrome; chronic degenerative [Glacier43, Earth29, Vitality25]
Rhinitis, allergic [Wind41]
Rocky Mountain fever [Lightning3, Thunder1, Ease11, Dragon5]
Running Piglet Syndrome [Ease11, Earth29, Guanyin47, Ocean49]
--S--
Sciatica [Bamboo7, Evergreen13]

*These products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Please note that our products are formulated according to classical
Chinese alchemical principles. References to modern disease names in this presentation are intended to convey a general idea of how these classical
principles might be applied in a modern clinical context. This should not be understood as a claim on our part that the Classical Pearls products
treat, cure, or prevent these conditions.
 APPLICATIONS INDEX*
([ ] = formulas appear in order of importance with page numbers referenced)

Scleroderma [Bamboo7, Glacier43, Wind41, Evergreen13, Gingko27, Peace17]

Shingles [Lightning3, Peace17, Dragon5]
Shortness of breath [Heart19, Vitality25, Earth29]
Shoulder-Arm Syndrome [Bamboo7, Evergreen13, Earth29]
Sinus infections [Golden39, Dragon5, Wind41]
Skin problems; chronic/recalcitrant [Lightning3, Thunder1, Earth29, Counterflow23, Dragon5]
Skin; dry and wrinkling; menopausal [Guanyin47, Moon9, Vitality25, Heart19]
Sleep, restless, menopausal [Guanyin47, Peace17, Vitality25, Moon9]
Sore throat [Perilla37, Dragon5]
Sprirochetal infections [Lightning3, Thunder1, Dragon5]
Staphylococci infections [Golden39, Dragon5]
Stomach and duodenal ulcers [Gingko27, Counterflow23, Ease11, Earth29]
Streptococci infections [Perilla37, Golden39, Dragon5]
Stroke prevention & post-stroke paralysis [Evergreen13, Heart19]
Sugar imbalances [Sugar35, Heart19, Earth29, Vitality25]
Syndrome X [Sugar35, Heart19, Earth29, Vitality25]
--T--
Tendon/ligament injuries [Ox Bone45, Bamboo7]
Thinning of vaginal tissues; menopausal [Guanyin47, Love21]
Thyroid imbalances; menopausal [Vitality25, Guanyin47]
Thyroid; hyper-function [Ease11]
Thyroid; hypo-function [Vitality25, Guanyin47, Earth29]
Tick bites; for after the bite [Lightning3, Dragon5]
Tooth aches & tooth abscesses [Golden39, Dragon5]
Tremors; age-related [Evergreen13, Gingko27]
--U--
Ulcer; mouth (in spleen deficient patients) [Vitality25, Earth29]
Ulcerative colitis [Earth29, Wind41, Glacier43]
Ulcerative colitis; accompanied by constipation [Tiger33]
Ulcerative colitis; triggered by stress [Ease11]
--V--
Varicoceles [Ocean49]
Varicose veins [Evergreen13, Heart19, Sugar35]
Vascular degeneration; Prevention of, and other age related problems [Heart19, Evergreen13]
Virus; chronic [Lightning3, Thunder1, Dragon5, Ocean49]

*These products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Please note that our products are formulated according to classical
Chinese alchemical principles. References to modern disease names in this presentation are intended to convey a general idea of how these classical
principles might be applied in a modern clinical context. This should not be understood as a claim on our part that the Classical Pearls products
treat, cure, or prevent these conditions.
 I
THUNDER PEARLS
Su He Tang Jia Jian 1

A unique remedy for the important clinical phenomenon of Abdominal Gu

Syndrome*: difficult and treatment resistant diseases (such as IBS, chronic fatigue,
fibromyalgia) caused by chronic, often undiagnosable parasitic infections of the
digestive system. Sourced from ancient Daoist medicine texts, proven many times in
modern clinical practice.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Nourish terrain and soothe digestive system in patients with Abdominal Gu Syndrome
using anti-microbial tonic herbs; kill parasites, bacteria, and fungi; harmonize stagnation and
inflammation in the digestive tract; reduce abdominal pain and discomfort; regulate BM.

INDICATIONS:
Chronic abdominal discomfort after travel to Asia, Africa, or South America
Chronic gas/bloating; alternating diarrhea/constipation; strangely formed BM
Chronic feeling of exhaustion and lack of reserves
Frontal headaches (typically food related), blurry vision, food allergies, brain fog
Restlessness, anxiety/depression; insomnia; vivid dreaming, nightmares
Sensation of possession (I want my life back)
Grimy tongue coating; weak (yet occasionally wiry/tight on right hand) pulse

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Protozoan infections (amoeba, giardia, blastocystis, toxoplasma)
Fungal infections (candida, aspergillus, mucor racemosus)
Bacterial infections (enterococcus, e-coli, salmonella, klebsiella)
Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome; IBS, chronic colitis

ALTERNATE/DIFFERENTIATE:
Alternate with Lightning Pearls (Thunder Pearls 3 weeks, Lightning Pearls 1 week)
For Brain Gu Syndrome (chronic nervous system inflammation), primarily use Lightning
Pearls (Lightning Pearls 3 weeks, Thunder Pearls 1 week)
For prevention during travel to areas with high parasitism, use Thunder Pearls 2x/day; for
travel to malaria infested areas, use Lightning Pearls 1x/day, Thunder Pearls 1x/day
For yang deficient patients, combine with Vitality Pearls.
For yang deficient patients with anxiety/insomnia, combine with Peace Pearls.
For yang deficient patients with menstrual problems, combine with Moon Pearls.

1
 () JINYINHUA (CHAO) (Lonicera, roasted Jiajian
ZISUYE (Perilla leaf) Su He
BAIZHI (Angelica) Tang
DANGGUI (QUAN) (Tang-kuei)
CHUANXIONG (Ligusticum)
HUANGQI (Astragalus)
GANCAO (SHENG) (Licorice)
BAIHE (Lily)
HUANGJING (Polygonatum root)
SANLENG (Sparganium)
EZHU (Zedoaria)
DINGXIANG (Clove)

KUSHEN (Sophora root) reduce

SHECHUANGZI (Cnidium fruit) inflamm.
GUANZHONG (Dryopteris) in digest.
BAIBIANDOU (Dolichos) system

2
 II
LIGHTNING PEARLS
Su He Tang Jia Jian 2

A unique remedy for the important clinical phenomenon of Brain Gu Syndrome":

difficult and treatment-resistant diseases caused by viral and spirochetal infections of
the nervous system (such as Lyme disease, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain fever).
Sourced from ancient Daoist medicine texts, proven many times in modern clinical
practice.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Nourish terrain and soothe nervous system in patients with Brain Gu Syndrome using anti-
microbial tonic herbs; kill viruses, spirochetes, protozoan parasites and other microbes
invading the brain; reduce inflammation in the nervous system; increase micro-circulation in
the brain; reduce pain.

INDICATIONS:
Chronic debilitating joint and muscle pain (cyclical); permanent state of exhaustion
Chronic flu-like symptoms; chronic headaches (cyclical), brain fog
Restlessness, anxiety, insomnia; sensation of possession (I want my life back)
Grimy and stubborn tongue coating; weak (yet occasionally aggravated or tight) pulse

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Lyme disease, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain fever; malaria, Dengue fever
Chronic coxsackie virus, meningitis, encephalitis; rabies, listeriosis
Herpes, shingles, CMV; chronic/recalcitrant skin problems that worsen with stress
Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic viral malaise after prolonged cold/bronchitis (incl. viral myocarditis)
For prevention during journeys to tropical (malaria) areas, or after tick bites

ALTERNATE/DIFFERENTIATE:
Alternate with Thunder Pearls (Lightning Pearls 3 weeks, Thunder Pearls 1 week)
For Abdominal Gu Syndrome (chronic intestinal parasites), primarily use Thunder Pearls
(Thunder Pearls 3 weeks, Lightning Pearls 1 week)
For prevention during travel to malaria and parasite-prone areas, use Lightning Pearls 1x/day,
Thunder Pearls 1x/day
For patients with arthritic changes or pronounced symptoms of body pain, combine with
Bamboo Pearls.
For yang deficient patients, combine with Vitality Pearls.
For yang deficient patients with anxiety/insomnia, combine with Peace Pearls.
For yang deficient patients with menstrual problems, combine with Moon Pearls.
For patients with obvious lymphatic congestions and/or shaoyang symptoms, combine with
Ease Pearls.

3
 BAIZHI (Angelica) Jiajian
JINYINHUA (Lonicera) Su He
LIANQIAO (Forsythia) Tang
DANGGUI (QUAN) (Tang-kuei)
CHUANXIONG (Ligusticum)
WUJIAPI (Acanthopanax)
BAIHE (Lily)
QINGHAO (Qinghao)
YUJIN (Curcuma)
ZELAN (Lycopus)

XUANSHEN (Scrophularia) reduce

TUFULING (Smilax) inflamm.
SHICHANGPU (Acorus) in brain
XUDUAN (Dipsacus) and
YINXINGYE (Gingko leaf) nerv. sys.

4

DRAGON PEARLS
Linglong Shagui Dan

A formula for anti-biotic and anti-viral uses.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Clear toxic heat in acute cases of aggressive inflammation
Transform damp heat and toxic phlegm
Reduce fevers and cyclical spikes in temperature
Alleviate pain by dispelling wind damp and opening blocked collaterals

INDICATIONS:
Acute pain in joints and/or connective tissue
Stinging pain in urethra and/or lower back
Fever
Puss, skin lesions
Jaundice

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Lyme disease (borreliosis) and other sprirochetal infections
Malaria, Dengue Fever and other infections by tropical pathogens
Amoebic dysentery and other protozoan infections
Infections by streptococci, staphylococci and other bacteria
Acute kidney infection (pyelonephritis); acute bladder infection
Hepatitis A

DIFFERENTIATE:
For acute stages of Lyme disease or other infections of the nervous system, combine with
Lightning Pearls
For acute stages of amoebic dysentery or other infections of the intestinal tract, combine
with Thunder Pearls
For acute stage of hepatitis (accompanied by jaundice), combine with Ease Pearls
For acute strep. or staph. infections affecting the sinuses, combine with Golden Pearls
For acute strep. infections affecting the tonsils, combine with Perilla Pearls
For acute stages of inflammatory types of joint/muscle pain, combine with Bamboo Pearls

5
 QINGDAI (Indigo) Dai Ge San
HAIGEFEN (Cyclina) (clear heat and toxins
in blood)

YINCHENHAO (Capillaris) Yinchenhao

ZHIZI (Gardenia) Tang
(cooked) DAHUANG (Rhubarb) (clear damp heat)

HUANGQIN (Scutellaria) Xiexin Tang

HUANGLIAN (Coptis) (clear yangming heat)

CAOWU (Aconitum Sini Tang

kusnezoffii, prep.) (soothe pain,
SHENGJIANG (Ginger, fresh) open collaterals,
GANCAO (Licorice) balance cold
effect of other herbs)

GUIJIANYU (Euonymus Daoist anti-demon herb

alatus) (fights bacteria, viruses,
spirochetes, parasites
with its anti-Gu and
blood moving effects)

6

BAMBOO PEARLS
Shenjin Guizhi Shaoyao Zhimu Tang

Addresses chronic pain in joints and extremities as well as chronic pain from past
injuries and fractures. Effective for arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, frozen
neck/shoulder, and bone spurs.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Alleviate pain by dispelling wind damp, warming the channels, diffusing stagnation, and
opening blocked collaterals; calm the nervous system by nourishing yin and clearing localized
auto-immune heat

INDICATIONS:
Chronic pain in joints and/or extremities
Chronic pain associated with old fractures/injuries

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
Pronounced body pain or arthritic changes accompanying Lyme disease
Frozen neck/shoulder
Bulging or herniated discs
Bone spurs
Sciatica; heel pain
Chronic stage of bone fracture (2 Month+) recovery, and tendon/ligament injuries

DIFFERENTIATE:
For acute injuries to the bone, tendons, and connective tissue, use Ox Bone Pearls
For fractures that have not healed after 2 months, combine with Ox Bone Pearls

7
 GUIZHI (Cinnamon twig) Guizhi
BAISHAO (Peony, white) Shaoyao
ZHIMU (Anemarrhena) Zhimu
FUZI (Aconite, processed) Tang
SHENGJIANG (Ginger, fresh)
BAIZHU (Atractylodes, white)
FANGFENG (Siler)
GANCAO (Licorice)

WUJIAPI (Acanthopanax) eliminate

SANGJISHENG (Loranthus) wind damp,
SHENJINCAO (Lycopodium) alleviate pain

DILONG (Earthworm) open blocked

collaterals

8

MOON PEARLS
Jiao Ai Lizhong Tang

A formula for resolving pelvic congestion and regulating the menstrual cycle.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Break down abdominal masses by resolving pelvic congestion; regulate menstrual timing and
blood flow; move blood and transform cold damp; tonify SP/KD yang and LR blood

INDICATIONS:
Menstrual problems in yang/blood deficient individuals
Benign abdominal masses, especially in females
Hot flashes and other symptoms of perimenopause
Chronic auto-immune problems of all kinds, including digestive issues

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Irregular menstruation, painful menstruation; chronic spotting, heavy bleeding
Uterine fibroids; ovarian cysts; cervical dysplasia; endometriosis
Leukorrhea
Amenorrhea
Anemia
Perimenopause

DIFFERENTIATE:
For menopausal women with obvious signs of liver qi stagnation, use Ease Pearls
For post-menopausal women use or combine with Guanyin Pearls
For malignant tumors in the breasts, uterus, or ovaries, use Mama Pearls
For cervical dysplasia, combine with Mama Pearls
For damp cold leucorrhea, combine with Vitality Pearls
For damp heat leucorrhea, combine with Thunder Pearls
For low libido, combine with Love Pearls

9
 FUZI (Aconite, processed) Fuzi Lizhong
PAOJIANG (Ginger, roasted) Tang
BAIZHU (Atractylodes, white)
SANQI (Pseudoginseng)
ZHI GANCAO (Licorice, baked)

AIYE (Artemisia) Jiao Ai Tang

EJIAO (Gelatin)
(QUAN) DANGGUI (Tang-kuei)
BAISHAO (Peony, white)
CHUANXIONG (Ligusticum)

QIANCAO (Rubia) transform abd. stasis,

SANLENG (Sparganium) control bleeding
EZHU (Zedoaria)

10

EASE PEARLS
Fufang Xiaoyao San

An effective formula to address depression, mood swings, and digestive discomfort.

Can be applied to PMS breast distention, menopause hot flashes, plumpit and
running piglet syndromes, nausea, and low grade headache.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Alleviate depression, mood swings and digestive discomfort by harmonizing shaoyang and
removing stagnation of qi/dampness; reverse pathological qi flow; tonify qi, yin and blood.

INDICATIONS:
Congestion in LIV/GB channels; Shaoyang Syndrome
General sensation of physical and emotional stuckness; depression, mood swings
Digestive discomfort (nausea; poor appetite; gas/bloating; diaphragm congestion; abdominal
pain)
Unclear head, clogged sensory orifices
Tongue: with thin white (or slightly yellowish) coat, often no coating on sides
Pulse: tendency for fine/wiry pulse on left side, soggy pulse on right side

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Cyclical depression/anxiety
PMS; breast distention
Menopause; hot flashes
Plumpit Syndrome; Running Piglet Syndrome
Nausea; low grade headache/migraine (especially if affecting temple or eye region)
Eating disorders
Intercostal neuralgia
Chronic hepatitis (hepatitis B/C)
(Shaoyang/spring-time) allergies affecting ears, eyes, and nose; lymphatic swelling
Gas/bloating; IBS; mild cases of ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease
Infertility (in young males/females with sufficient hormone counts)

DIFFERENTIATE:
For menopausal symptoms in yang/blood def. individuals, use Guanyin Pearls
For allergies with taiyang involvement, use Wind Pearls
For digestive symptoms due to parasites, combine with Thunder Pearls
For chronic headaches and lymphatic swelling caused by inflammation of the nervous system
(i.e., Lyme disease), use (or combine with) Lightning Pearls
For chronic hepatitis in yang deficient individuals, use Mama Pearl

11
 CHAIHU (Bupleurum) Xiaoyao San,
BANXIA (Pinellia) Xiao Chaihu Tang,
BEISHASHEN (Glehnia) Banxia Houpo Tang,
HUANGQIN (Scutellaria) Maimendong Tang,
DAZAO (Jujube) Huangqin Tang
SHENGJIANG (Ginger, fresh)
BAISHAO (Peony, white)
(QUAN) DANGGUI (Tang-kuei)
ZISUYE (Perilla leaf)
BAIZHU (Atractylodes, white)
FUSHEN (Fushen)
HOUPO (Magnolia bark)
MAIMENDONG (Ophiopogon)
GANCAO (Licorice)

12

EVERGREEN PEARLS
Danggui Jiunao Tang

For degenerative brain disorders (Parkinsons, MS, Alzheimers, sclerosis of cerebral

blood vessels).

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Increase microcirculation in the brain by opening jueyin channels and related cerebral
collaterals
Increase microcirculation in vascular system and extremities by warming and moving blood
Calm tremors, spasms, and involuntary movements by tonifying blood and extinguishing
internal wind
Control blood pressure by reducing upflaring liver yang and moistening kidney yin

INDICATIONS:
Loss of memory, loss of cognitive function
Loss of motor movement control; tremors, spasms
Pain in extremities, atrophy of extremities
General indicators of jueyin syndrome: cold hands and feet, pale/purplish tongue, lopsided
pulse pattern (or deep and weak, or deep and wiry pulse)

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Parkinsons, MS, Alzheimers and other degenerative brain disorders
Stroke prevention and post-stroke paralysis
Atherosclerosis
Deep vein thrombosis; varicose veins
Age-related tremors
Peripheral neuropathy; Reynauds syndrome; sciatica; frost bite

DIFFERENTIATE:
For pronounced headaches, nausea, and dizziness, combine with Gingko Pearls
For brain tumors, use Gingko Pearls
For heart disease, atherosclerosis, and chronic phase of post-stroke recovery, combine with
Heart Pearls
For diabetic neuropathy, combine with Sugar Pearls and/or Tiger Pearls
For high blood pressure, acid reflux, and elevated cholesterol, combine with Counterflow
Pearls
For constipation, combine with Tiger Pearls
For arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or frost bite, use or combine with Bamboo Pearls
For varicoceles, use Ocean Pearls

13
 DANGGUI (WEI) (Tang-kuei tail) Danggui Sini
GUIZHI (Cinnamon twig) Tang
BAISHAO (Peony, white)
TONGCAO (Tetrapanax) Buyang Huanwu
DAZAO (Jujube) Tang
GANCAO (Licorice)
HUANGQI (Astragalus)
DILONG (Earthworm)

SHICHANGPU (Acorus) open heart orifice,

YINXINGYE (Gingko leaf) cross blood-brain
JIXUETENG (Millettia) barrier, increase
MOYAO (Myrrh) microcirculation in
brain and extremities
GOUTENG (Gambir) calm tremors, subdue
MAIMENDONG (Ophiopogon) upflaring yang, moisten yin,
TIANMENDONG (Asparagus) prevent auto-immune
reactions

14

MAMA PEARLS
Danggui Sini Tang Jiawei

Constitutional support for breast disease patients. A complex modification of the

classical remedy Danggui Sini Tang, with anti-toxin and anti-accumulation ingredients.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Move, warm, and nourish jueyin pericardium/liver network; break down accumulations
formed by blood stasis and toxic phlegm in hormonally compromised individuals.

INDICATIONS:
Masses and accumulations, especially in middle-aged females
Deep (occasionally weak/soggy) pulse; pale (occasionally dusky) tongue body
Weak constitution; cold hands and feet; all manifestations of jueyin syndrome.
Deep state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion
History of menstrual problems; history of heartbreak

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Constitutional support for female cancers (breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer,
cervical cancer)
For constitutional support of those with liver cancer, liver cirrhosis
Prevention of malignant development of breast fibroids
Ease side-effects of chemotherapy and/or radiation

ALTERNATE/DIFFERENTIATE:
For constitutional support of those with breast cancer, alternate with Glacier Pearls
(Mama Pearls 3 weeks, Glacier Pearls 1 week)
For constitutional support of those with cancers of the respiratory tract or lymphatic
system, use Glacier Pearls

15
 DANGGUI (WEI) (Tang-kuei tail) Danggui Sini
GUIZHI (Cinnamon twig) Tang
CHISHAO (Peony, red)
BAISHAO (Peony, white)
DAZAO (Jujube)
TONGCAO (Tetrapanax)
GANCAO (Licorice)

TAOREN (Persica) break up

HONGHUA (Carthamus) blood stasis

HUZHANG (Polygonum cusp.) clear toxic heat

XIAKUCAO (Prunella) (anti-cancer)

(ZHE) BEIMU (Fritillaria thunb.) reduce masses

(QUAN) GUALOU (Trichosanthes fruit) and toxic phlegm

16

PEACE PEARLS
Suanzao Qianyang Dan

A formula that includes exceptional 19th and 20th century remedies for anxiety and
insomnia.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Soothe the Heart by reversing upward qi flow, and fortifying the Kidneys ability to store
yang and ground the shaoyin network; calm shen by nourishing Heart blood and removing
phlegm from the Heart orifice; eliminate restlessness by clearing localized heat from the
Heart.

INDICATIONS:
Anxiety
Insomnia
Palpitations
Pulse: weak

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Anxiety, insomnia, and palpitations due to chronic adrenal stress and/or autonomic nervous
system imbalance

DIFFERENTIATE:
For depression/anxiety accompanied by obvious shaoyang or liver qi stagnation symptoms,
use Ease Pearls
For anxiety/insomnia during menopause, combine with Guanyin Pearls
For anxiety/insomnia caused by nervous system inflammation (i.e., Lyme disease), combine
with Lightning Pearls
For anxiety/insomnia caused by intestinal parasites, combine with Thunder Pearls

17
 FUZI (Aconite, processed) Qianyang Dan
PAOJIANG (Ginger, roasted) (Submerge Yang Pellet;
SHAREN (Amomum) 19th century formula for
BEISHASHEN (Glehnia) all sympt. of flushing up
ZHI GANCAO (Licorice, baked) due to inab. to store yang)

SUANZAOREN (Zizyphus) Suanzaoren Tang

ZHIMU (Anemarrhena)
CHUANXIONG (Ligusticum)
FUSHEN (Poria Fushen)

DANGGUI (Tang-kuei) Anmian Tang

KUSHEN (Sophoroa root) (exp. 20th century remedy
YEJIAOTENG (Polygonum vine) for insomnia)

18

HEART PEARLS
Shengmai Guxin Tang

A formula for chronic debilitating disease of heart and kidneys.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Enhance fluid metabolism and microcirculation by tonification of yang qi in Heart and Lung;
moisten Heart, Lung, Liver, and Kidney yin; prevent cardiomyopathy, heart failure, kidney
failure and other forms of core system degeneration by moving Heart and Liver blood and
purging cellular toxicity

INDICATIONS:
Degeneration of heart and vascular system; chronic heart disease
Degeneration of kidneys; chronic kidney disease

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Shortness of breath
Edema (due to degeneration of heart and kidneys)
High cholesterol levels
Microcirculation issues
Prevention of vascular degeneration and other age related problems
Stroke prevention and post-stroke recovery in yang deficient individuals

DIFFERENTIATE / PRECAUTIONS:
Prescribe in small amounts only for patients who take blood thinning drugs
For acute stage of inflammation of the heart or pericardial tissues, use Lightning Pearls
For chronic stage of heart or pericardial tissue inflammation, combine with Lightning Pearls
For menopausal problems, combine with Guanyin Pearls
For decreased libido, combine with Love Pearls
For pronounced palpitations, combine with Peace Pearls

19
 FUZI (Aconite, processed) Zhenwu Tang,
CHISHAO (Peony, red) Fuzi Lizhong Tang
SHENGJIANG (Ginger, fresh)
(CHI) FULING (Poria, red)
BAIZHU (Atractylodes, white)
SANQI (Pseudoginseng)
ZHI GANCAO (Licorice, baked)

MAIMENDONG (Ophiopogon) Shengmai San

WUWEIZI (Schizandra)

DANSHEN (Salvia) reduce cholesterol,

(ZHI) HESHOUWU (Heshouwu, baked) chest discomfort

TAOREN (Persica) improve microcirculation,

HONGHUA (Carthamus) prevent cellular degen. in
() (JIU) DAHUANG (Rhubarb, alcohol vascular system, heart,
processed) liver, and kidneys

20

LOVE PEARLS
Yangshen Fuyang Dan

An alchemical formula based on Daoist folk remedies and Sun Simiaos Thousand
Ducat Formulas, indicated for decreasing sexual drives and functions in middle-aged
to elderly men and women.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Invigorate flagging yang; tonify essence of Kidney and Liver; strengthen hormonal vitality and
calm nerves

INDICATIONS:
Decreasing sexual function in middle-aged or elderly men and women
Decreased sexual drive in menopausal or elderly men and women
Atrophy of sexual tissues
Other symptoms of essence deficiency in old age

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Impotence, erectile dysfunction
Premature ejaculation (primarily in elderly men)
Reduced libido, libido impairment
Osteoporosis
Hypothyroidism
Alternative option to conventional hormone replacement therapy

DIFFERENTIATE:
For peri-menopausal women, combine with Moon Pearls
For post-menopausal women, combine with Guanyin Pearls
For osteoporosis and hypothyroidism, combine with Vitality Pearls
For patients with heart or blood vessel disorders, combine with Heart Pearls
For patients with anxiety, combine with Peace Pearls

21
 YANG WAISHEN (Goat testes) alchemical formula
NIQIU (Dojo loach) based on Daoist folk
WUWEIZI (Schizandra) remedies and Sun
TUSIZI (Cuscuta) Simiaos Thousand
YINYANGHUO (Epimedium) Ducat Formulas
CISHI (Magnetite)

22

COUNTERFLOW PEARLS
Xuanfu Yiguan Jian

A formula for high blood pressure, acid reflux, and high cholesterol.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Reverse counterflow of qi in stomach channel
Nourish heart and liver yin, prevent upflaring of heart and liver yang
Soften sclerotic tissues in stomach, liver, and heart

INDICATIONS:
Tendency to high blood pressure
Acid reflux
Elevated cholesterol levels
Chronic belching and/or hiccups
Digestive headaches (in yin deficient constitutional types)
Chronic liver problems affecting digestive function
Stomach pain/discomfort
Vision problems

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Symptom complex of acid reflux (GERD), high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol
Chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis
Ulceration and/or sclerosis of stomach lining

DIFFERENTIATE:
For reflux problems or stomach ulcers accompanied by pronounced abdominal pain or
migraine headaches, use or combine with Gingko Pearls
For heart disease and/or vascular problems in elderly patients, use or combine with Heart
Pearls

23
 XUANFUHUA (Inula) Xuanfu Daizhe Tang
DAIZHESHI (Hematite)
BANXIA (Pinellia)
SHENGJIANG (Ginger, fresh)
DAZAO (Jujube)
BEISHASHEN (Glehnia)
GANCAO (Licorice)

GOUQIZI (Lycium fruit) Yiguan Jian

MAIMENDONG (Ophiopogon)
CHUANLIANZI (Melia)

DANSHEN (Salvia) Danshen Yin

SHAREN (Amomum)

XIAKUCAO (Prunella) reverse counterflow

HESHOUWU (Polygonum) of qi, neutralize reflux,
ZHENZHU FEN (Pearl powder) balance blood pressure,
calm spirit

24

VITALITY PEARLS
Jianyang Dan

General yin/yang tonic, to be used in end phase of any treatment for chronic disease.
Also designed to support yang deficient individuals through treatment cycles for
excess disorders, such as Gu Syndrome (debilitating parasitic disorders, such as
Lyme disease; to be used in combination with Thunder and/or Lightning Pearls)

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Tonify yang qi in post-natal (taiyin) and pre-natal (shaoyin) organ systems; strengthen bones
and prevent osteoporosis; balance endocrine system (esp. thyroid) and stabilize blood sugar;
eliminate residual parasites, stabilize vitality of terrain (needed at tail end of treatment plan
for most patients recovering from chronic illness)

INDICATIONS:
Fatigue (often accompanied by inner restlessness)
General state of yang deficiency after/during recovery from chronic disease
Prior history of parasite/yeast infections
Gas/bloating

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Second and third stage of Gu Syndrome (chronic parasitism) treatment
Osteoporosis
Chronic digestive weakness; food allergies; mouth ulcers
Blood sugar imbalances
Hypothyroidism

DIFFERENTIATE:
For earlier stages of Abdominal Gu (digestive parasitism) treatment, combine with Thunder
Pearls
For earlier stages of Brain Gu (nervous system inflammation) treatment, combine with
Lightning Pearls
For endocrine imbalances due to menopause, use or combine with Guanyin Pearls
For chronic weakness in bones, tendons, and connective tissue due to history of injuries,
combine with Ox Bone Pearls

25
 FUZI (Aconite, processed) Fuzi Lizhong Tang
GANJIANG (Ginger, dried)
BAIZHU (Atractylodes, white)
WUJIASHEN (Siberian ginseng)
GANCAO (Licorice)

BAIHE (Lily) anti-parasite/yeast;

HUANGJING (Polygonatum root) calm nervous system

YINYANGHUO (Epimedium) strengthen bones

BUGUZHI (Psoralea)

HUANGLIAN (Coptis) balance formula temp.

clear localized ST heat

26

GINKGO PEARLS
Wuzhuyu Jiajian Tang
Addresses chronic dizziness and nausea (chemotherapy; brain cysts or tumors; chronic nervous system
inflammation; ideopathic causes), pathological relationship to food and eating (including eating disorders),
chronic migraine headaches, and addictive tendencies.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Harmonize jueyin channel networks and regulate brain chemistry via the connection of the
digestion/brain axis
Reverse counterflow of qi due to cold in liver and stomach channel networks; regenerate chronically
compromised mucous membranes in stomach, esophagus, tongue/mouth, and naso-pharyngeal tract
Traverse blood brain barrier, balance compromised brain chemistry and/or imbalances of cerebral
glands, regenerate brain tissue
Deliver anti-cancer and anti-pathogenic effect to the stomach/brain axis

INDICATIONS:
Decreasing sexual function in middle-aged or elderly men and women
Nausea, vomiting; aversion to food
Dizziness; brain fog, confusion
Headaches, migraines
Inexplicable sensations in brain/head region, often related to food intake
Loss of smell or taste
Stomach pain; acid reflux
Obsessive compulsive behavior; orthorexia (obsession with correct eating)
Sudden loss of appetite, anxiety, or palpitations after shock (especially heartbreak)
Pale tongue body (may have no coating, or white coating, or yellowish coating)
Overall weak pulse; soggy pearl sensation in SP/ST pulse position

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Nausea and dizziness in chemotherapy patients
Nausea and/or dizziness in patients with brain tumors or brain chemistry imbalances; Cushings
Syndrome
Morning sickness (severe cases only)
Migraine headaches
Stomach and duodenal ulcers; chronic gastritis
Degenerative changes (including cancer) in stomach/brain axis, such as stomach cancer, esophageal
cancer, tongue cancer, naso-pharyngeal cancer, brain cancer
Degenerative brain disorders (MS, Parkinsons)
Obsessive compulsive disorders, especially eating disorders

DIFFERENTIATE:
For reflux problems or stomach ulcers with signs of yin deficiency (generally accompanied by high
blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels), use Counterflow Pearls
For degenerative brain disorders (MS, Parkinsons), alternate with Evergreen Pearls
For brain cancer, alternate with Mama Pearls
For morning sickness, use Ginkgo Pearls in low dosages only and combine with Earth Pearls

27
 WUZHUYU (Evodia) Wuzhuyu Tang
SHENGJIANG (Ginger, fresh)
DAZAO (Jujube)
DANGSHEN (Codonopsis)

DANSHEN (Salvia) Danshen Yin

SHAREN (Amomum)

BAIHE (Lily) calm spirit,

YINXINGYE (Gingko leaf) open heart orifice,
SHICHANGPU (Acorus) guide formula to
DILONG (Lumbricus) stomach and brain
ZHENZHU FEN (Pearl powder)

GUANZHONG (Dryopteris) balance overall

LONGDANCAO (Gentiana) warming effect of herbs,
DAHUANG (Rhubarb) drain toxic heat from
the marrow and brain,
anti-cancer

28

EARTH PEARLS
Wuji San

A prototypical earth tonic (digestive weakness, immune system weakness, connective

tissue weakness, weight issues).

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Warm the center, build spleen qi and transform cold damp with food-grade herbs (especially
suitable for individuals with damp/phlegm constitutions who do not respond well to ginseng
and other overly tonic herbs)
Remove Five Accumulations (wuji) that easily build up in the earth layer of the body: qi,
blood, damp, phlegm, and food
Dispel wind and guard against wind invasion, especially in elderly patients or individuals with
cold/deficient constitutions (during the Song and Ming dynasties, Wuji San used to be the
primary remedy for influenza)
Restore the up/down dynamics of the middle burner, eliminate food stagnation, relieve
digestive discomfort and abdominal gas/bloating (ancient precursor of popular digestive
patents such as Huoxiang Zhengqi San or Pill Curing)
Dry chronic dampness and transform cold phlegm; expel excess water weight in overweight
individuals
Normalize hormonal system in qi-deficient women; regulate menses and prevent formation
of uterine masses
Expel all types of chronic wind damp afflicting the taiyin networks (spleen and lung),
including bi syndrome in the arms, shoulders, and lower back

INDICATIONS:
All symptoms of qi deficiency: fatigue, weak extremities, tendency to diarrhea, poor appetite,
shortness of breath, low voice, pale face color, susceptibility to cold/flu
All symptoms of cold damp: abnormal weight gain (especially after childbirth); general sense
of heaviness/sluggishness, brain fog; chronic discharge
All symptoms of cold phlegm: stuffy chest, poor digestion, chronic cough, dizziness
All symptoms of wind cold: acute cold/flu, especially in elderly and deficient patients; chronic
aversion to drafts
All symptoms of wind damp: pain, weakness and/or numbness in neck, shoulders, arms, legs,
and lower back
Pale tongue with tooth marks and white coating
All sensations of trapped qi and other signs of chronic digestive weakness, such as bloating,
gas, abdominal discomfort, nausea and vomiting, undigested food in stool; tendency to
diarrhea, but also constipation in people with low thyroid levels; bladder
pressure/discomfort; recurrent caries
Menstrual pain, irregular menses, bleeding/spotting, amenorrhea, abdominal masses

29

EARTH PEARLS
Wuji San

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Obesity
Food sensitivities; irritable bowel syndrome; eating disorders
Ulcerative colitis, Crohns disease
Low thyroid values; anemia
Dysmenorrhea, metrorrhagia, amenorrhea, leukorrhea
Acute cold/flu (especially in elderly patients); food poisoning
Chronic bronchitis, emphysema, pulmonary heart disease (and other conditions involving
chronic phlegm production)
Shoulder-Arm Syndrome; lumbago
Chronic fatigue syndrome; fibromyalgia
Menieres syndrome
Airline travel (prevention of colds, food poisoning and jet lag)

DIFFERENTIATE:
For low thyroid values and/or osteoporosis, combine with Vitality Pearls
For common cold with symptoms of sore throat, use Perilla Pearls
For sinus or lung infection involving the production of yellow phlegm, use Golden Pearls
For menstrual cramps, uterine bleeding and/or benign uterine masses, use or combine with
Moon Pearls
For cervical cancer and ovarian cancer, use Ocean Pearls
For eating disorders involving vomiting, use or combine with Gingko Pearls
For chronic joint pain in fibromyalgia patients, combine with Bamboo Pearls and/or Lightning
Pearls
For chronic degenerative lung conditions, combine with Glacier Pearls
For airline travel, combine with Lightning Pearls
For prevention of food poisoning and parasitic disease during travel, combine with Thunder
Pearls
For ulcerative colitis or Crohns disease, consider adding herbs that gently clear yangming
heat and tonify kidney yin

30
31

EARTH PEARLS
Wuji San

CANGZHU (Atractylodes, red) original Song dynasty remedy

ROUGUI (Cinnamon bark) Wuji San:
FULING (Poria)
GANCAO (Licorice) containing
Ling Gui Zhu Gan Tang,
BANXIA (Pinellia) Jiegeng Banxia Tang,
CHENPI (Citrus peel) Erchen Tang,
Pingwei San,
HOUPO (Magnolia bark) Tongxie Yaofang;
GANJIANG (Ginger, dried)
as well as principal ingredients of:
JIEGENG (Platycodon) Guizhi Tang,
ZHIKE (Aurantium zhike) Banxia Houpo Tang,
Houpo Shengjiang Gancao
BAISHAO (Peony, white) Banxia Renshen Tang,
CHUANXIONG (Ligusticum) Danggui Shaoyao San,
DANGGUI (Tang-kuei) Banxia Baizhu Tianma Tang,
Bazhen Tang
FANGFENG (Siler)
BAIZHI (Angelica dahurica)

32

TIGER PEARLS
Taohe Wenpi Tang

A formula for resolving chronic constipation (including all chronic diseases

accompanied by constipation).

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Resolve habitual constipation and deep-seated cellular toxicity in overall deficient individuals
by clearing yangming networks (stomach/large intestine) and boosting spleen/kidney
functions; normalize bowel movements by balancing thyroid levels
Curb auto-immune reactions by reducing toxic load

INDICATIONS:
Constipation; or alternating diarrhea and constipation
Cold and congested feeling in lower abdomen
Undigested food in stool

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Chronic constipation
Primary remedy for degenerative diseases where purging of toxicity from the cellular matrix
is required: kidney failure, diabetes, cancer (especially colon cancer and deficiency based
bone marrow cancers like multiple myeloma), etc.
Irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut syndrome; ulcerative colitis, Crohns disease
Anemia, pernicious anemia, aplastic anemia

DIFFERENTIATE:
For constipation caused by parasitic disease, combine with Thunder Pearls
For diabetes, use or combine with Sugar Pearls
For glomerulonephritis and kidney failure, combine with Ocean Pearls
For bladder cancer, use or combine with Ocean Pearls
For lung cancer, throat/tongue cancer, esophageal cancer, and colon cancer, combine with
Glacier Pearls
For low thyroid values and/or osteoporosis, combine with Vitality Pearls or Guanyin Pearls
For pernicious anemia, combine with Vitality Pearls
For aplastic anemia, combine with Love Pearls
For leukemia, use Dragon Pearls and Ease Pearls

33
 FUZI (Aconite, processed) Wenpi Tang
CIWUJIA (Siberian ginseng)
GANJIANG (Ginger, dried)
DAHUANG (Rhubarb)
GUIZHI (Cinnamon twig) Taohe Chengqi Tang
CHISHAO (Peony, red)
MANGXIAO (Mirabilitum)
TAOREN (Persica)
(ZHI) GANCAO (Licorice, baked)

HESHOUWU (Heshouwu) moisten LI, KID, LIV;

balance drying herbs

34

SUGAR PEARLS
Jueming Hema Tang

A formula for diabetes and other blood-sugar issues.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Stabilize blood sugar levels, reduce cellular toxicity, improve microcirculation, and prevent
tissue degeneration by tonifying yang qi of spleen/stomach, nourishing yin of
lung/stomach/heart, clearing liver heat, and moving blood

INDICATIONS:
Symptoms of blood sugar imbalance: spaciness, fatigue, mood changes, PMS, sugar craving,
headaches, difficulty focusing the eyes, tremors, temperamental outbursts, depression,
excessive sweating, hot flashes, palpitations, cold extremities, abdominal pain, panic attacks
Weight gain, especially around the midsection
Elevated blood pressure
Elevated cholesterol and triglycerides
Increased deposits of plaque in the arterial walls; neuropathy
Immune suppression
Insulin resistance

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Pre-diabetes, diabetes (type II), and other sugar diseases
Syndrome X

DIFFERENTIATE:
For constipation, combine with Tiger Pearls
For hypoglycemia, combine with Vitality Pearls
For acid reflux and high blood pressure, combine with Counterflow Pearls
For neuropathy and memory issues, combine with Evergreen Pearls

35
 FUZI (Aconite, processed) Fuzi Lizhong Tang
XIYANGSHEN (American ginseng)
PAOJIANG (Ginger, prepared)
BAIZHU (Atractylodes, white)
GANCAO (Licorice)

MAIMENDONG (Ophiopogon) Shengmai San

WUWEIZI (Schizandra)

(Vietnamese) ROUGUI (Cinnamon bark, Vietnam) Taohe Chengqi Tang

TAOREN (Persica)
HUZHANG (Polygonatum cusp.)

JUEMINGZI (Cassia seed) clear diabetic toxicity,

ZHIZI (Gardenia) promote microcirculation,
DANSHEN (Salvia) prevent tissue degeneration

LINGZHI (Ganoderma) stabilize blood sugar level

HONGXIANMA (Laportea cusp.)

36

PERILLA PEARLS
Suzi Lihou Tang

For relief of the congestion and sore throat that often accompany the common cold.
This formula, based on an 18th century remedy designed to address both the Wind-
heat and Wind-cold varieties of cold/flu, is especially useful for symptoms involving
phlegm and sore throat.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Release the surface safely and effectively in acute upper respiratory infections with combined
symptoms of wind cold and wind heat invasion; transform heat phlegm, descend uprising qi,
soothe swelling

INDICATIONS:
Cough, sore throat, swollen glands
General feeling of malaise
Heavy sensation in chest (feeling that phlegm is stuck behind sternum)

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Common cold
Sore throat
Bronchitis

DIFFERENTIATE:
Use Golden Pearls for sinus infections and copious amounts of colored phlegm in yang
deficient individuals
Use Wind Pearls for seasonal allergies and symptoms of wheezing
Use Glacier Pearls for hoarseness due to smoking, or chronic cough due to degenerative
changes in the lungs

37
 ZISUZI (Perilla seed) Suzi Lihou
QIANHU (Peucedanum) Tang
XINGREN (Apricot seed)
JIEGENG (Platycodon)
(ZHE) BEIMU (Fritillaria thunb.)
XUANSHEN (Scrophularia)
BOHE (Mentha)
LIANQIAO (Forsythia)
GANCAO (SHENG) (Licorice)

GUALOU SHI (Trichosanthes fruit) Xiao

BANXIA (FA) (Pinellia) Xianxiong
HUANGQIN (Scute) Tang

38

GOLDEN PEARLS
Lu Gui Quwan Tang

Nourishing prescription for the gentle, yet effective, transformation of colored

phlegm in immune-compromised patients (sinusitis/bronchitis). A modification of the
classical formula Guizhi Jia Gegen Tang.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Release taiyang/yangming and gently clear heat phlegm. For weak and generally allergic
constitutional types with respiratory infections involving colored phlegm.

INDICATIONS:
Floating or tight pulse (weak volume)
Frontal (sinus) headache, sore/sensitive neck
Aversion to wind, tendency to feel cold
Occluded phlegm in sinuses; yellow/green phlegm draining from nose and/or lungs
Preventing worsening of infection (i.e., phlegm turning colored, cold going into chest) when
suffering from cold with symptoms of runny nose/sneezing
Any situation involving chronic puss in deficient individuals (teeth, skin)

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Sinus infections
Bronchitis
Allergies (due to inflamed mucous membranes) in late-stage cold situations
Tooth aches, tooth abscesses
Acne pustules and other suppurative skin conditions

DIFFERENTIATE:
Use Perilla Pearls for cold with sore throat and/or pronounced symptoms of coughing
Use Wind Pearls for seasonal allergies and symptoms of wheezing

39
 GEGEN (Pueraria) Guizhi Jia
GUIZHI (Cinnamon twig) Gegen Tang,
CHISHAO (Peony, red) Huangdan
BAISHAO (Peony, white) Tang
PAOJIANG (Ginger, roasted)
GANCAO (Licorice)
WUWEIZI (Schizandra)
HUANGQIN (Scutellaria)

LUGEN (Phragmites) Weijing

DONGGUAZI (Benincasa) Tang
YIYIREN (Coix)
TAOREN (Persica)

JIEGENG (Platycodon) open stubborn

SIGUALUO (Luffa fiber) congestion in
nose and chest

40

WIND PEARLS
Jiemin Tang

Complex prescription for the rapid relief of respiratory allergies (hay fever, asthma).
Combination of herbal building blocks affecting the Lung and Kidney organ networks.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Disperse wind, transform phlegm, open the nose and chest; harmonize auto-immune over-
reactions by consolidating the Spleen, Lung and Kidneys

INDICATIONS:
Stuffed nose, runny nose, sneezing
Watery and itchy eyes
Red and itchy skin
Wheezing/coughing; sensation of raw/inflamed mucous membranes
Floating, possibly rapid pulse (maybe slippery/soggy in LU or KD positions)
Tongue may display mapped coating

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Allergic rhinitis
Allergic asthma
Allergic skin and mucous membrane reactions

DIFFERENTIATE:
Use Golden Pearls for sinus infections, production of colored phlegm, and seasonal allergies
with pronounced surface symptoms and/or food allergies
Use Perilla Pearls for cold with intertwined wind-cold and wind-heat aspects, sore throat,
and/or pronounced symptoms of coughing

41
 XINYIHUA (Magnolia flower) Cangerzi San
CANGERZI (Xanthium)
BAIZHI (Angelica)
BOHE (Mentha)

ZISUZI (Perilla seed) Sanzi Yangqin

BAIJIEZI (Mustard seed) Tang
() LAIFUZI (CHAO) (Raphanus, fried)

MAIMENDONG (Ophiopogon) nourish yin of

WUWEIZI (Schizandra) lung & kidney
TIANMENDONG (Asparagus)
(SHENG) DIHUANG (Rehmannia, fresh)

() (ZHE) BEIMU (Fritillaria thunb.) transform

PUGONGYING (Dandelion) heat phlegm

DILONG (Lumbricus) open collateral

congestion

42

GLACIER PEARLS
Yanghe Tang Jiawei

Constitutional support formula for smokers and persons with compromised lungs. A
complex modification of the traditional remedy Yanghe Tang, with anti-toxin and
anti-accumulation ingredients.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
For qi deficient constitutions producing chronic phlegm (in the form of sticky mucous or lump
formation) leading to potentially malignant tumor development; primarily for smokers or
former smokers.

INDICATIONS:
Chronic cough, shortness of breath
Degenerative respiratory disease with chronic phlegm
Masses in the upper burner or skin layer

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Prevention of degenerative tissue changes in long-time smokers
Support of conventional cancer therapy in patients with tumors in the upper part of the body,
especially the lung, neck, and throat
Support of conventional skin and colon cancer therapy
Protection of tissues and mucous membranes during radiation and chemotherapy
Prevention of further degeneration and symptom relief in patients with emphysema and
chronic degenerative respiratory syndrome

DIFFERENTIATE:
For constitutional support of those with breast cancer, Glacier Pearls can be used to alternate
with Mama Pearls (Mama Pearls 3 weeks, Glacier Pearls 1 week)

43
() (SHU) DIHUANG (Rehmannia, cooked) Yanghe
BAIJIEZI (Mustard seed) Tang
GUIZHI (Cinnamon twig)
EJIAO (Gelatin)
PAOJIANG (Ginger, roasted)
GANCAO (Licorice)

(ZHE) BEIMU (Fritillaria thunb.) dissolve

(QUAN) GUALOU (Trichosanthes fruit) masses

SHANCIGU (Cremastra) clear

BAIHUASHESHECAO (Oldenlandia/Hedyotis) toxic
heat
DILONG (Earthworm) (anti-cancer)
LUFENGFANG (Hornets nest)
DIBIECHONG (Eupolyphaga) anti-abscess
anti-malignancy

44

OX BONE PEARLS
Guzhe Neifu Fang

AN ALCHEMICAL THREE-FORMULA COMBINATION

Complex Daoist medicine formula for the acceleration of bone healing.

Prepared with great alchemical integrity in three complex production phases.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Move blood, reduce swelling and pain, resolve trauma from external injuries;
accelerate bone healing by increasing mineral uptake and formation of bone web.

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Whenever blood moving therapies are required
External injuries involving bone fractures
Other types of external injuries
Meniscus and other cartilage damage
Acute ligament pain

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Whenever blood moving therapies are required
External injuries involving bone fractures
Other types of external injuries

DIFFERENTIATE:
For acute fractures/injuries, use Ox Bone Pearls for 3-6 weeks, then switch to Bamboo Pearls
to prevent arthritic changes
For fractures that are older than 6 weeks, use Ox Bone Pearls for 1-2 weeks, then switch to
Bamboo Pearls
For chronic pain in old injury sites, use Bamboo Pearls

45
1) DECOCTION:
DANGGUI (WEI) (Tang-kuei tails) move blood,
CHUANXIONG (Ligusticum) reduce
MOYAO (Myrrh) swelling and
HONGHUA (Carthamus) pain,
GUIZHI (Cinnamon twig) resolve
SANQI (Pseudoginseng) trauma
LONGGU (CHAO) (Dragon bone, fried)
DILONG (Lumbricus)
YINYANGHUO (Epimedium, spikes
removed, fried in lamb fat)
GOUQIZI (Lycium fruit, unsulfured)
(GUANG) MUXIANG (Vladimiria)
GANCAO (Licorice)

2) SLOW-COOK DECOCTION:
GUSUIBU (Drynaria) increase
NIU GUGU (Ox bone) mineral uptake

Bone is selected from the front shoulder bone of ox; ox or buffalo or yak must be grass-fed,
and live in a wild, non-toxic environment; bone is crushed, and then slow cooked with herb
for 12 hours.

3) FINE POWDER PREPARATION:

PANGXIE (River crab shell) increase
mineral uptake

Crabs are selected from a clean stream that is not polluted with pesticides, nitrates, and acid
rain.

46

GUANYIN PEARLS
Guanyin Qianyang Lu

An effective formula for all symptoms of menopause including hot flashes, reduced
energy, thinning/drying of vaginal tissue, reduced libido.

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Alleviate deficiency flare-up of yang energy in menopausal women by restoring the Kidneys
ability to store and safeguard yang qi; harmonize upward and downward energy movements
in all three burners; replenish both yin and yang in the sources of pre-natal energy (Liver and
Kidney); nourish yin and yang in the sources of post-natal energy (Spleen and Lung).

INDICATIONS:
All symptoms of menopause and post-menopause

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Hot flashes
Anxiety/depression, emotional volatility, restless sleep
Loss of energy; thyroid and adrenal imbalances
Decrease in libido; thinning of vaginal tissues
Hair loss, brittle nails, dry eyes, dry and wrinkling skin

DIFFERENTIATE:
For menopausal symptoms due to Liver qi stagnation and/or obvious shaoyang problems,
use Ease Pearls
For anxiety/insomnia that is not associated with menopause, use Peace Pearls
For severe anxiety/insomnia, use in combination with Peace Pearls
For uterine fibroids or other benign uterine masses, use Moon Pearls
For constitutional support of those with breast cancer or uterine cancer, use Mama Pearls
For increase in libido and/or atrophy of genital tissues, use in combination with Love Pearls
For perimenopausal symptoms, use or combine with Moon Pearls

47
 FUZI (Aconite, processed) Qianyang Dan
PAOJIANG (Ginger, roasted) (Submerge Yang Pellet;
SHAREN (Amomum) 19th century formula for
WUJIASHEN (Siberian ginseng) all sympt. of flushing up
ZHI GANCAO (Licorice, baked) due to inab. to store yang)

HANLIANCAO (Eclipta) Erzhi Wan

NZHENZI (Ligustrum)

YINYANGHUO (Epimedium) Erxian Tang

XIANMAO (Curculigo)
TUSIZI (Cuscuta)

ZHIMU (Anemarrhena) Baihe Zhimu

BAIHE (Lily) Tang

48

OCEAN PEARLS
Xiaokuai Guizong Wan

A formula for toxic and degenerative diseases of the pelvic organs (prostate cancer,
kidney cysts and tumors, ovarian cysts and tumors, cervical dysplasia, genital warts
and other venereal diseases)

THERAPEUTIC PRINCIPLES:
Transform blood stasis in lower burner; soften and disperse masses and accumulations in
pelvic region; resolve toxic lesions in urino-genital tract
Invigorate mingmen fire to boost vitality and immune status of the bodys lower regions

INDICATIONS:
Masses and accumulations in abdomen and pelvic region
Varicose veins
Infections in genital regions

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Ovarian cysts, kidney cysts
Prostate cancer; ovarian cancer, cervical cancer; kidney cancer, bladder cancer
Varicoceles; epididemitis
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), gonorrhea, genital herpes

DIFFERENTIATE:
For uterine myomas, use or combine with Moon Pearls
For acute venereal infection, combine with Dragon Pearls
For genital herpes, combine with Lightning Pearls
For ovarian cancer, alternate with Mama Pearls

49
 VietnameseROUGUI (Cinnamon bark, Vietnam) Guizhi Fuling Wan,
CHISHAO (Peony, red) Taohe Chengqi Tang
(CHI) FULING (Poria, red)
MUDANPI (Moutan)
TAOREN (Persica)
(alcohol processed) DAHUANG (Rhubarb, alcohol processed)

FUZI (Aconite, processed) Sini Tang

SHENGJIANG (Ginger, fresh)
GANCAO (Licorice)

DANGGUI WEI (Tang-kuei tail) Danggui Beimu

ZHE BEIMU (Fritiallaria thunb.) Kushen Wan
KUSHEN (Sophora root)

HUZHANG (Polygonatum cusp.) soften pelvic masses,

BIEJIA (Tortoise shell) anti-virus, anti-cancer

50


FUZI
Jiangyou Fuzi

Heiner Fruehauf has spent quite a bit of time researching the Yang Tonic school of
Sichuan herbalism. As part of this process, he has found the perfect type of aconite,
which was in most classics considered to be the primary herb for most difficult and
chronic diseases and the core herb of the yang tonic school. Aconite, therefore, used
to be called the "King of the 100 Herbs."

Since the rampant materialism of the last 50 years took over herb production in
China, dismissing traditional growing, harvesting, and processing protocols, the
quality of Fuzi has become so bad that most materials presently on the market are
actually harmful. Side effects are attributed to the toxicity of the Fuzi, rather than the
poor production/processing procedures. This situation has brought about a clinical
environment in which Fuzi is virtually not used at all anymore. This is a great loss for
classical Chinese medicine, which by its very nature is focused on the healing of
serious diseases.

Classical Pearls is proud to supply a superior-grade Fuzi product:

Grown in the only region of China where "didao" (genuine) medicinal grade
Fuzi comes from (Jiangyou in Northern Sichuan: all of the genuine Fuzi in the
world now comes from an area that in recent decades has shrunk to less than 20
acres of actively producing fields)
Planted at the winter solstice and harvested at the summer solstice (thereby
only absorbing the yang energy of the year)
It was processed in accordance with elsewhere abolished traditional methods
(multiple courses of steaming, soaking in brine, and rinsing), during a 3-month
long supervision period by a Hai Shan employee.
Available in 5:1 and 8:1 extract powder
Is the same Fuzi used in the production of the Classical Pearls formula product
line

51
52
 Professional Development Activity
As a NCCAOM certified provider of Professional Development Activity credits
(provider number ACHB 682) we are pleased to offer Chinese medicine practitioners
educational and professional development opportunities through the Associates
Forum.

The process for applying for PDA credits is simple. First, become a member of the
Associates Forum, a one-year membership which allows you access to over 20
certified programs and written articles of professionally-relevant material. Then
request the tests for the respective program you wish to receive credit for. Upon
completion, return the test to be graded and approved.

A 1-hour video lecture is worth 1.5 PDA credits. The cost upon test submission for
each certifiable credit is $15 (US dollars), and a one-year membership to the
Associates Forum is $195 (US dollars).

The Associates Forum at ClassicalChineseMedicine.org

The academic partner organization of Classical Pearls

The Associates Forum is a feature of ClassicalChineseMedicine.org, a website

dedicated to the in-depth research, preservation and sharing of classical Chinese
medicine knowledge.

Direct transmission of this knowledge from teacher to disciple is one of the

characterizing features of classical Chinese medicine. This type of transmission far
exceeds the data aspect of the information discussed, and emphasizes the
immediacy, passion, and heart based quality of the discipleship approach that
generally gets lost in written modes of communication.

The Associates Forum has thus been configured to feature both video presentations
and written material of the classical Chinese medicine teachings by Profs. Wang
Qingyu, Liu Lihong, Heiner Fruehauf, and a variety of other scholars and physicians
who are at the forefront of the classical Chinese medicine renaissance in China. Most
of the video presentations have been recorded in scenic locations throughout
mainland China.

Please visit the Associates Forum at:

www.classicalchinesemedicine.org/associates.htm
 Also available through Hai Shan Inc. at www.classicalpearls.org

SACRED CHANTS

Sacred Chants is a beautifully recorded and designed 4 CD box set of sacred chants
collected from spiritual healing communities in China by Heiner Fruehauf. It includes
Chinese Buddhist, Tibetan Buddhist, Confucian, and Sufi chant cycles, some of them
recorded for the first time. Performed by a choir of 12 voices from NCNM faculty and
students, these chants total over 2.5 hours! Sacred Chants includes spoken
explanations and detailed written information about each chant. These CDs make an
excellent collection for your waiting and treatment rooms.
This article first appeared in the Journal of Chinese Medicine
May 1998
 GU
syndrome
Treating Chronic Inflammatory Diseases with Chinese Herbs:
An Interview with Heiner Fruehauf
on the Practical Applications of Gu Syndrome
Gu used to be a prominent term in ancient
medical treatises, but has virtually disappeared from
modern textbook descriptions of Chinese medicine.
The character Gu most often described a situation of
entrenched parasitism that eventually brings about a
state of extreme stagnation and mental and physical
decay. Generally, the label Gu syndrome warranted
the presence of particularly vicious parasites, or a su-
perinfection of many different kinds of parasites that
combine their toxic potential to gradually putrify the
patients body and mind. From a modern perspective,
this definition of Gu syndrome points to aggressive
helminthic, protozoan, fungal, spirochete, or viral
afflictions that have become systemic in an immune
compromised patient. In ancient China, schistosomia-
sis and chronic entamoeba infections may have been
the most common manifestations of Gu syndrome. In
modern times, this therapeutic approach can be used
for many different kinds of degenerative chronic in-
fections, such as those caused by HIV and borrelia.
1
Some of the clinical characteristics frequently
highlighted in the traditional Gu literature are the
following: 1) Gu pathogens are malicious and have
life-threatening consequences. 2) Gu pathogens pri-
marily enter the body through food. 3) Gu pathogens
represent a type of toxin (gu du). This makes refer-
ence to their virulent epidemic quality, but also to the
only recently corroborated fact that the metabolic by-
products of parasitic organisms have a toxic affect on
the body. 4) Gu pathogens are most likely to thrive
in already deficient organisms, and once established,
further harm the bodys source qi. 5) Gu pathogens
operate in the dark. It is often unclear when and how
the pathogen was contracted, making an accurate di-
agnosis extremely difficult. Due to the multiplicity of
potential symptoms, moreover, most doctors appear
confused by Gu pathologies. Chinese master physi-
cians have continuously pointed out that Gu induced
chronic diarrhea, ascites, wasting syndrome, mental
symptoms, etc., must be diagnosed and treated com-
 treating chronic inflammatory diseases with chinese herbs:
an interview with heiner fruehauf on the practical applications of gu syndrome
pletely different from the general occurence of these
disorders. The coarse doctor treats the Gu type of di-
arrhea just like regular diarrhea, the Ming Dynasty
encyclopedia Puji Fang (Common Aid Formulas)
emphasizes, and this is completely wrong.1
Some of the typical Gu symptoms cited in the lit-
erature refer to the familiar picture of acute protozoan
infection, such as abdominal cramping and pain, vom-
iting, and the excretion of bloody stools. Others paint
the infinitely more complex and variegated picture of
systemic superinfection by chronic parasites, fungus-
es, and viruses: There are thousands of Gu toxins, all
of which may potentially cause different symptoms,
the authoritative 6th century encyclopedia Beiji Qian-
jin Yaofang (Thousand Ducat Formulas) explains;
some of them will cause bloody stools, while others
initiate the desire to lay in a dark room; others may
bring about bouts of irregular emotions, such as de-
pression that alternates with periods of sudden hap-
pyness; others again cause the extremities to feel heavy
and ache all over; and then there are myriads of other
symptoms that we do not have the space here to list in
their entirety.2
Although it is one of the defining trademarks of
Gu syndrome as well as my own clinical experience
that chronic parasitism may involve virtually any
symptom in virtually any combination, for diagnostic
purposes the indicia most consistently quoted in tradi-
tional texts can be synopsized in the following way:
Digestive symptoms: chronic diarrhea, loose
stool, or alternating diarrhea/constipation; explosive
bowel movements; abdominal bloating or ascites;
abdominal cramping and/or pain; nausea; intestinal
bleeding and/or puss; poor appetite or ravenous ap-
petite, peculiar food cravings.
Neuromuscular symptoms: muscle soreness, mus-
cle heavyness, muscle weakness; wandering body
pains; physical heat sensations; cold night sweats;
aversion to bright light.
Mental symptoms: depression, frequent suicidal
1 Puji Fang (Common Aid Formulas), Shanghai Guji,
Shanghai 1991, vol.5, p. 359.
2 Sun Simiao, Qianjin Fang (Thousand Ducat Formulas),
Jilin Renmin, Jilin 1994, vol.2, p.808.
2
thoughts; flaring anger, fits of rage; unpredictable
onset of strong yet volatile emotions; inner rest-
lessness, insomnia; general sense of muddledness
and confusion, chaotic thought patterns; visual
and/or auditory hallucinations; epileptic seizures;
sensation of feeling possessed.
Constitutional signs: progressing state of men-
tal and physical exhaustion, indications of source
qi damage; dark circle underneath the eyes; mys-
tery symptoms that evade clear diagnosis; history
of acute protozoan infection; history of travel to
tropical regions; floating and big pulse, or con-
gested pulse; stagnation in sublingual veins; root-
ed damp tongue coating; red tongue tip or red
parasite dots on top of tongue.
It has been over ten years that Heiner Fruehaufs
article on Gu Syndrome (summarized above) was first
published.3 Since then, thousands of chronic patients
suffering from chronic inflammatory ailments have
been successfully treated with this unique therapeu-
tic approach. Heiner Fruehauf recently sat down with
two of his students, Erin Moreland and Bob Quinn, to
discuss the clinically most relevant points of Gu syn-
drome treatment.
in the autumn of 2008 heiner fruehauf, ph.d., l.ac.,
sat down with two of his students, erin moreland,
l.ac., and bob quinn, daom, l.ac., to discuss the finer
points of gu syndrome treatment. this discussion is
best understood as a follow-up to and elaboration
of the ideas presented in heiners earlier article
on gu syndrome published in the 1998 may issue of
The Journal of Chinese Medicine.
3 Heiner Fruehauf, Driving Out Demons and Snakes:
Ancient Chinese Parasitology and the Treatment of Gu Syn-
drome in Modern Clinical Practice, The Journal of Chinese
Medicine, May 1998. German translation by Markus Goeke,
published in Gu Syndrom: Chronischer Parasitismus in der
chinesischen Medizin, Zeitschrift fr Chinesische Medizin,
Spring 2004. Both versions are available for download at the
Clinical Information section of www.ClassicalChineseMedi-
cine.org
 treating chronic inflammatory diseases with chinese herbs:
an interview with heiner fruehauf on the practical applications of gu syndrome
Q: Heiner, first of all thanks for making time for the
interview. We want to discuss clinical treatment strat-
egies for Gu syndrome, but before we get into the spe-
cifics, for the sake of the people who did not read your
article in The Journal of Chinese Medicine on Gu syn-
drome, could you quickly go over what Gu syndrome
is and how you got started on the research?
HF: Certainly. The phenomenon of Gu syndrome
is for me a prime example of the clinical power that
classical Chinese medicine carries, in a field where we
have thrown out so much and where the record has
been truncated for the sake of standardization. My
own discovery of Gu syndrome came when there was
a certain number of cases that I was not making suffi-
cient progress with clinically, particularly with people
I believed had parasites. I finally took literally a two-
week time out and just immersed myself in ancient
texts. From my reading of the modern literature there
were very few cases with chronic parasites recorded
sure, there were some cases of acute amoebic dysen-
tery, but I felt that in a country like China it shouldnt
be any different from Nepal or India, where I knew
that parasites have been a part of the clinical landscape
for hundreds of years. When I looked at the classical
textual record, it was a different story. I found chronic
parasitism reflected in a huge area of classical Chinese
medicine that was called Gu zheng, or Gu syndrome,
which essentially means Possession Syndrome. Gu
is a character that is very old, perhaps one of the old-
est characters in the Chinese textual record altogether,
since it is a hexagram in the Yijing. It is literally the
image of three worms in a vessel. This to me is one
of those strokes of brilliance that you find in the sym-
bolism of the ancient Chinesethat they recognized
3000 years ago that chronic parasitism can cause psy-
chotic or psychological symptoms. Because of the psy-
chological, emotional, and perhaps spiritual implica-
tions of this term, Gu, when the Chinese standardized
the classical record for the much simplified barefoot
doctor approach of the TCM system in the 1950s,
they threw out lots of complicated and ideologically
problematic topics, and obviously this Possession
Syndrome was one of the first ones to go. There are
of course magical modalities that are associated with
3
the treatment of Gu syndromelike Fu talismans,
mantras, and techniques such as visualizing thunder
and lightning in your abdomen, etc.but the herbal
treatment is quite practical and included a vast array
of formulas that are unique and effective for the treat-
ment of severe parasitism. Due to that standardiza-
tion of Chinese medicine that took place and a general
state of ignorance about the clinical power of this ap-
proach, this syndrome has been virtually erased from
the record and no one thinks about it any more at all.
Once I started using this approach fifteen years ago
in my own clinical practice, I started making massive
headway in cases that I couldnt treat before, and not
all of these patients came with obvious signs of chronic
parasitic infection.
Q: Just to be clear, youre not saying that all instances
of parasitic infection equate to Gu. Someone comes
back from Mexico, comes to a clinic and says I think I
picked up a parasite.
HF: You are absolutely right, Gu syndrome does not
equal acute parasitic infection. Not all cases, that,
from a classical perspective, would be diagnosed as
Gu syndrome, would be patients with parasites, and
vice-versa, not all people with a positive parasitic test
from the Western perspective would be accurately di-
agnosed as Gu. Gu syndrome actually means that your
system is hollowed out from the inside out by dark
yin forces that you cannot see. This not seeing often
includes Western medical tests that come back nega-
tive for parasites. So from a certain perspective, AIDS
falls into this category, with body and mind being hol-
lowed out from the inside out, without knowing what
is happening. Gu syndrome originally meant black
magic. To the patient it felt as though someone had
put a hex on them, without anybodywhether its the
Western medicine community or, in ancient times,
the regular Chinese medicine approachbeing able
to see what was really going on. Regular approaches,
the Gu texts say, do not work for this problem. Lit-
erally, one quote says: It looks like regular diarrhea,
but if you treat it like regular diarrhea like Spleen de-
ficiency or Yangming damp-heat, it doesnt work
or it looks like regular constipation, but if you treat
 treating chronic inflammatory diseases with chinese herbs:
an interview with heiner fruehauf on the practical applications of gu syndrome
it that way, it wont work. It can be said that the pri-
mary prerequisite for Gu syndrome is that the person
has some digestive distress, coupled with neurologi-
cal distress, such as body pain or mental symptoms
light symptoms such as fogginess, or severe symptoms
such as hallucinations
that are not explainable
with Western medicine, Gu syndrome originally meant
and that are not explain- black magic. To the patient
able either by regular di-
agnostic patterning that
it felt as though someone had
weve learned in TCM put a hex on them...
school.
Q: When you bring up terms like demons, black
magic, and possession, some of the people in the TCM
community react negatively. I experience this myself
at times when trying to discuss a case of Gu. They say:
Were getting so close to acceptance by the larger med-
ical community, research is coming in, certain condi-
tions are OK for insurance reimbursement, why did
this have to come up now? It makes us look like the
kooky fringe to talk about possession and demons and
people being hollowed out. They think that youre
just not doing your TCM well if you have to resort to
this Gu diagnosis. Could you address that?
HF: Before I answer this question more directly, al-
low me to digress a bit. I recently visited Brown
University, where a very valuable project called the
Contemplative Studies Initiative is spearheaded by
my friend and colleague Prof. Harold Roth. He is a
respected scholar of Daoist religion and cosmological
texts. In a nutshell, he has been ceaselessly working to
debunk the 19th century perspective of the imperial-
ist explorer who goes to Egypt, China, Japan or other
places to research exotic cultures and their medicines,
assuming the aloof perspective of look at how quaint
these tribal barbarians are, and how archaic and un-
sophisticated their knowledge is. As Hal Roth has
shown, this basic attitude still runs deep in contem-
porary academic circles. If, as a reputable academic,
you set out to actually practice one of these methods, it
would be the death of your professional career in most
cases. The science of Chinese medicine clearly shows
4
that ancient medical wisdom can be more than a fas-
cinating study subject, by offering clinical approaches
that still work in a very palpable manner today. Fit-
tingly, the academic engagement with our field is split
in half. On one side, we have the sinologists working
with the primary litera-
ture to illuminate the re-
cord, but most of these
people would never want
to be caught dead pro-
moting the actual use of
these healing methods;
and on the other side we
have practitioners who work hands-on with the medi-
cine but know very little about its history. We live in
the 21st century, and it is anachronistic for us to be-
lieve in the clinical power of Chinese medicine on the
one hand, but root ourselves in the work of scholars
who still promote a 19th century imperialist mindset
on the other. With the Contemplative Studies Initia-
tive, which encourages scholars to actually practice
the disciplines they study, we have a good example of
a unified approach in the fields of religion and anthro-
pology, so why not embrace this open-minded method
in Chinese medicine? I very much believe that it be-
hooves practitioners of Chinese medicine to embrace
foundational concepts that have always been a part of
our science. The problem, really, are not the demons,
but the proper understanding what a demon is.
No need to be triggered into some kind of panic that
we are going back to a medicine that was practiced
in 500 BC. Looking at the ancient character for Gu,
we can see that the ancient Chinese suspected that a
good number of psychotic (possession) episodes are
caused by parasites (demons)a very scientific way
of looking at the body, indeed. We lose out clinically
if we get scared off by the term demon or ghost
in a way that triggers the paranoia inherent in our
own religionwhich is scientific materialism in
the West, or Marxist materialism in the Peoples Re-
public of China. When I use the term scientific ma-
terialism here, I mean not true science in the sense of
open-minded inquiry, but rather a sort of knee-jerk
dogmatism.
 treating chronic inflammatory diseases with chinese herbs:
an interview with heiner fruehauf on the practical applications of gu syndrome
To answer your question more directly, I would say
this: Im a scholar, which means that Im trying to
understand Chinese medicine as a science in its own
right. Im very much against making things up, or
projecting my own desires for the future path of this
medicine. In the con-
text of Gu Syndrome, it
is simply a fact that the When people say their nerves
classical record of Chi- are fried, it is really the yin of
nese medicine has been
extremely truncated for
the Lung that has been com-
ideological reasons, and promised. When this happens
part of that was done for
the purpose of education.
people become jittery.
If you were trying to edu-
cate illiterate peasants in a two-week workshop con-
ducted in rural China during the 1950s, complicated
concepts and regimen didnt seem practical at the time.
Another point to be made is that the reemergence of
Gu syndrome, and me writing about it, and the inter-
est it has stirredboth for and againstis evidence
of the maturing of the field. In the beginning when
people didnt know much about Chinese medicine, a
concept like this would have not evoked any kind of
reaction. Now we have people in the field who read
Chinese, who actively immerse themselves in Chinese
culture, and bring with them a new level of maturity.
We have sixty accredited schools in the country, we
have doctoral programs nowthe field itself is clearly
maturing, and with that comes a greater depth and
complexity. As time passes, we will be confronted
with more pieces of information that we have never
heard of before. In my view, it is good for our field
to have an increase in the scope and containment of
what our profession can stomach. The archeologi-
cal discovery of Gu syndrome is thus timely in every
sense of the wordit has come at a time when we can
actually do something with that discovery, because
there is both the intellectual capacity and clinical ex-
perience needed to process the information. There are
now lots of practitioners who immediately recognize
the value of Gu therapy, because everybody has cases
where little headway is made with the regular TCM
approach.
5
Q: And Gu is mentioned in various classical texts?
HF: Gu syndrome has not just been mentioned in a
single classic, but every notable book by every mas-
ter in the past generally featured a chapter on Gu
syndrome, because it was such a major part of what
a Chinese doctor practic-
ing anywhere between
500 BC and the 1940s
was facing. We should
add here that Gu is not
an anthropological phe-
nomenon, a bizarre dis-
ease in the swamps of
ancient China that does
not exist anymore. Quite
the contrarydue to the decreased immunity in mod-
ern people, because of the way we eat and the way we
move our bodies, and the way many of us were given
antibiotics as kids, the average modern city dweller is
actually much more susceptible to parasitic organisms
than Chinese villagers in the past. The clinical concept
of Gu, therefore, is actually more useful now than its
been in the past. According to my own experience,
it is a most prominent disease. In my own clinic, for
instance, about a quarter of patients are treated for
the chronic inflammatory syndrome that I believe the
ancient Chinese called Gu syndromewhether it is
travelers diseases like malaria and Dengue fever, or
whether it is chronic recognized viruses such as AIDS
or herpes. When the associated anxiety and depres-
sion and physical symptoms that come with Gu are
brought into the calculus, you have covered a good
many patients. And we cant leave out the complicated
digestive disorders associated with chronic blastocys-
tis hominis, giardia or other protozoan organisms. It is
perfectly safe and reasonable to treat all these patients
using the Gu approach outlined in my article, particu-
larly if you fail to make headway with other methods.
In other words: If you encounter a patient with bi-
zarre symptoms that puzzle the doctors and dont fit
TCM regular categories, go with Gu syndrome.
Q: Would you say that you would always find at least
a history of parasitic infection, even if the patient cur-
rently tests negative for parasites on biomedical tests?
 treating chronic inflammatory diseases with chinese herbs:
an interview with heiner fruehauf on the practical applications of gu syndrome
HF: At the bottom of Gu syndrome, and we see this
in the symbol as I described earlier, is always a kind of
pathogen. A worm is more easily discovered, but very
often it is the small things that are most potent and
remain hidden in the dark. Remember that the Chi-
nese called this a yin (dark/hidden) pathogen. Lyme
disease is a good example; the spirochetal pathogen
is very elusive and so small that it is hard to discover
with modern methods of diagnosis. I have a lot of
patients where their case history makes them a shoe-
intheyve been to Nepal, or India, or Latin Ameri-
ca; they had amoebic dysentery; they took Flagyl and
since that time their health has never been good. That
kind of case is as clear as it can get, but there are lots of
people who never left the country, and they cant re-
member any kind of initial infection, but all of a sud-
den theyve become chronically fatigued or have been
diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Their doctors put them
on Prozac because they dont know what else to do,
when actually theyve likely picked up some parasite
in a restaurant or had a tick bite that they never knew
about. This category of parasites includes the widest
possible range, including viruses such as herpes or the
Coxsackie virus, chronic systemic yeast, and so on.
Q: One curious thing in your original article when
you talk about the treatment strategy is to see familiar
herbs used in unfamiliar ways. Im thinking particu-
larly of the exterior releasing, highly aromatic herbs
often. Can you talk about the nuts and bolts a little
bit of what a Gu formula looks like? I think you go
through six or seven categories of herbs that you have
teased out in your studies.
HF: What makes a Gu prescription so different from
a regular TCM formula is that the regular TCM ap-
proach is tied to an either-or, black-and-white recogni-
tion of the eight parameters. Is it internal or external,
is it hot or is it cold? The Gu approach is an extreme
intermingling of approaches that you would find con-
tradictory in the strategies we learned in school. First
and foremost is the combination of external herbs
herbs that are generally learned in the context of a sur-
face-resolving categorywith herbs that are entirely
used for the interior, entering either the blood layer or
6
the qi layer. The choice of internal herbs makes sense,
because these people have been ill for a long time and
thus need to be treated internally. Very often, however,
they report that their main symptom is a flu-like feel-
ing all the time. They have an aversion to wind, they
feel like theyve had a 24/7 flu for years. Therefore, the
simultaneous use of wind herbs makes sense as well.
The first and perhaps most important category of the
Gu approach, and I think this is brilliantly devised, is
what has been called release the surface with herbs
that kill the snakes. This first category primarily in-
cludes the three herbs baizhi, zisu, and bohe, but in
an extended sense can also include jinyinhua, lianqiao,
chaihu, and gaoben. In a Gu formula you usually have
2-3 herbs from this category, otherwise it wouldnt
qualify as a true Gu formula.
All the other categories are internal categories that for
the most part are tonic. The ancient Chinese recog-
nized that this kind of patient presents with a gen-
eral exhaustion of yang and qi and blood, because the
process of chronic inflammation takes its toll on these
reserves. At the same time the creators of Gu reme-
dies knew that traditional tonics, ginseng especially,
can also tonify the pathogen behind the inflammation.
In all of these categories, we therefore find a careful
selection of herbs that are tonic and anti-parasitic at
the same time. It truly is a brilliant and meticulous
approach.
The first of these internal categories is qi tonification,
and the two lead herbs here are gancao, which must
always be raw gancao, not zhi gancao, otherwise its
anti-toxin-resolving, anti-parasite properties will not
be there; and secondly huangqi, which in the tradi-
tional record has been described not only as a surface-
fortifying herb but also as an herb for furuncles and
carbuncles. It definitely has some anti-toxin properties
along with its qi-lifting properties. Another herb that
I like to include in this category is wujiapi, which is
particularly useful for a type of Gu that I call Brain
Gu. Brain Gu is a sort of nervous system inflamma-
tion. Most Lyme disease patients are diagnosed with
Brain Gu in my clinic. Wujiapi is particularly useful
when the main symptom is body pain.
 treating chronic inflammatory diseases with chinese herbs:
an interview with heiner fruehauf on the practical applications of gu syndrome
The next category are herbs that exhibit blood tonic
and anti-parasitic properties. The main materials in
this category are danggui and chuanxiong, and on oc-
casion baishao may be used. As you mentioned already
in your question, one of the ways these anti-parasitic
herbs work is that most
of them are aromatic;
they are basically fumi- [Gu] is the oil that has gotten
gants. Constant herbal into the flour, and now has
fumigation makes the
system uninhabitable for
virtually become one with the
any kind of pathogen. flour, and is thus hard to get
We can look at most of
these herbs as a sort of
back out.
internal incense. Incense
is traditionally used for spiritual cultivation, to keep
the hermit cave-dweller safe from mosquitoes and
other pathogens that disturb the meditative process,
and also to open the so-called orifice of the heart. That
is where the mental disturbance comes from in these
peoplethe orifice of the heart is obscured, and these
fragrant substances can help to open it up.
The next category is yin tonics, which I find particu-
larly important for people suffering from the Brain
Gu type of syndrome. I look at yin tonics, particular-
ly the yin of the Lung, as a kind of protective sheath-
ing around the nerves. When people say their nerves
are fried, it is really the yin of the Lung that has been
compromised. When this happens people become jit-
tery. The leading herb here is baihe, which has been
brilliantly discussed as an anti-parasitic, anti-anxiety,
and anti-depressive agent by Zhang Zhongjing in his
JinGui yaole, where he had a whole chapter devoted
to Baihe Bing, or Lily Disease. Lily Disease is essen-
tially a type of mental imbalance caused by a yin defi-
ciency of the Lung, and the treatment was basically to
prescribe baihe, sometimes in combination with other
yin tonic herbs. Next in this category is huangjing, a
Daoist herb often used by hermits in the countryside
in southern and southwest China to ward off parasites
and to calm the nervous system. The third one in this
category, also a Lung yin tonic and anti-parasitic, is
beishashen. Another one is heshouwu, a common tonic
that has also anti-parasitic properties. The only caveat
7
with heshouwu is that in its unprocessed statewhich
is what we want to useit has mild laxative proper-
ties. Therefore, you want to use it only for people who
are constipated; you can choose huangjing instead for
people who are more on the diarrhea side.
In the next category are
herbs that are primary
anti-parasitics and have
been recognized as such
in the traditional ma-
teria medica. There is
kushen and shechuangzi
for parasites in the intes-
tinal and urinary tracts.
Other herbs in this category are qinghao, excellent for
parasitic afflictions in either the digestive tract or the
nervous system. This is why qinghao has become so
famous as an herb for malaria, which is a typical brain
Gu affliction. Xuanshen and tufuling are particularly
good for brain Gu and anti-spirochetal effect; xuduan
is anti-spirochetal; baitouweng is primarily just for
the digestive type of Gu; shichangpu is excellent for
both types of Gu syndrome, digestive and brain. It is
not only anti-parasitic, but also an herb thats particu-
larly famous for opening up the orifice to the brain
and the Heart. This opening and awakening effect is
so important in the treatment of Gu.
Q: Heiner, you have just mentioned two types of Gu
patients, a Brain Gu patient and a Digestive Gu pa-
tient. Can you take a moment to clearly differentiate
them by discussing common symptoms?
HF: Yes, the two big Gu types: Brain Gu and Diges-
tive Gu. People who have chronic digestive system
symptoms are referred to as digestive Gu. In the mild-
est case this will be bloating, gas, strange bowel move-
ments like alternating diarrhea and constipation, or
strangely shaped bowel movements. Along with these
symptoms one will usually find chronic lethargy. A
certain amount of brain fogginess or psychological
symptoms like bad dreams can go with Digestive Gu
as well.
 treating chronic inflammatory diseases with chinese herbs:
an interview with heiner fruehauf on the practical applications of gu syndrome
Brain Gu syndrome is basically caused by chronic
viruses that target the nervous system (such as cox-
sackie, herpes, and in some cases HIV), or spirochetes
(especially Lyme disease and its coinfections), or other
exotic pathogens causing chronic forms of meningi-
tis, malaria, leptospirosis, etc. A lot of patients in this
category are diagnosed with fibromyalgia these days.
There may be symptoms of body pain, anxiety, de-
pression, headaches, eye aches, visual hallucinations,
strange sensations that there is something stuck in
their head, etc. Very often these people have been
put on Prozac or some other kind of anti-depressant,
which often doesnt work. They might exhibit some
digestive symptoms as well, and very often Brain Gu
and Digestive Gu go together. The approach is simi-
lar in many ways, but there are certain herbs that are
more specific to spirochetes and viruses, and some
herbs that are more specific for worms and protozoan
parasites.
Q: In your experience do musculoskeletal issues typi-
cally accompany Brain Gu?
HF: Yes, musculoskeletal issues are typical signs of
Brain Gu. Digestive bloating, pain, and altered bowel
movements are the primary signs of Digestive Gu.
But both of them will have a certain degree of mental
symptoms, therefore the demonic possession label
the Digestive Gu less, and the Brain Gu more.
Q: What if there is an actual worm?
HF: There is a whole category of anthelmintic herbs
that specifically have an anti-worm effect, including
shijunzi, binglang, and guanzhong. Guanzhong, by
the way, is also an excellent herb for chronic viruses,
much better than the over-used banlangen. For me,
its effect is very much like qinghao, without the more
obvious shaoyang affinity of qinghao. The difference
of worm affliction is that worms will often be expelled
rather quickly, while spirochetes, viruses, protozoan
parasites and microplasma need to be treated for a
long time. This brings up a key difference between
the Western and traditional Chinese approaches
working with parasites. It says clearly in the classical
8
texts that the nature of Gu syndrome can be compared
to oil seeping into flour. This is much different from a
pearl falling into flourwith a pearl you can just take
tweezers and remove it, which is the idea behind the
Western antibiotic approach. You blast somebody for
a week with those, and theoretically the pathogen is all
gone. Similarly, the regular TCM approach is where
you prescribe strong heat clearing herbs for amoebic
dysentery and expect that it is all cleared up in one
week. Gu is not like that. It is the oil that has got-
ten into the flour, and now has virtually become one
with the flour, and is thus hard to get back out. Even
in the best case scenario this is a long processthe
Gu manuals speak of a minimum of six months and
a maximum of three to five years. This is definitely
my own experience, as well. In sum, the only way you
can get rid of this problem is by avoiding the custom-
ary herbal approach of blasting the system with strong
anti-parasitic herbs that are not tonic to the system
and are hard to digest. Those will generally make the
patient feel good for a week, but then s/he will not
be able to stomach them afterwards. The brilliance of
the Gu approach, once again, is that every single herb
in the prescription is anti-pathogenic and tonic at the
same time, and thus suitable for long-term treatment.
Remember that this kind of patient will always need
long-term treatment.
Moving forward to the next category: the ancient Chi-
nese apparently realized what we only know now, via
the science of modern parasitologyparasites have
the innate ability to camouflage and shield themselves
with a certain kind of armor that is often called a bio-
film. Traditional heat-clearing and anti-toxin herbs
are not able to get rid of many of these parasites be-
cause they cannot penetrate the biofilm. It is therefore
very important to include this category of blood mov-
ing herbs, containing yujin, sanleng, ezhu, muxiang,
zelan and chenpi. These are all herbs that have a direct
effect on the symptom of bloating, but that also have
ingredients in them that are able to crack that ancient
barrier. Together with these fragrant and blood mov-
ing substances, the other anti-parasitic and anti-toxin
herbs can then change the cozy environment of the
parasite, and over time convince it to evacuate.
 treating chronic inflammatory diseases with chinese herbs:
an interview with heiner fruehauf on the practical applications of gu syndrome
The last category features herbs that are both strongly
aromatic and anti-parasitic. The main herb here is
clove, dingxiang. Other herbs in this category include
purple single-clove garlic, and hezi, and huajiao,
which all have additional anti-parasitic properties
that are different from
the detoxifying ones
that we discussed before. ...Sini Tang is considered to
Most likely, they have an be the main way of containing
effect on certain egg or
larva stages of parasites
an overactive immune system,
that the other ones cant where the bodys yang energy is
touch.
hovering at the surface rather
Altogether, we have five than being properly stored in
or six different herbal
categories that are work-
the battery of the Kidney.
ing together in a highly integrated fashion, making
them suitable for long-term use and clinically very ef-
fective. Even though the treatment will take a long
time, patients usually feel a positive difference within
six to twelve weeks after the treatment has begun,
sometimes even right away.
Q: Can we talk about dosage?
HF: In the Chinese record, Gu syndrome often re-
ferred to severe and life-threatening infectious disease,
such as schistosomiasis. Patients were therefore often
prescribed formulas that included 150 to 300 grams of
crude herbs in decoction per day. Nowadays, whether
you end up using your own crude herbs or granules,
or Thunder and Lightning Pearlswhich are patent
formulas Ive created for the purpose of helping prac-
titioners treat Gu patientsthe daily amounts can be
considerably less than that, such as 50-120g of crude
herbs, or 10-25g of herbal granules, or the capsule
equivalent thereof.
Since we are dealing with a living pathogen that has
the ability to adapt, I recommend a regular change in
the details of the prescription. It is best to change a
Gu prescription regimen, at least somewhat, every six
weeks. The classical record already points this out, by
warning about the ability of Gu pathogens to adapt,
9
and suggesting to always stay a step ahead by making
changes to your herbal approach. Changing the for-
mula means that you leave the six categories intact
those categories never change, they are in every Gu
formulabut of the two or three herbs in a particular
category you always ro-
tate at least one out and
put a new one from the
same category in. In this
way, the general arrow of
the therapeutic approach
never changes, but you
change the herbs within
it. Your knowledge of
plant qualities should of
course play a role in the
selection of what gets ro-
tated in and what gets rotated out. In the first category,
for instance, you have a choice between the more cool-
ing jinyinhua (lonicera) lianqiao (forsythia) approach,
and the more warming baizhi (angelica) and zisu (pe-
rilla) approach.
Q: When you use your own products, the Thunder
and Lightning Pearls, how do you dose them?
HF: Lightning Pearls is the standard formula for
Brain Gu, and Thunder Pearls is the main formula
for Digestive Gu. During the first 6 weeks of treat-
ment for Brain Gu, I generally recommend to use
Lightning Pearls at a dose of 3-6 capsules 2-3 times
a dayamounting to a minimum of 6 capsules and a
maximum of 18 capsules a day. Then I generally have
patients take a week-long break from the Lightning
Pearls, during which time Thunder Pearls are used as
an alternating remedy in similar amounts. After that,
it is back to the Lightning Pearls, or a combination of
Lightning Pearls and one of the formulas in the aco-
nite remedy series that help with stamina rebuilding
and the relief of specific symptoms.
The herbs in our capsules are 10:1 extracts, meaning
it takes ten grams of dried raw herb material to make
just one gram of our extracts. One capsule contains
0.5g of herbal extract, which is equivalent to 1g of
 treating chronic inflammatory diseases with chinese herbs:
an interview with heiner fruehauf on the practical applications of gu syndrome
granules or 5g of crude herbs. So they are quite con-
centrated. If you open one capsule and taste it you will
see how effectively the factory preserves the aromatic
plant constituents.
Q: Can practitioners give your formula and a granule
formula of their own on top of that?
HF: Yes, of course. We do that in our clinic all the time,
prescribing 6 capsules of Thunder or Lightning Pearls
in the morning, and 6-10g of a custom-made granular
formula in the afternoon. But the custom formula still
needs to follow the principles of Gu prescribing, and
be changed every six weeks or so.
Q: Any particular challenges to prescribing for these
Gu patients that we have not already addressed in our
questions?
HF: Often these type of patients have many symp-
toms because they tend to be allergic. Both the Brain
Gu type as well as the Digestive Gu type can exhibit
many auto-immune symptoms, including food aller-
gies, and often react extremely sensitively to stimuli in
their environment. It is important, therefore, that you
work your way up to the target amount slowly. These
patients can react poorly to herbs, even if it is the right
formula, if you dose initially too high. It is better to
start on the low end and work your way up to the me-
dium or high range.
Also, I find it very important to mention that while
chronic inflammatory patients seem to manifest a lot
of heat symptoms, seem very inflamed, seem over-
reactive, have damp tongue coatingseven yellowish
tongue coatingsunderneath all that surface heat they
tend to be yang deficient. You can verify this best in the
pulse. The more inflamed someone is, the more energy
is lost over time. So, depending on their degree of yang
deficiency, you have to give them serious yang tonics
such as Sini Tang along with the Gu herbs, either right
away in very cold patients, or after six months when
the body is asking to switch to recharge mode in most
patients. This is the only effective way to contain and
gradually repair the trauma in their immune system.
10
Fuzi (aconite) is not used here to achieve an enhanced
damp drying effect, but to implement the master ap-
proach I learned from the Fire Spirit School (huoshen
pai) of Sichuan herbalism. In the teachings of the 19th
century physician Zheng Qinan and the Lu family
lineage, Sini Tang is considered to be the main way of
containing an overactive immune system, where the
bodys yang energy is hovering at the surface rather
than being properly stored in the battery of the Kid-
ney. In this situation, you need to pair the Lightning
or Thunder Pearl approach with the likes of Vitality
Pearls, a formula that contains Sini Tang and Fuzi Li-
zhong Tang in a balanced form appropriate for sensi-
tive Gu patients.
Q: I know your ideas on aconite differ from what is
commonly taught in TCM schools, or also in Japanese
Kampo, for that matter. Can you go into that a bit even
though it is a bit off topic of Gu syndrome? As you
have just explained it necessarily comes into the pic-
ture with certain Gu patients.
HF: Aconite was once called the King of the 100
Herbs for its superior effect in the treatment of severe
and chronic diseases. Nowadays, we are all hesitant
to use it, because its results are often unreliable and
sometimes allergenic in nature. This is not because of
the toxicity of aconite itself, but because of improper
processing shortcuts in the herb industry since the
1960s, often using chemicals such as bleach to detoxify
this herb. It is sad to know how far modern process-
ing techniques have departed from the traditional
science of herb preparation in this case. That is why
I have been eager to be in touch with local peasants in
the only area in China where genuine medicinal-grade
aconite comes from. I am very interested in restoring
traditional processing techniques and to restore the full
clinical power and safety of this herb. I am happy to an-
nounce here that we now have fuzi powdered extracts
that people can purchase and use in their granule dis-
pensaries. These can be ordered from Classical Pearls
as an 8:1 extract where there is no starch carrier at all.
We also have a 5:1 powdered extract that matches the
strength of granules. That one has a small amount of
starch carrier derived from the herb shanyao.
 treating chronic inflammatory diseases with chinese herbs:
an interview with heiner fruehauf on the practical applications of gu syndrome
Q: Exactly what sets this aconite apart from other ma-
terials available today?
HF: Aconite should be planted at the winter solstice
and harvested at the summer solstice, so that it is
growing only during the time of year when yang is in
its ascendancy. This is the case with our fuzi. Tradi-
tionally, the best fuzi comes only from one small area
in Sichuan province. This is where we grow and pro-
cess it in accordance with the labor-intensive methods
prescribed in traditional paozhi manuals.
Q: And is this top-of-the-line aconite in any of your
Classical Pearls formulas?
HF: This aconite has gone into all of our aconite rem-
edies, six of them so far. All of them are inspired by
the Fire Spirit Schools approach of treating a patients
constitutional core. For the specific purpose of ad-
dressing the yang deficiency needs of Gu patients, Ive
also produced a remedy called Vitality Pearls. Other
aconite remedies can be used as well, such as Peace
Pearls for pronounced symptoms of anxiety/insom-
nia, or Guanyin Pearls for menopause, but it was the
Vitality Pearls that were specifically designed for the
second and third stage of Gu treatment. For especially
yang deficient patients, they can even be used dur-
ing the first stage of Gu therapy, when generally only
Thunder and Lightning Pearls are prescribed. For
the average Gu patient you may have to wait some
time before the Vitality Pearls would be appropriate.
However, remember that no matter how much heat a
person exhibits initially when they come to your clinic,
they will eventually need this type of Sini Tang-based
treatment. I should clarify: When I say Sini Tang I
also mean to include other aconite formulas like Fuzi
Lizhong Tang and Qianyang Dan. Vitality Pearls is
based on Fuzi Lizhong Tang.
Q: What is the focus when you have taken a person
through a few years of this Gu treatment and the
chronic parasites are no longer a problem? What
needs to happen then?
HF: When there are no more signs of inflammatory
11
pathogens and the person has no more wind symp-
toms, and they are just burned out from the ordeal,
then it is time to exclusively switch to the Vitality Pearl
approach, or some other aconite remedy that contains
soothing and partially anti-parasitic herbs like baihe.
We would do this typically for another year or two.
Q: I know you use a type of testing with an electroder-
mal device to see if herbs are appropriate for patients.
Can you talk about that a bit?
HF: Due to the sensitivity that these patients very of-
ten have, I encourage practitioners to test every herb
in every category for Gu patients before prescribing
them, whether it is with muscle testing, electrodermal
screening, or another diagnostic modality that direct-
ly registers patient responses. The more specific you
can be about which one of these herbs is the right one
right now, the better. The process of choosing which
herb in a category is needed can be quite unpredict-
able at times. I find that the more precise the use of
these herbs, the fewer chances there are for adverse
reactions in your patients.
Q: One last thing to touch on. These patients often
are difficult to work with because of the very symp-
toms youve described. Any tips about how to work
with people when youre going to have to see them for
maybe three years. By the time they get to you theyve
suffered quite a bit already and they want understand-
ably a quick turnaround. Have you developed any in-
sights on how to best prepare them for a longer-term
treatment?
HF: You definitely need to educate this type of pa-
tient by getting them mentally prepared. Whether
theyve been in it for a long time already or whether
theyre just getting started with this treatment, they
are going to need treatment for a while. And again,
that means six months minimum for the person who
just came back from Nicaragua and contracted dysen-
tery for example, treated it with Flagyl, and now three
months later discovers that the symptoms are coming
backfatigue and strange bowel movements and so
on. That would be the 22-year-old Peace Corps par-
 treating chronic inflammatory diseases with chinese herbs:
an interview with heiner fruehauf on the practical applications of gu syndrome
ticipant who started out with a strong constitution be-
fore his ordealhe is going to be in it for six months.
Whereas somebody in their 50s who looks deficient to
you on all levels and has contracted many different vi-
ruses in their lifetime, followed by this last journey to
Nepal, or this last tick bite that was the hair that broke
the camels backthis person is in it for the three to
five year course.
Hopefully, there are two things that will happen.
First, there is the prospect of achieving some immedi-
ate symptom relief, which will gain you more of the
patients trust. Secondly, just the fact that you seem
to know what it is that theyre suffering from will be
a tremendous relief to this kind of patient, who has
been handed from practitioner to practitioner, and in
the worst-case scenario has been declared mentally ill
by the western medicine community. This person will
feel tremendous relief that you know whats going on
with them, that you can contain their suffering, that
they have something to point to that tells them that
this is not their fault and theyre not imagining it, but
that this is a real phenomenon.
Q: Isnt it possible the patient hits a plateau at some
point in the treatment and starts to lose faith in this
strategy?
HF: As for clinical progress, there are two different
kinds of scenario. One is when the patient gets bet-
ter right away and is grateful, but even this patient
will reach a place where they feel theyve reached a
plateau. They may have recovered enough to go back
to work, but then they burn out like everybody else
and wonder why nothing is working anymore. At this
point you need to remind them that the reason theyre
back to work in the first place is because the treatment
has been working, and that they need to rest more
rather than immediately using the newly gained en-
ergy to work excessively.
The more difficult scenario is when there are no ob-
vious signs of progressthis usually happens with
patients who take steroids, or benzodiazepines, or an-
tibiotics, or other strong acting natural products simul-
12
taneously. This may have to do with the autoimmune
aspect triggered by this disease. In people with Brain
Gu and chronic skin diseases, for example, everything
is chronically inflamed. In these cases the body often
produces strong autoimmune reactions. These cannot
be soothed quickly, and it will take some time to see
marked improvements. In these cases you should talk
to the patient about some of your previous (and even-
tually successful) case histories, and emphasize the Gu
concept of oil seeping into flour, which means that
you are dealing with something thats become part of
the body and cant be so easily removed. It is impor-
tant to check lifestyle habits for this type of patient,
so that theyre not maintaining poor food habits in
particular. If they keep eating a lot of carbohydrates
and sweets that make the body acidic, youll never get
rid of the milieu that hidden pathogens like. Contain-
ment, listening and empathy are all very important
for this type of patient.
Q; Heiner, thank you for your time. I hope this inter-
view will help those you who read it to develop a bet-
ter understanding of how to proceed in the treatment
of Gu cases.
HF: Youre welcome.
NOTES:
The Journal of Chinese Medicine article Driving
Out Demons and Snakes: Gu Syndrome, A Forgot-
ten Clinical Approach to Chronic Parasitism by Hei-
ner Fruehauf published in May of 1998 can be viewed
from the Clinical Information section at classicalchi-
nesemedicine.org
To learn more about the Classical Pearls Herbal For-
mula series, please visit classicalpearls.org.
Copyright 2009
Heiner Fruehauf
 Classical Pearls herbal FOrmulas
Lecture Series
Thunder Pearls: An Effective
Chinese Herbal Treatment
for Chronic Parasitism
(lecture transcript)
Heiner Fruehauf, PhD., L.Ac.
1 | classicalpearls.org
In ancient China, thunder and lightning were
considered to be the most yang phenomenon in
nature. I remember a night in Sichuan province when
powerful lightning bolts were dancing around the
temple at which we were staying for three hours. I
always thought that a lightning strike was as big as my
arm, but when you are up close it really appears as big
as a room. If you are a hundred feet away from that,
you will literally crawl underneath your bed because
youre so scared. You feel the earth shake, and you feel
the electricity in the air.
Parasites are always at the core of the traditional
diagnosis of Gu Syndrome, which literally means
parasite super-infection syndrome and, in a more
extended sense, possession syndromea situation
where multiple parasitic strains have become so
entrenched and pervasive in the system that they have
taken over your body. More importantly, they most
likely have also taken over your mind and your spirit,
because many parasites are capable of manipulating
your hormonal and endocrine systems. When those
systems have been hijacked, and the parasites are
now manipulating you to crave certain foods, and
even trigger certain emotions so they can feed off the
associated endocrine excretions, they own you. All of
a sudden your emotions become extremely volatile--
you fly off the handle, or become gloomily depressed,
as if possessed by an alien spirit. It is a testament to
the observational powers of the ancient Chinese
that they knew that these kinds of demons had a
physiological aspect to them. Without microscopes
they knew that parasites were involved in the mental
state often referred to as possession, because the
ancient pictogram for gu is three worms squirming in
To view this video, please visit classicalpearls.org.
 thunder pearls: an effective chinese herbal treatment for chronic parasitism
heiner fruehauf (lecture transcript)
a vessel. The vessel, in this case, is your body. When
your body becomes a vessel for parasites that hollow
your body from the inside out while they manage
to stay hidden from detection, gradually weakening
your body and spirit but keeping them alive enough
so they can survive within this vessel, then you have
Gu Syndrome.
When I started practicing Chinese medicine more
than twenty years ago, chronic candida infections were
the big thing in alternative medicine. In my practice,
however, I saw a lot of patients who had chronic
digestive problems that seemed much more aggressive
and tenacious than candida. Those were people
coming back from their Peace Corps assignments
in Latin America with giardia or entamoeba and a
history of repeated Flagyl (metranidazole) treatments.
Fifteen years after their initial bouts with dysentery
they still suffered from chronic bloating, making
them feel weaker and weaker and more miserable as
they got older. This type of patient would not respond
to the treatment approaches I had learned during my
Chinese medicine training. So, I literally took a two-
week hiatus from my clinical practice to read about
classical treatment approaches to parasites that, in my
reckoning, must have played a significant role in the
health care of pre-modern China. Why would this
person with bloating and the long and wiry pulse on
the right hand side not get the usual improvements
with Banxia Xiexin Tang? Why would the anxiety
patient not calm down and sleep better with
Suanzaoren Tang? It was because all of them suffered
from chronic parasitic inflammation of the intestines
and/or nervous system that the ancient Chinese called
Gu Syndromea term that, despite the extremely
common occurrence of this disease even, has been
stricken from the record of modern TCM, tainted by
its association with the feudalist and superstitious
practices of the past.
So important was the concept of Gu Syndrome in pre-
modern China that it became a standard component
in the standard life-end book that synthesized a
classical scholar-physicians clinical career. During
2 | classicalpearls.org
the formative years of modern TCM (1956-1988),
Communist doctrine expunged any reference to this
concept from the historic record because it apparently
contradicted core concepts of Marxist materialism.
Clearly, the suppression of Gu Syndrome is one of
the best examples where in TCMs modern zeal
for standardization and the redrawing of clear
ideological edges the baby was discarded along with
the bathwater. In addition to magical methods of
incantations and fu talismans drawn or worn on the
body, traditional Gu therapy involves a complex set
of herbal knowledge that utilizes and combines herbs
in a completely different way than laid out in the
standard bagang type of herbal differentiation.
For instance, a Daoist physician of the Qing dynasty
who wrote an entire book about Gu Syndrome once
said: If you have diarrhea that doesnt respond to
Liujunzi Tang, it is Gu; if you suffer from fatigue and
low blood pressure that doesnt respond to Buzhong
Yiqi Tang, it is Gu; if you feel malaise, like youre
trapped in a chronic state of the flu that doesnt
respond to the regular approach of driving out the
wind, then you have Gu. I have found that for most
modern patients this dose of pertinent clinical advice
applies more often than not, especially when mental
and emotional faculties are declining in worrisome
fashion. When modern herbalists look at a traditional
Gu Formula, therefore, they generally dont see
much that can be categorized and filed away by their
internal pattern recognition system. None of the
regular herbal building blocks seem to be reflected
herea testament not to the absurdity of a dead-end
branch of Chinese herbalism, but to the extremely
broad spectrum of effective clinical approaches that
lie preserved, albeit temporarily forgotten, within the
classical record.
The 2nd century formula primer Shanghan zabing
lun is generally recognized as the classic foundation
for the tens of thousands of herbal formulas created
during the following 1800 years. While only few
in number, most of the Shanghan lun formulas are
forgotten today. 350 years later, the Daoist practitioner
 thunder pearls: an effective chinese herbal treatment for chronic parasitism
heiner fruehauf (lecture transcript)
Sun Simiao synthesized the clinical herbal knowledge
of his time in a voluminous encyclopedia of treatment
methods, now known as the Thousand Ducat
Formulas. Sun Simiao was a humble collector. His
book includes so many formulas that he could not
have possibly prescribed them all himself. Most of
these formulas are not included in modern textbooks
of Chinese herbal science, not even in the form
of the therapeutic principles contained in them.
Therefore, they remain completely unknown, and
Suns Thousand Ducat Formulas remains one of the
biggest treasure troves of ancient clinical knowledge.
The Song dynasty formula textbook Taiping huimin
heji ju fang is an even better example of this trend.
This 11th century work sprang from the government
impulse to regulate the explosion of patent remedies
that a rapidly growing merchant class was bringing
to market at the time. The scholars of the Imperial
Academy finally included about 720 remedies deemed
effective by most contemporary physicians. Famous
formulas like Pingwei San and Xiaoyao San were
first published in this book, but most of the other 700
formulas no herbal scholar today would recognize or
understand at all. Most modern practitioners would
be scared to use them, even if they were understood
better. Many contain materials like Xionghuang
(realgar), a chemical precursor of arsenic, or other
kinds of mineral ingredients that contain mercury.
When we look closely, most of these formulas were
designed for people infected by malaria or some other
type of serious ailment. Schistosomiasis, for instance:
a parasitic disease that causes ones belly to swell up
grotesquely, and requiring immediate emergency-
room style intervention to survive.
It is one of the main purposes of the Classical Pearls
endeavor to rediscover and make available clinical
treasures that lay buried in the past. Both Thunder
and Lightning Pearls, the first two products of the
Classical Pearls series, are based on a formula from
a Qing dynasty book that focuses exclusively on Gu
syndrome--that formula is called Jiajian Su He Tang
(Modified Perilla and Mint Decoction). When I
locked myself away in my study 15 years ago, it was
3 | classicalpearls.org
my intention to identify something from this trove
of bizarre formulas that was outside the limited
categories of TCM herbalism; a formula that had
something radically new to offer for the type of
chronically inflamed patient I was seeing more and
more of, but that at the same time was absolutely
safe to useno mercury or arsenic. After reading
hundreds of pages, Jiajian Su He Tang rose to the top.
Jiajian Su He Tang and its mother formula, Su He
Tang, contain the following herb groups:
1) Shashe Fabiao (killing the snake with diaphoretic
materials), featuring Jinyinhua, Lianqiao, Bohe, Zisu,
Baizhi, Chaihu, and Gaoben. In a typical Gu formula,
you usually use three herbs from this category, not
more, not less. Thunder Pearls contains 30 grams of
fried Jinyinhua as the lead herb, next to the fragrant
Baizhi and Zisuye. I chose Jinyinhua (rather than
Bohe), because it is a powerful single herb remedy
for not only acute amoebic dysentery, but also
chronic diarrhea disorders such as ulcerative colitis
and Crohns disease (which, according to my clinical
experience, are often triggered by parasites in the gut).
Baizhi and Zisuye feature prominently in the original
Jiajian Su He Tang, and have the alchemical stability
that makes them suitable for long-term treatment.
Both of these materials exhibit a broad anti-parasitic
effect, including conditions that involve fungus/yeast.
2) Fragrant, anti-parasitic ingredients that tonify the
blood: notably Danggui and Chuanxiong, possibly also
Shaoyao and Danshen. Since most Gu patients appear
hollowed out and deficient on some level, you should
never just employ excess removing--kill, kill, kill
methods, such as hammering the patient with clove
and black walnut. These methods, inspired by the
anti-biotic approach of Western medicine, may bring
about an initial improvement, but eventually cause
stomach discomfort and eventually make the patient
feel worse. A Gu diagnosis automatically means that
the patient needs to be treated for a minimum of six
months, often 1.5-3 years, so it is pertinent that you
use an herbal approach that is suitable for long-term
use: anti-parasitic (bad for the pathogen) and tonic
 thunder pearls: an effective chinese herbal treatment for chronic parasitism
heiner fruehauf (lecture transcript)
(good for your body) at the same time. Thunder Pearls
contains Danggui and Chuanxiong.
3) Anti-parasitic herbs that tonify qi: unprocessed
Gancao, Huangqi, and Wujiapi all belong to this
category. Thunder Pearls contain (sheng) Gancao and
Huangqi. Note that the main qi tonic, ginseng, should
never be used for a parasitic patient, since it will tonify
the pathogen even more than the patient. It is actually
a diagnostic indicator for Gu syndrome if the patients
responds poorly to ginseng.
4) Anti-parasitic herbs that tonify yin: Many Gu
patients are yin deficient, manifesting in a brittle
nervous system. Patients with Digestive Gu (chronic
parasitic inflammation of the gut, leading to IBS,
diverticulitis, or other diseases involving bloating,
constipation and/or diarrhea). If a patient tends toward
diarrhea, one must be careful not to inundate them
with herbs that are sticky and hard to digest. Baihe
and Huangjing are prime herbs in this category, also
Beishashen. For constipation, unprocessed Heshouwu
is suitable. Huangjing, especially, is an underused
Daoist folk herb that my teachers teacher, a Daoist
Abbott, would eat for breakfast, by digging up some
Huangjing in the vicinity of the monastery and eating
it fresh. Directly out of the ground it is crunchy like a
pear, but looks more like rehmannia (Dihuang) once
steamed and dried. According to several classical texts,
the ancient shaman physician Hua Tuo favored this
root as a fasting remedy, stabilizing the adepts blood
sugar and increasing mental clarity, while clearing
parasites at the same time. Externally, it works well as
a remedy for funguses such as athletes foot.
5) Modern parasitology has recently come up with the
concept of biofilm. It is most interesting to see that
the ancient designers of parasite remedies did account
for this phenomenon way back in the past. Traditional
treatments for Digestive Gu often feature a category
of aromatic herbs that are not only anti-parasitic, but
also move qi and blood. From a modern perspective,
these materials have the capacity of breaking through
the camouflage mechanisms and protective biofilm
4 | classicalpearls.org
layers that many parasites have around them, so that
the anti-parasitic substances can be effective. Sanleng,
Ezhu and Yujin, all relatives of turmeric, are primary
herbs in this category. You dont need to use much of
these ingredients, just 3-6 g of each within a traditional
remedy (while many of the others are used in amounts
of 9-15g). Thunder Pearls contains all three of them.
6) The final category is directly anti-parasitic. Dingxiang,
Kushen and Shechuangzi, for instance are particularly
suitable for parasites in the digestive tract, and the
herbs Baitouweng and Baibiandou are very specific
for diarrhea symptoms. If you have constipation, you
can still use these last two herbs, they will not make
you constipated. However, I have recently replaced
the Baitouweng in the original Thunder Pearls recipe
with Guanzhong, which is also a good herb for anti-
protozoan treatment like giardia, entamoeba, or
blastocystis hominis (especially prevalent in travelers to
India, Nepal, and South America), and worms, but also
has a broader anti-pathogenic effect on chronic viruses
(such as herpes) and spirochetes (such as borelia/Lyme),
and tends to be more suitable for long-term use. Other
herbs in this category are Qinghao and the forgotten
GuizhenyuEuonymus alatus, literally the Arrow
that Kills All Demons (recently imported in granular
extract form by Classical Pearls). Binglang, Feishi, and
Shijunzi are anthelmintics that could be included in this
category, specific for Gu syndrome involving worms.
By definition, Gu patients are long-term patients
and have to be on this type of herb combination for
at least six months. Since you need to change some
of the herbs along the way in order to stay ahead of
the parasites vigorous attempts to adapt, I developed
two versions of the same formula, called Thunder and
Lightning Pearls. For Digestive Gu inflammation, I
recommend to use three weeks of Thunder Pearls and
one week of Lightning Pearls to keep the parasites on
the run. For the more neurologically inflamed type that
I call Brain Gu (Lyme Disease, or chronic versions
of rabies or scarlet fever or Dengue fever or malaria
or chronic encephalitisconditions we dont hear
much about in regular medical training), it would be
 thunder pearls: an effective chinese herbal treatment for chronic parasitism
heiner fruehauf (lecture transcript)
the opposite: 3 weeks of Lightning Pearls and 1 week
of Thunder Pearls. According to my personal clinical
experience, a lot of patients who seek help for chronic
body pain, mental fogginess, anxiety and insomnia
actually suffer from Brain Gu syndrome.
In ancient times, Gu remedies were typically used in
large amounts, up to 300g of crude herbs in decoction
form per day. This type of dosage is necessary for
aggressive types of parasites that kill you in a short
amount of time, such as schistosomiasis. For your
average Gu patient with blastocystis hominis or IBS
or chronic bloating or the Peace corps returnee, or to
prevent parasitic infection while traveling in Nepal,
lower doses will suffice. One capsule of the Pearls is
always equivalent to 1 gram of granulated extract or
5g of crude herb material. I rarely prescribe more than
12g per day of anti-Gu herbs in granular form, or 4
capsules of Thunder Pearls 2-3x/day.
If you use more than that, the person will tire earlier of
the remedy. It all depends what else you prescribe. If
the person already ingests three garlic cloves a day, you
could consider that to be the afternoon dose, and you
can then just take six Thunder Pearls in the morning.
For some Gu patients who manifest with extreme
intestinal inflammation and are thus very sensitive,
reactions to food and herbs are to be expected, and
you will have to start dosing very gradually: 1 capsule
2x/day for three days. If that is okay, you go up to 2
capsules 3x/day. If that still works after 3-7 days, then
you increase to 3x3 for a week, eventually ending up
with a standard dose of 5 capsules 2x/day. For cases
of acute amoebic dysentery, I would recommend 6
capsules 2x/day. If thats not strong enough, some of
the strongly anti-pathogenic Dragon Pearls should
be taken alongside. In my opinion, acute parasitic
infections can be resolved with Chinese herbs without
having to resort to strong antibiotics. Dragon Pearls
essentially represents an herbal antibiotic without the
anti-life effect. We sometimes forget that herbs can
heal serious infections--you just have to take the right
ones, and enough of them.
5 | classicalpearls.org
Recent studies have shown that antibiotics have the
potential to force parasites to escape the gut and
hide out in tissues that they normally dont go to. In
contrast, you can look at the Gu approach as a kind
of fumigation of the bodys tissues, while building
up the bodys immune system at the same timelike
smudging, causing the parasites to say: This place is
not for us anymore, lets get out of here.
Note that Gu syndrome has traditionally been
described to be like oil seeping into flour. To separate
oil from flour takes a long time. Most people thus need
to be treated for 6 months to 3 years. In my experience,
even a young person saying six months ago I caught
a bug in El Salvador; I took Flagyl and felt better for
a while, but now I am bloated again and suffer from
alternating diarrhea and constipation still needs to be
on an anti-Gu treatment protocol for at least 6 months.
If someone has had this type of condition for twenty
years, then you need to stay on it for 3 years. With
the more chronic cases, where treatment exceeds the 6
month mark, it is important to simultaneously address
the bodys immune deficiencies and auto-immune
tendencies. This situation requires aconitea vital
ingredient contained in many of the other Pearl
formulas. We will talk about them later--especially
the Vitality Pearls are important to accompany Gu
treatment past the 6 months mark. For particularly
cold and deficient patients, Vitality Pearls may need to
be prescribed along Thunder/Lightning Pearls right
from the get-go.
Copyright 2010
Heiner Fruehauf
To view this video, please visit classicalpearls.org.
 The Importance of
Aconite (fuzi)
teachings from the sichuan fire spirit school
On February 19, 2009 Heiner Fruehauf, Ph.D., L.Ac. sat down with his colleague Bob Quinn, DAOM, L.Ac., to
&
discuss the importance of aconite (fuzi) in classical Chinese medicine. The discussion also covers aspects of the fuzi story
not covered elsewhere in the west, namely its proper processing. Heiner also touches on some of the nuts and bolts of
the Sichuan Fire Spirit School of herbal prescribing. As Heiner explains, fuzi used to be referred to as the King of the
100 Herbs. This information is crucial to understanding the scholarship and clinical power behind the Classical Pearl
formulas that contain aconite.

Q: Heiner, thanks for making the time for this interview

HF: I am happy always to talk about this medicine.

Q: I want to touch on various aspects of aconite prescribing, including its proper growing and processing.
Perhaps we can start with the basic question as to why aconite is so important an herb. What sets it apart? Can
you talk about this briefly?

HF: Certainly. As you know, it has been a consistent focus in my life to help restore the clinical power of
classical Chinese medicine to where it was before, namely a medicine that can treat serious disease, not just
shoulder pain and acute injuries. In this context, I found that fuzi features prominently in ancient texts. It was
called baiyao zhi zhang, the King of the 100 Herbs. In modern times, however, I have not seen this herb used
very often, and that includes my observation time with most of my Shanghan lun teachers in China. At first, I
did not pay too much attention to this very obvious discrepancy between what I was reading in classical case
studies and what I was seeing in my teachers clinics. It was not until I encountered the so-called Fire Spirit


 the importance of aconite (fuzi)
and teachings from the sichuan fire spirit school
School (Huoshen Pai) of Sichuan herbalism through
Dr. Liu Liong and some of the representatives of this
lineage who still practice in Sichuan province (see
www.classicalchinesemedicine.org for more detailed
information by Drs. Liu Lihong and Lu Chonghan
on this approach to herbal prescribing) that I realized
that the main problem was not the fear of toxicity of
the herb itself, but the non-traditional processing that
this herb undergoes in the modern era.
Lu Zuzhi - the Lu family ancestor who studied with
Zheng Qinan at the end of the 19th century
Q: Can you talk a bit about the processing of aconite?
HF: Because of the toxicity of the herb in the raw
state, it is the processing that makes this herb usable
and brings out its superlative healing properties. The
experiences of modern doctors are, for the most part,
patterned by the potential side effects that fuzi has in
modern times. Most fuzi on the market today is not
grown in the right area, is not grown at the right time
of year, and most importantly, has not been processed
appropriately. All these factors impact the quality of
the fuzi we have to use these days. Li Shizhen, in his
great Ming dynasty materia medica Bencao gangmu,
very specifically points out that the right type of

fuzi only grows in the ancient districts of Qianwei,
Guanghan, and Longzhou, which refers to modern-
day Jiangyou in Sichuan province. All material medica
scholars emphasized this point, like the Qing dynasty
scholar Yang Shitai who wrote in 1833: Aconite from
Longzhou is the best. Even though aconite grows in
abundance elsewhere, it is weak and not suitable for
medicinal use.
It is further said in the oral traditions of the Fire
Spirit School that the seedlings of aconite need to be
harvested high in the mountains where they endure
great coldmaybe this is why this herb is so powerful
in driving out damp cold-and then should be planted
at the winter solstice in the Jiangyou area among other
crops. The aconite plant then grows in the time of year
when the yang is in its ascendancy and is harvested at
the summer solstice before the yang starts its decline.
This herb thus very literally absorbs only the energy
of the yang part of the year. This attention to timing
is important, but most growers now disregard this
key feature. I believe very strongly that it is these
types of detailed practical instructions that make
Chinese medicine a science in its own right, and that
it is important that they be heeded, whether modern
laboratory verification has been able to perceive any
benefits or not.
Q: What happens when aconite is harvested?
HF: Traditionally, once the aconite tuber was harvested
it underwent a number of detoxification procedures
involving steaming, soaking in brine, and repeated
rinsing in flowing, clean water. Most of these steps are
skipped in modern times. Most modern fuzi is over-
brined and is not washed properly in flowing water.
In the worst case scenario, and this sadly happens all
too frequently, the fuzi is processed with bleach or
other harsh chemicals. You can imagine that this has
a very severe effect on the aconites healing properties.
Also, modern fuzi slices tend to be small, because the
plant was not grown in the right area and in the right
manner.
 the importance of aconite (fuzi)
and teachings from the sichuan fire spirit school
Q: I know there is a network of growers in the U.S.
experimenting with organic cultivation of Chinese
herbs. Can it be that we can grow this here? For
that matter, although the organic movement is in its
infancy in China, there are also certified organic farms
there. Would it be OK to grow the fuzi somewhere
where the soil has been rebuilt?
Jiangyou, an aconite farmer
HF: The principle that involves herb cultivation in the
right place and harvesting at the proper time of year
is called didao yaocai. This term means genuine, and
expresses the proper yin and yang properties of the
herbs due to correct attention to planting in the right
place (di: yin) at the right time (dao: yang). Only then
can this herb considered to be genuine. It is not just a
matter of correct species identification.
Q: Talk about this Jiangyou area of Sichuan that is so
key in the view of the classics you cited.
HF: In the case of fuzi, the area in Jiangyou where
this herb is still cultivated by local peasants has
shrunk to less than 20 acres in modern times. Most
aconite on the market is grown elsewhere in China
and is then shipped to Jiangyou, to get a local stamp
so it can appear that it was grown where it should
have been grown. This is a real tragedy, since there
is a real difference; just the visual appearance of the

Jiangyou fuzi tuber is much larger than that of fuzi
grown elsewhere. Most of the genuine fuzi is snatched
up by Korean and Japanese companies who still value
ancient herbal traditions. They are very much aware
of the superior quality of Jiangyou fuzi, while in the
west virtually nothing is known about the dramatic
differences in aconite quality due to place, time, and
processing. As a clinician you quickly recognize the
value of genuine aconite that has been grown and
processed in the traditional manner.
With the modern fuzi most practitioners are forced to
work with two things can happen: In the first scenario,
the aconite is inert, as if sawdust had been added
to the formula. In the second scenario, the patient
may develop an allergic reaction to the aconite-
and remember, this toxicity stems from improper
processing, not any sort of natural toxicity of the
plant-and gets some sort of uncomfortable feeling
in their body. I can say with great confidence that this
sort of reaction is not due to any sort of unwanted
toxicity in the aconite itself.
Genuine fuzi does unfold a powerful function in the
body that is unlike other warming herbs like ginger,
cinnamon, or evodia. For instance, when you want to
treat severe heart failure with edema, or, say, kidney
failure in patients about to go to dialysis, it is very
difficult to make any progress without this herb in
Chinese medicine. There is real power in this herb.
The ancient Chinese were not exaggerating when
they called it the King of the 100 Herbs. For me, as
a serious herbalist who specializes in treating patients
with debilitating diseases, this was a great discovery
and clinical breakthrough. I am very grateful for it.
I found it important enough to station a Classical
Pearls employee semi-permanently in Jiangyou, to
ensure proper processing of the genuinely grown and
harvested fuzi. In this way, I can import the real thing
for my own clinic and Classical Pearls.
Q: I suspect that many TCM practitioners are
shy about prescribing fuzi from hearing stories of
toxicity from their teachers, stories about patients
 the importance of aconite (fuzi)
and teachings from the sichuan fire spirit school
getting palpitations and dizziness. Do you encounter
challenges in your teaching about aconite? Do you
come up against resistance due to the TCM training
about this herb and the fear of toxicity? Do people
believe you when you say that the toxicity is due to
improper processing and not the herb itself?
HF: As with every other topic in Chinese medicine,
I find that education is so important. Humans get
patterned quickly into certain beliefs and preferences,
whether we have had actual experiences with a
situation or substance or not. I can only put the integrity
of my own words behind the claim that genuine fuzi
is safe, as my teachers did with me. They were able
to convince me with their sense of certainty and their
case stories, and I found what they said corroborated
in the classics. Now, of course, I am seeing the benefits
in my own patients. Of course you cant give aconite
to everyone. If you have someone with leukemia, for
instance, with an exploding white blood cell count
and severe heat symptoms, you do not want to give
them aconite.
Q: I know you do prescribe aconite formulas, though,
in many instances when TCM practitioners would
not; in fact they would in many such instances give yin
tonics. Can you talk about this a bit?
HF: Insomnia and anxiety are typically defined as
being yin-deficient conditions in TCM. Due to the
depleting effect of our modern lifestyle however,
there is usually an underlying yang deficiency present
in these patients. Stress can be defined as a situation
when we spend our (yang) life-force rather than
safeguarding and storing it. The primary problem we
have here is therefore one of yang storage. This is what
fuzi does-it entices the yang to go back into a state of
storage. When you add Suanzaoren Tang to an aconite
based formula, you will thus see much better results in
anxiety and insomnia patients than with Suanzaoren
Tang itself. This is the approach I have taken in the
design of the Peace Pearls.
Then, considerations of dosage are important in

aconite use. According to the Fire Spirit School and
even Ye Tianshi, the pioneer of the fever school, heavy
doses of an herb cause the qi to go to the lower burner,
while light doses cause it to go to the upper burner.
This is true not just for aconite, but for any herb.
When asking similar questions to physicians in the
Fire School lineage, they said that uprising symptoms
like palpitations and dizziness-which, again, is
most often caused by improper herb processing-
can come from prescribing too small a dose of fuzi.
Since fuzi is traditionally charged with drawing the
fire of mingmen into the battery of the lower burner,
higher doses are more appropriate for this purpose. In
the case of the Fire Spirit School physicians, they start
with 60 grams and go up to 120-200 grams of aconite
per day.
aconite root
Q: You are talking bulk doses?
HF: Yes, crude herbs in decoction per day. This
involves the labor-intensive procedure of first soaking
the aconite in water to wash off the remaining brine,
and then cooking it for two hours before the other herbs
are added to the formula. For greater convenience, I
have taken the step to manufacture properly processed
Jiangyou fuzi into granules, and found this to be most
appropriate for chronically ill patients in the US and
Europe. We cannot expect chronic patients to spend 2
hours every day preparing their medicine.
I personally dont think that extremely high fuzi doses in
the amounts I just mentioned are absolutely necessary.
 the importance of aconite (fuzi)
and teachings from the sichuan fire spirit school
In my own clinical practice, I generally prescribe 18-30
grams of these fuzi granules in formulas designed to
last a week. Of course, the amount used should match
the purpose of the formula. Bamboo Pearls, my main
formula for arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, aching
fracture sites and other types of body pain is based on
Guizhi Shaoyao Zhimu Tang. This formula deliberately
features just 9 grams of fuzi, because the aconite is
used here for its function of being the opener of the
twelve channels. In medium amounts, fuzi drives
out body pain. However, if you want to treat severe
anxiety, severe insomnia, severe damage to the Heart-
Kidney shaoyin layer, severe damage to the taiyin layer
that aconite also enters, you need to use higher doses.
Note that some classics originally refer to fuzi as a
sweet herb; we see this digestive-strengthening focus
and taiyin affinity in Fuzi Lizhong Tang for instance.
It is also interesting here to note that the Heart was
originally labeled as an earth organ before the fire
organ designation was added. Even in English we
have that convention, by saying that someone is a
sweetheart. Fuzi is thus primarily an herb to warm,
tonify and bolster the yang qi of both postnatal taiyin
and prenatal shaoyin network functions.
Q: Heiner, you mentioned Fuzi LizhongTang a
moment ago. Can you talk about the other aconite-
based formulas you favor in this style of prescribing?
HF: An important thing I learned from Drs. Lu
Chonghan and Liu Lihong is the image of dribbling
the ball in soccer. In the game of soccer, you eventually
want to shoot a goal, meaning that the sole point of
dribbling is to get the ball into scoring position. In this
analogy, scoring a goal is to reinforce the vital fire of
mingmen with aconite. Dribbling is to remove qi and
blood stagnation, resolve phlegm, etc., with other
herbs. From the perspective of the Fire Spirit School,
all chronic patients will eventually need an aconite
formula, even if we see a lot of heat in a patient at
first. Eventually, all treatments get to the stage where
we need to get between the goal posts by penetrating
the Gate of Life (mingmen), also referred to as Kidney
yang, and fuzi is the main herb for doing this.

I find the following formulas most useful for this
purpose: First, the aconite base formula in the Fire
Spirit School is the historically all-important yet
nowadays rarely used remedy Sini Tang. Sini Tang,
as I use it, consists of aconite in one of its medicinal
forms, whether it is fuzi, wutou, or even caowu (if
there is pronounced body pain); plus a form of ginger,
an aconite wash
either ganjiang (dry ginger), shengjiang (fresh ginger),
paojiang (roasted ginger), or even gaoliangjiang
(galanga); and finally some form of licorice, either
gancao (unprocessed licorice) or zhi gancao (honey-
baked licorice), most commonly the zhigancao. We
know this formula as the Shanghan lun approach to
life-threatening situations where the spirit needs to
be anchored in the body, but in the Fire Spirit School
it is the base formula for all chronic conditions once
meridian stagnation has been resolved.
The other aconite formulas I want to mention here are
all derivatives of Sini Tang. There is Fuzi Lizhong Tang,
a classical modification of the Shanghan lun formula
Lizhong Tang, which allows us to affect both prenatal
and postnatal realms in the body. It is very suitable to
be used as one of those shoot the goal formulas
possibly with the addition of some yin tonics and a
tiny amount of huanglian, as I have done for yin-yang
balance in the Vitality Pearls. Another formula that I
frequently use in this context, which originates directly
from the Fire Spirit tradition, is Qianyang Dan. This
formula, which literally translates as Submerge the
Yang Pellet, was created during the 19th century by
Zheng Qinan, the Qing dynasty master of the Fire
 the importance of aconite (fuzi)
and teachings from the sichuan fire spirit school
Spirit School. Qianyang Dan is basically Fuzi Lizhong
Tang minus baizhu plus amomum/cardamon in the
form of sharen or baidoukou. Dr. Zheng and his disciples
in the Lu and Peng family lineages look upon sharen
and baidoukou in the same way as aconitean herb
that warms, dispels dampness, and most importantly,
causes the qi to go back down into storage. Different
from the regular definition of these herbs as aromatic
appetite enhancers, they are here recognized as key
minister herbs for aconite, helping it with the all-
important job of getting the yang-qi back into the
box. Peace Pearls, one of the aconite formulas recently
created for the Classical Pearls line, is essentially a
combination of Qianyang Dan with Suanzaoren Tang.
The Peace Pearls primarily treat anxiety and insomnia.
Qianyang Dan is also at the core of Guanyin Pearls, a
remedy addressing hot flashes and other menopausal
complaints. Similar to Peace Pearls, Guanyin Pearls
combines the yang bolstering effect of Qianyang Dan
with the yin tonic elements of Erzhi Wan and Erxian
Tang. If just the regular approach of using yin tonics
was used to treat these disorders, the primary problem
of yang leakage would remain unaddressed. I find that
until there is a clear therapeutic focus on this leakage
of source yang, it is difficult to make lasting progress
in the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, hot flashes, and
other conditions involving the upflaring of qi.
Q: Correct me if Im wrong, Heiner, but I dont think
the readers of this interview will find Qianyang Dan in
Bensky or other formula manuals.
HF: Right, Qianyang Dan is an example of a clinical
gem that, alongside other formulas with a strong local
history, has not been included in standard textbooks.
Keep in mind that the most voluminous handbook
of Chinese formulas contains 96,000 traditional
remedies, and Qianyang Dan is not even included in
that. Another formula to mention here, also based on
a modification of Fuzi Lizhong Tang minus baizhu,
is Wenpi Tang (Warm the Spleen Decoction). As
with Sini Tang, people are theoretically familiar with
this formula, but it has clearly prolapsed into a state
of underuse. This formula is excellent for many

chronic patients suffering from constipation. This
is very often the case in menopausal women with
thyroid problems, and lots of cancer patients have this
symptom. Cancer patients are often yang-deficient
and damp underneath the toxicity. There is no better
herb than dahuang to purge the toxicity from the cells
and the body, therefore it is included in the famous
anti-cancer Essiac formula. The more raw version
of rhubarb will have greater laxative qualities, while
the dahuang that has been cooked longer or processed
with alcohol will have more blood-moving qualities.
Both versions have a strong anti-toxin effect. Another
formula we use at my clinic is Zhenwu Tang, which
primarily targets the Heart and the Kidney. Patients
who need Zhenwu Tang often have dizziness and
edema, especially elderly patients.
Q: Just to be real clear here, Heiner, we started our
discussion talking about the proper and improper
processing of aconite. What you just spoke of, these
basic formulas you use in the Fire Spirit Schoolif
this interview succeeds in convincing someone to
incorporate this approach into their practice, these
formulas are not going to deliver the desired outcomes
unless genuine aconite that has been processed
in traditional ways is used. Is that what I am to
understand from this whole discussion? And to be as
clear as possible, by real aconite I mean the type that
is grown in Jiangyou in the traditional manner and
processed according to classical guidelines. Are there
any other suppliers for genuine aconite out there that
you know of?
HF: No. It was the complete lack of sources for
medicinal grade aconite in the West that motivated
me, a self-described scholar nerd, to jump into
the herb industry. I could not find a true aconite
anywhere to work with in my clinic. I found some
sources to be better than others, but none rose to the
level of the real thing, and many were outright useless
or even dangerous. In our times, I find it important
that people with the knowledge of traditional herb
quality, proper processing techniques (paozhi), and
the very real danger of environmental pollutants
 the importance of aconite (fuzi)
and teachings from the sichuan fire spirit school
get involved in the herb trade for the benefit of the
whole Chinese medicine community. The more I
learn about the current state of the herb industry, the
more convinced I am that it is necessary for scholars
with both knowledge and integrity to get involved.
By stepping in personally with the production of real
fuzi, other companies will hopefully become inspired
and expand into the growing and processing of other
genuine herbs. When I realized that there was no
aconite of the quality I wanted to work with, I teamed
up with my colleague Dr. Liu Lihong from the
Institute for the Clinical Research of Classical Chinese
Medicine in Nanning. We dispatched several people
to stay in Jiangyou for three months throughout the
entire harvest and processing period to make sure that
the order was done to specifications, something you
unfortunately cannot take for granted in modern-day
China. The peasants may remember the traditional
procedures, but they are much more labor intensive
for them. We took every precaution that shortcuts
were not taken.
Q: There is a cost discrepancy between your fuzi and
what is currently available.
HF: Yes, that is because we pay four times as much for
our crude fuzi as compared to what is paid for other
types of aconite in China.
Q: That is an enormous difference.
HF: Yes, it takes a great deal of time to process
aconite properly. I also explained earlier that it has to
be grown by mixing it in with other crops, another
feature that makes the harvest more time-consuming.
Please note that we dont ourselves charge four times
the going price for aconite granules, but by rights we
should. I need to point out that the senior practitioners
of the Fire Spirit lineage say that it is better to not use
aconite at all if you only have access to inferior quality
material. In other words, someone maybe hearing this
and thinking, Well, I will use what is available and
simply accept slightly less desirable outcomes; maybe
my treatment will just take a little longer than if I

spent the money for the fancy stuff. If that is the case,
one should better use something other than aconite,
such as ginger or cardamon. But remember, fuzi is the
King of the 100 Herbs. It really cannot be replaced
by anything. I wish our aconite here at Classical Pearls
could be offered at the same price as what is available
from other companies, but that is simply not possible.
Wed lose our shirt.
Q: Just to complete the picture then of how this
properly processed aconite becomes granules...
HF: Rightwe send this traditionally processed
aconite to a state-of-the-art factory to be made into
granules and powdered extracts according to our
specifications. This factory has three different GMP
(Good Manufacturing Practices) certifications. It is
not only an herb manufacturer but also a supplement
manufacturer and a drug manufacturer. You would
be hard pressed to find a better factory in China. They
have agreed to produce the extracts just as we want
them. We have two types: an 8:1 powdered extract
that has no starch carrier at all, and a 5:1 form of
granules made with a very small amount of protective
starch carrier coating that the aconite decoction
is sprayed on to. Great care has been taken in the
selection of this starch. We deliberately do not use
cheaper starch carriers made from corn or potato, for
instance. Some people have allergic reactions to those.
We use a starch derived from the herb and tonic food
item shanyao (dioscorea), which is also a yang tonic.
The 5:1 is of similar strength to other herb granules
that practitioners generally have in their pharmacies,
so people do not have to do any fancy math. The 8:1
would be used in slightly smaller amounts possibly,
such as 12g per weekly formula rather than the
customary 18g.
Q: Is there any point at which you will run out of
material if a strong demand develops? I can see this
could well catch on.
HF: We try to think ahead and be mentally prepared
for a wider demand. We have been working directly
 the importance of aconite (fuzi)
and teachings from the sichuan fire spirit school
with the peasants in Jiangyou, who know that we may
need to buy much more of this specially processed
aconite in coming years. We are mentally prepared to
meet increased demand. As you know, my primary goal
is to help restore the clinical power of classical Chinese
medicine, and I believe that this herb can play a key
role in that mission. So, the supply problem needs to
be solved. I would be happy if other companies joined
in and started offering this kind of genuine medicinal
grade aconite as well.
Maybe it would be instructive here to talk about how
much aconite we use in one day in my own clinic, so
people can see the potential dimensions of aconite
use for chronic disordersI probably go through ten
bottles of aconite granules in a single day; in other
words, an entire kilogram of the extracts I have just
described. At our clinic, we really do rely on those
aconite-based formulas I listed earlier. Again, to be
clear, there might well be a number of yin tonics or
even small amounts of heat clearing herbs in the same

formula, but a large percentile of our constitutional
prescriptions are based on Fuzi Lizhong Tang or one of
its variations. More recently, we have also been using
a lot of the aconite containing Classical Pearl patents
that are based on Fuzi Lizhong Tang or Qianyang Dan.
It was therefore a prime motivation for me to prescribe
this top-grade fuzi to my own patients. At the same
time, I wish to use the opportunity of having a direct
line to the peasants in Jiangyou to make genuine
aconite available to the wider TCM community, since
it does not seem to be available through any other
company.
Q; Heiner, we need to end here. I want to thank you
for your time.
HF: It was a pleasure.
The title image is a drawing of the Fire Spirit School an-
cestor Zheng Qinan.
Copyright 2009
Heiner Fruehauf
 FUZI
Since the rampant
materialism of the last
50 years took over herb
production in China,
ignoring traditional
growing, harvesting, and
processing protocols,
the quality of Fuzi has
become so bad that most
materials presently on the
market are actually harmful.
Side effects are attributed to
the toxicity of the Fuzi,
rather than the poor
production/processing
procedures.
This situation has
brought about a clinical
environment in which Fuzi
is virtually not used at all
anymore. This is a great
loss for classical Chinese
medicine, which by its very
nature is focused on the
healing of serious diseases.
~Heiner Fruehauf
Whats the Difference?
Heiner Fruehauf has spent quite a bit of time researching the
Yang Tonic school of Sichuan herbalism. As part of this process,
he has found the perfect type of aconite, which was in most
classics considered to be the primary herb for most difficult and
chronic diseases and the core herb of the yang tonic school.
The aconite used in the Classical Pearl formulas and the single
ingredient specialty products is the best type of Fuzi presently
available in the Western world, restoring to this herb once
called the King of the 100 Herbs its priorfeatures of safety and
effectiveness.
1) It was grown in Jiangyou (Northern Sichuan), the only
place in China considered to produce "didao" (genuine)
Fuzi (presently less than 20 acres);
2) It was planted during the winter solstice and harvested
during the summer solstice, absorbing only the seasonal
energy from the part of the year when the yang is
expanding;
3) It was processed in accordance with elsewhere abolished
traditional methods (multiple courses of steaming,
soaking in brine, and rinsing), during a 3-month long
supervision period by a Hai Shan employee.
This Fuzi is available from Classical Pearls as a high-quality single
ingredient specialty product:
1) An 8:1 powdered extract that has no starch carrier at all;
2) A 5:1 form of granules made with a very small amount of
protective starch carrier coating that the aconite
decoction is sprayed on to. Great care has been taken in
the selection of shanyao (dioscorea) as this starch.
Classical Pearls Herbal Formulas
A Division of Hai Shan Center, Inc.
Phone 503.695.2985 Fax 503.695.2968
classicalpearls.org
Rev Aug 2009
 On June 8, 2009 Heiner Fruehauf, Ph.D., L.Ac. sat down
at the Hai Shan Clinic in Corbett, OR with Bob Quinn,
DAOM, L.Ac. to discuss Qianyang Dan, a key formula
of the Sichuan Fire Spirit School. This formula is for the
most part unknown to TCM practitioners. As is typical in
conversations with Heiner so much more is brought into
the discussion than just this one formula.

Qianyang Dan
a key formula of the sichuan fire school
BQ: Heiner, there is an interesting formula you often
use in your clinical practice, and it is also a base formula
for two of your Classical Pearls formulas. When you
first mentioned this formula in your mentorship class
some years back I had to scratch my head because I
had never heard of it. In fact, as it turns out, none of
the common formula reference books contain mention
of this formula, Qianyang Dan (Submerge the Yang
Pellet). Can you talk a bit about it and give a sense of
how it fits in with the other formulas favored in the
Fire Spirit School?

HF: Im very happy to discuss Qianyang Dan. As you

know my Chinese medicine education, influenced by
my Jinjing Qigong training on the one hand and my
earlier Shanghan Lun immersion on the other, has
had a great overall emphasis on supporting the yang.
However, the use of aconite, for reasons I explained in
the last interview, was something new to me because I
did not see my teachers, not even my Shanghan Lun
teachers, use aconite widely. The main reason for
this situation is likely the poor quality of the aconite
available on the market. Most commercially available
aconite can cause side effects, which is quite different
from the strong therapeutic effects you are led to expect

an in-depth interview with heiner fruehauf

 qianyang dan: a key formula of the sichuan fire spirit school
an in-depth interview with heiner fruehauf

when reading classical case studies. From a purely
academic perspective, I have always looked at aconite
as something that will warm you in a very similar way
to cinnamon.
BQ: Can you explain how Aconite...is said to fortify yin
you now see the difference
between the cinnamon within yangin other words,
dynamic and the aconite? bring about a contracting,
HF: Yes, the difference inward-bound momentum
between cinnamon and
aconite is very important
within an overall warming
and must be understood function.
by every practitioner of the
yang tonic school. The warming effect in cinnamon
is associated with the opening process of taiyang. The
Neijing states that taiyang is the opener, the function
of yang within yang. It is thus in charge of propelling
the yang qi out of the box, dispensing it outwards
to the flesh, muscles, and surface layers, and upwards
to the head, causing every part of the outer and upper
regions of the body to feel warm. Aconite, on the other
hand, is considered by the Fire Spirit School as an herb
that is almost opposite to that in action. It is said to
fortify yin within yang--in other words, bring about
a contracting, inward-bound momentum within an
overall warming function. It is thus considered to be
the primary herb to bring roaming yang qi back into
the box. Rather than causing you to overheat, i.e. in
the form of mouth sores or ulcers or nose bleeds (often
feared by practitioners as an imagined side-effect
of aconite use), aconite takes the floating yang qi at
the surface and entices it back into a state of battery
storage in the lower dantian. It should in fact reduce
symptoms such as restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, hot
flashes in menopause, mouth ulcers and so on. When
aconite is used correctly, thereforereferring to the
usage of the right kind and the right dosage of the
herbit will actually treat the kinds of symptoms
that many modern practitioners fear it might induce.
BQ: Can you say a word or two about your dosing of
the herbs in this formula?
HF: To bring about this downward and inward
movement, aconite should not be used in the 3-6 gram
range that we see commonly in TCM, but at least in
the 15-18 gram range. This is in comparison to the
other ingredients in
the formula that would
be in the 6-9 gram
range. Again, it should
be stressed that I am
assuming people are
using a quality fuzi or
wutou as we discussed
in our previous
interview. If you use
the poor quality fuzi
that is available on the market, and you use it in these
dosages, you might well get adverse effects. With
fuzi grown as it should be grown, where it should be
grown, and processed how it should be processed, you
will be able to treat the conditions we just listed more
successfully than with the use of yin tonics. But be sure
to know that with poor quality fuzi you will possibly
cause the very problems you are trying to cure. Fire
Spirit School veterans such as Dr. Lu Chonghan in
Sichuan or Dr. Wu Rongzu in Yunnan will go quite a
bit higher to coax out the descending effect of aconite,
using 30g as their lowest dose, and going up to 200
grams for severe rheumatoid arthritis patients.
BQ: This is grams per day, correct? Most TCM-
trained herbalists will balk at going that high.
HF: Yes, grams per day. I find aconites healing
effects verified in these dosage ranges, particularly for
people with stubborn insomnia and anxiety. This is a
common problem in the modern world. If I had to
name one symptom that is most prevalent among my
patients, whether they state it overtly or not, it would
a state of general restlessness, often accompanied by
anxiety and possibly insomnia. Modern life-styles are
so different from those of ancient times, everything is
always go-go-goan eternal emphasis on drumming
the yang qi out of the box, and very little on bringing it
back into a state of storage and regeneration. Aconite

classicalchinesemedicine.org 2
classicalpearls.org
 qianyang dan: a key formula of the sichuan fire spirit school
an in-depth interview with heiner fruehauf
is the perfect remedy for this situation, more so than
Suanzaoren Tang (Zizyphus Decoction) that is often
used in TCM nowadays. I personally like Suanzaoren
Tang and use it often myself, but I can say without
reservations that the aconite-based approach gets
much more to the heart of the matter, by addressing the
constitutional level of the stress problem. Suanzaoren
Tang can be combined with an aconite remedy such
as Qianyang Dan, but by itself it would only be able to
moderate the symptoms a bit.
BQ: In this type of situation you described, of the
go-gogo state of mind with underlying anxiety and
insomnia, many and probably most TCM herbalists
would focus more on enriching the yin. You and your
teachers, however, with this aconite-based approach
have a focus on what you call bringing the yang back
into the box. Can you clarify this a bit?
HF: It is only during sleep that we regenerate our
yang qi. In our culture we are all encouraged from
a young age on to push more yang to the surface,
whether it is through using coffee or seeking extreme
entertainment like roller coaster rides or watching
three movies in a row. All of this brings about
excitement but not peace, and human physiology
needs periods of calm more than excitement. It is not
just a matter of recharging an empty battery, but to
prevent a vicious cycle of energy loss. It is the job of
the Kidney yang to safeguard the yang qi, similar to
how cinnamon in Guizhi Tang acts at the surface. It is
the yang in the circulation of the weiqi at the surface
that keeps the ying fluids in; as the weiqi gets weaker
we start to sweat more, losing more fluid essence as a
result. That is why the Shanghan lun emphasizes the
symptom of sweating, albeit as a symbolic marker, as
the key indication for Guizhi Tang. The same applies
for processes that take place deeper and lower in the
body. The weaker the Kidney yang, the more essence
you will be leaking. This might be an energetic
leakage, or it could be actual blood in the case of a
woman, or sperm in the case of a man. The key is
that we are burning jing on a daily basis with our
activities. We speak of burning the midnight oil or
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burning the candle at both ends; it is the essence we
are burning in both cases when we use these English
expressions.
BQ: So you use fuzi to guide the yang back into the
box?
HF: Aconite is the strongest way to put that yang
back into storage. It also is the best way to restore
the batterys ability to hold a charge, so that it is not
constantly leaking again after you have restored it.
Lets look at a typical symptom: people are exhausted
but they cant go to sleep. What do they do? Some
leave the television on, others do their emailing, and
some have sex so that they can go to sleep. In all these
three options there is a kind of restlessness. Aconite
will diminish this kind of restlessness in the system.
There are many uses of aconite, very much like there
are many uses of chaihu or huangqi, but if you pair it in
a certain way with other key herbs a particular quality
of the herb will be brought forth. In Fuzi Lizhong
Tang (Regulate the Center Decoction With Aconite),
for instance, aconites ability to stabilize the fire of the
middle burner gets emphasized. In Qianyang Dan,
though only slightly different in design, we find the
combination of fuzi with sharen or baidoukou. In this
combination, the descending properties of aconite are
particularly underlined and come to the fore. That
is why conditions that are traditionally viewed as
deficiency statesnight sweats, insomnia, hot flashes,
anxietyare primarily reflecting an insufficiency of
the yangs ability to store. This is what aconite excels
at. Aconites ability to bring the yang back into storage
and to maintain it there is strengthened by cardamon,
either in the form of sharen or baidoukou. This
cardamon-aconite combination is really at the core of
Qianyang Dan.
BQ: Where did this formula originate?
HF: Qianyang Dan is a formula with very much
a local character. It was first designed by Zheng
Qinan, the founder of the Fire Spirit School in the
late 1800s. In his original remedy he also included
 qianyang dan: a key formula of the sichuan fire spirit school
an in-depth interview with heiner fruehauf
guiban and zhimu, two strong yin substances. His
last student, Lu Zuzhithis would have been in
the 1890s (the tradition has primarily lived on since
then in the Lu family)developed an even stronger
focus on supporting the yang and so dropped these
two yin-nourishing substances. It is interesting to
note that for the same reason the Lu family line even
dropped baishao and dazao from Guizhi Tang. What
has developed is a sort of modernized Qianyang
Dan without the sticky and partially cooling yin
substances guiban and zhimu. I have had very good
clinical results using this modified form of the original
Qianyang Dan.
BQ: Just to be clear on the ingredients you are using
when you use this formula...
HF: It is basically Fuzi Lizhong Tang minus baizhu
plus sharen or baidoukou. It seems like a minor
adjustment, but it changes the direction of the remedy,
so that it enters into the shaoyin rather than just into
the taiyin layer.
BQ: Im just curious. Is anyone still using the original
Qianyang Dan of Zheng Qinan with the zhimu and
guiban included?
HF: There is a resurgence of interest in Europe in the
Fire Spirit School through students of Tang Buqi (a
student of Lu Zuzhis son Lu Yongding) who practice
in Switzerland. My colleague Gunter Neeb, who
I think was the first Westerner to earn a doctoral
level degree in the Chinese TCM college system, has
written much in recent years about the Fire Spirit
School. He uses Qianyang Dan with the zhimu and
guiban still included. When I speak of this formula,
I am always referring to the Lu family modification
that drops these two yin substances.
BQ: Can you take a moment and place cardamon
somewhere on the continuum of cinnamon and
aconite? I am trying to understand how it warms and
the direction of its action and so on.
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HF: This use of sharen was new for me also when
I encountered the Fire Spirit teachings. My earlier
teachers were not typically using sharen. In TCM
it is generally prescribed for people with Spleen qi
deficiency and a tendency to dampness that results in
either diarrhea or poor appetite, especially in children.
We could look at Xiang Sha Liu Junzi Tang as an
example of this type of use. It is also added to other
tonic formulas as a sort of benign food-grade herb.
This applies to both sharen and baidoukou. During
the last century, one famous pharmacy in China would
automatically include 3 grams of sharen with Liuwei
Dihuang Wan (Rehmannia Six Pill) scripts, whether
the herbalist prescribed it or not. In the Fire Spirit
School, however, sharen, especially the favored and
less expensive xi sharen (literally western amomum),
similar to aconite but different from cinnamon and
fresh ginger, draws the yang qi down and dries damp
in the deepest levels of the body, down to the bone
marrow.
BQ: To speak of a deep damp like this, down to the
bone marrow is a new idea to me. Can you say a bit
more?
HF: There are certain kinds of damp you can clear
with Pingwei San (Harmonize the Stomach Powder),
for instance. The tongue coat might be thick in a
patient of this kind, which will automatically make
you think of herbs like cangzhu and houpo, and you
will most likely end up prescribing a variation of
Pingwei San. You might use it in combination with a
more constitutionally acting formula, but the job of the
Pingwei San is to get rid of that damp that the tongue
coating points to. But there are certain kinds of damp
that are so chronic in the bodyas in Epstein-Barr or
Gu Syndrome or rheumatoid arthritisthese kinds of
damp cannot be cured with cangzhu and houpo. For
this deeper damp we need aconite, possibly combined
with cardamon. You could think of it as driving out
the damp by shining the sunlight on the deepest layer
of the body. The shaoyin networks represent this
deepest layer. In this very practice-oriented form of
herbalism, the sharen is regarded as an herb that can
dry damp at this deeper level; it also draws the bodys
 qianyang dan: a key formula of the sichuan fire spirit school
an in-depth interview with heiner fruehauf

attention down and in. This is interesting, because I
always wondered why these two herbs, sharen and
baidoukou, are so important in Ayurvedic medicine
and why they are used so pervasively in Indian
cuisine. India is the land
of constant summer. You For this deeper damp we need
sweat heavily all day long.
In the terms of Chinese aconite, possibly combined
medicine, people are
exposed to a constant state
with cardamon. You could
of taiyang in the climate think of it as driving out the
sense. This means that the
energy is continually drawn damp by shining the sunlight
to the surface, leading the
inside to be actually cold
on the deepest layer of the
and deficient. That is why body.
sharen is so important there;
it draws the bodys energy inside to prevent this kind not even once.
of depletion. It also may be helpful in the prevention
of parasites, another big issue in India. I now better
understand the Indian use of sharen and baidoukou as
another example of cultural wisdom.
BQ: I am assuming some people will read this interview
and want to use their own granule pharmacies to
investigate the use of Qianyang Dan with their patients.
Are there any dosing guidelines you adhere to when
you use this formula? You already mentioned the
aconite dose running from 15 to 45 or so grams. Is there
anything else to mention about the other herbs in this
formula?
HF: I think the rule of thumb is a rough sort of 2:1 ratio of
aconite to amomum/cardamon. I typically use 18 grams
of fuzi and 9 grams of sharen. In China I have seen Fire
Spirit School practitioners using 60 grams of fuzi and
45 grams of sharen. I dont think these high amounts
are absolutely necessary, but it may give experienced
practitioners an idea of what they can do if they wish to
experiment with the dosage of Qianyang Dan.
BQ: How about the type of ginger you use in this
formula?
HF: If I am using Fuzi Lizhong Tang or Qianyang
Dan I will consider paojiang, ganjiang, or shengjiang,
depending on what my specific intentions for the
prescription are. Paojiang is a form of ginger that is
astringent and inward
bound rather than
outwardly dispersing
like shengjiang.
Ganjiang is used if you
want to warm internally
more.
BQ: And the renshen?
You typically seem to
use substitutes. I dont
think I have ever seen
you prescribe renshen,
HF: I never use renshen really, mostly for reasons
of quality control with regards to pesticides and
fungicides used in the cultivation of ginseng. Also, you
may recall from the discussion of Gu syndrome that
renshen is contraindicated for patients with chronic
infectious issues. It is regarded as a substance that can
strengthen the power of parasitic pathogens. I usually
use dangshen or sanqi, and my favorite is wujiashen
(aka ciwujia). If a more yin influence is needed, I use
beishashen. Beishashen, in particular, is not only anti-
parasitic, but also has a calming effect that is similar
to baihe. If you are hesitating to use a formula like
Qianyang Dan with its exclusive focus on the yang,
then maybe you want to use the beishashen for balance.
My avoidance of renshen, by the way, applies not just
to Qianyang Dan, but also to any other formula that
calls for ginseng.
BQ: Lets talk now about the two Classical Pearls
formulas that are built around Qianyang Dan.
HF: In the Classical Pearls line there are presently
five formulas with aconite, and two of these are based
on the Qianyang Dan design. Both of these formulas
are intended to draw the energy back down into the

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 qianyang dan: a key formula of the sichuan fire spirit school
an in-depth interview with heiner fruehauf

battery, so to speak. There is Guanyin Pearls, a formula
created for menopausal and post-menopausal women
suffering from hot flashes, nightsweats, anxiety,
heart palpitations, insomnia and other symptoms of
floating yang. It is particularly beneficial for women
in the later stages of menopause or post-menopause
when there are still issues of restlessness, hot flashes
and dryness. In the standard TCM manuals this
condition is invariably described as a manifestation of
yin deficiency, but based on the opinion of my Fire
School teachers and my own clinical experience this
symptom complex must primarily be understood
as a weakening of the yang qi. The feeble yang qi is
suddenly no longer able to hold on to the yang that is
still there in the box, and so it rushes up and out to the
surface and the upper body. Qianyang Dan will draw
this escaping yang qi back down, making menopausal
patients calmer and reducing the hot flashes. Guanyin
Pearls also contains parts of the effective menopausal
remedies Erxian Tang (Two Immortals Decoction)
and Erzhi Wan (Two Solstice Pill). This provides the
additional yang tonics of yinyanghuo and xianmao,
but also zhimu, hanliancao and nzhenzi to give some
yin counterbalance.
BQ: And the second formula in your line that is based
on Qianyang Dan?
HF: I have been working with the Classical Pearls line
for over a year now and have been very happy overall
with the alchemical integrity of the formulas we have
brought to market, but I have to say my favorite so far
has been the Peace Pearls. This is our second formula
based on Qianyang Dan. Like many of my colleagues,
prior to encountering the Fire School teachings I had
been working with Suanzaoren Tang for people with
anxiety and insomnia, and it took me by surprise how
much better the Qianyang Dan approach works in
these situations. I still include elements of Suanzaoren
Tang and another experimental formula that goes in
the same direction. The Peace Pearls get especially
good feedback from our customers.
BQ: Heiner, I want to thank you for taking the time to
do this interview. I hope it will be of some use to those
who read it.
HF: Thank you very much as well.
To learn more about the Classical Pearls Herbal
Formula series, please visit classicalpearls.org.
Copyright 2009
Heiner Fruehauf
Original Qianyang Dan as published in
Zheng Qinans Yili zhenchuan (Genuine
Transmission of the Principles of Medicine):
Xi Sharen 30 (fried in ginger juice)
Fuzi 24
Guiban 6
Gancao 15
Qianyang Dan as prescribed in the Lu family
tradition:
Fuzi 18
Paojiang 9
Sharen 9
(Renshen 9)
Gancao 6
Note the cover image on page 1, The Immortal Soul of
the Taoist Adept, is a faithful photographic reproduction
of an original two-dimensional work of art. The work of
art itself is in the public domain since its copyright has
expired. This applies to the United States, Australia, the
European Union and those countries with a copyright
term of life of the author plus 70 years.

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