I'm a neuroscientist and qigong practitioner working on a short plain-language guide about what qigong actually does to the brain, the science and biology behind why it works. Before I write anything, I want to understand what people are genuinely curious about.

What questions do you have about qigong and the nervous system? What would make a guide like this actually useful to you? And would you be interested in reading/buying it?

I recently read an interesting passage in the Compendium of Materia Medica.

It says rice vinegar is sour, slightly bitter, warm in nature, and non-toxic.

Traditionally it was used to:
• reduce swelling
• dispel dampness
• eliminate toxins
• help process herbal medicine

I found it fascinating that something so common in the kitchen was considered medicinal.

Does anyone know if modern research has studied these effects?

I really want to get rid of my damp tongue coating that’s connected to sibo but the custom formulas I’ve tried make me super warm, mess up my sleep and I just feel very stimulated. Should I try acupuncture instead of herbs?

I have a pale tongue coating that doesn’t scrape off and my tongue is scalloped. I have constant burping and no hunger

Hi,

I would like to know what a practitioner of Chinese medicine would recommend for a dead tooth (lower molar number 6) - It is still alive, but sometimes it has an unpleasant electric pain..

Root canal treatment, remove it and leave nothing, remove it and use an ceramic implant, or remove it and use a bridge? Or something else?

Thank you :-)

I’ve heard of Just Jujubes but curious to heard of other brands or sites in general you trust as well. I’ve been using the 99 ranch brand for teas. Interested in goji berries as well.

ok i am new to tcm , is there any information i should know before starting off , or any tools / items i may need

Hey folks at r/ChineseMedicine!

I am doing a training in Chinese medicine for around 1,5 years now (1,5 years more to go) beside my usual job in software.

We invested around a year in laying the foundations before engaging into the more practical aspects of Chinese medicine. We dove into the historical background of China (especially in the 19th century) and also the philosophical concepts that justify the practice of Chinese medicine. This was invaluable to me and my whole life. The concepts around yin/yang, daoism in general and conditional thinking broadened my perspective of reality a whole lot.

Though we discuss these theoretical things within our class between students and also with the teacher I'd like to bring this to a wider community. By talking about yin and yang here I want to deepen my own understanding by getting your perspective and insights. This should be an open discussion and training field for all of us so I am happy for every contribution. As a disclaimer I want to mention that my following definition does not claim to be perfect by any means and is open for discussion as already mentioned. Now lets get to it.

Yin and Yang

I want to open with a little controversial statement in saying that yin and yang are NOT bipolar entities that come together to unify and produce a perfect equilibrium. This is what I read a lot in the literature. The problem with that statement is that its genuinely coming from a western binary way of thinking be applied to the old eastern philosophical concepts.

But lets start at the beginning. If we'd explain yin and yang without using those terms itself we could call the qualities "separated" and "non-separated". Yin being the separateness and Yang being the non-separateness. Every phenomenon in this world (imagined or physically existing) has these two qualities. Why? Lets take an example.

Looking at an apple we find that we can talk about that apple. To be able to do so it needs some kind of form. It needs have a boundary where it stops to be the apple and the surrounding begins. The is the separateness of the apple. Lets imagine it would not have any boundary for a second. What would happen? We could not talk about the apple at all because we couldn't differentiate it. At the same time we need to be non-separated from the apple. This is because if we would be absolutely separate from the apple we could not interact with it at all because we wouldn't have a common layer that allows us to interact.

Alright now we have defined these two qualities that every phenomenon in the world needs to have at the same time. These two qualities already have one thing in common. They only work when we are talking in relationships. Only via relationships we can talk about being separate from something or being non-separate from something. Things brings about a very fundamental thing of Chinese medicine. Relationships.

We have one major ingredient now. But we need a second one. Which is change. Change is a direct consequence of the separateness/non-separateness of things because the phenomena are transforming into one another. Where is the exact boundary of the apple? The "environment" has its own separateness and comes together with the apple so they are having a relationship and together create something new.

These are the two major parts of Chinese medicine in my opinion. Relationships and change. Brilliantly describe by Yin and Yang thousands of years ago. Its such a wide reaching concept within so few words. Based on the definition above I want to come back to the first paragraph. Yin and Yang are not two things that are independent of one another and have qualities on their own but rather they are qualities everything we can think about does incorporate. So it wouldn't make sense to say something like "Yin is always the dark". This is because its relative. Dark can be Yang to an even darker thing. Whereas it can act Yin to a brighter thing. This has direct consequence on reading tongue for example. We cannot read a tongue by itself but we need to do it in context of the person we are examining. If the person has more Yang signs (compared to other people) a more reddish tongue might be ok. Context matters a lot.

Conclusion

Alright I don't want to make this too long. The above explanations now can be further advanced by looking into wu xing or the understanding of the ba gua/yi ging but thats maybe something for another post.

Thanks to everyone reaching until this point. I am happy to get your comments and further discuss the foundational concepts of Chinese medicine!

ABSTRACT

Since the discovery of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diseases almost 40 years ago, large numbers of diseases have been linked to mutations in both mtDNA and nuclear DNA (nDNA) genes that perturb the mitochondrial energy-generating system, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Mitochondrial dysfunction is being implicated not only in rare primary mitochondrial diseases but also a wide range of common diseases, yet the availability of effective mitochondrial therapies remains limited. One potential source of mitochondrial therapeutic approaches is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM emphasizes the health-preservation philosophy and practical experience centered around the concept of “Qi”, or vital force, and has generated Qi-oriented therapies over the past several thousand years. We propose that various properties and functions attributed to Qi may be explained by modulation of mitochondrial bioenergetics, the interplay between OXPHOS and fatty acid oxidation versus glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and the mitochondrial regulation of the immune system through mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS). Hence, TCM therapeutics may provide approaches for treating the increasing spectrum of mitochondria associated diseases.

So i'm from france, and all i can find in iherb is the Dragon Herbs "Will power" thing, and i don't trust them, because it's mixed with other herbs and we can't see how much polygala there is in the caps. So if anyone knows where i can find a good polygala extract in europe without any issues with customs...

Edit: i'm looking for a 20:1 extract

I been having loud tinnitus sound on both ear. I do feel like there’s ear pressure around the ear. Is it possible to do cupping therapy near the ear?

My hope is to relieve the pressure and or maybe help reduce the tinnitus sound

Hi all, i’m a big fan of TCM and have always benefited from acupuncture. However, i never tried to adhere to TCM food advice for certain diagnosis. At the moment, i’m struggling with chronic fatigue, hair loss, cold feet, iron deficiency, oily scalp/dandruff, low stomach acidity, slow digestion. I understood from the internet that i have a kidney deficiency, too much heat and too much dampness (which is also confirmed by my TCM doctor) at the same time. So AI gave me an advice to start eating a lot of black colored foods such as black beans, black sesame seeds, eggplant, dark berries, goji berries, rice, ginger, cinnamon, lamb, chicken livers, no sugar, no fried foods, no dairy, no coffee, no alcohol.
I’m going to see my TCM doctor in 2 weeks but want to try to adhere to TCM approved foods for kidney deficiency (jing depleted). Would you have another advice for me or correct whatever Ai search gave me?

First, all practitioners should receive standardized modern medical education, obtain a medical license, and practice conventional medicine for at least five years. After that, those who are intellectually curious, highly dedicated, and genuinely motivated to deepen their clinical skills could pursue formal training in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

At that stage, they would study classical works such as the Shang Han Lun and Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, while also apprenticing under experienced clinicians for an additional two years of hands-on clinical training.

People without a licensed medical background should not be allowed to independently practice or clinically apply Chinese medicine. Raising the entry barrier for the profession would help reduce fraud, decrease the stigmatization of TCM, and better protect patients.

In my opinion, the future of Chinese medicine should be built on rigorous medical training, real clinical experience, and accountability to patient outcomes — not mysticism or marketing.

First, it’s usually better if they received formal medical education in China and have worked in large hospitals there. Traditional Chinese Medicine in China is still part of a structured medical system, with standardized training and extensive clinical exposure.

Second, check their Google reviews carefully — not just the star rating, but what kinds of conditions patients say were treated successfully. Chronic pain, tinnitus, digestive disorders, gynecological issues, insomnia, and other complex conditions often reveal more about a practitioner’s real clinical ability than simple relaxation treatments.

Third, a good practitioner should take time to properly observe, listen, ask questions, and examine the patient carefully. In my opinion, herbal prescriptions generally should not be written for an entire month at the very first visit. Usually, within about three days, you should notice at least some response or change. If not, the doctor may adjust the formula and try again, since understanding a complicated condition can take time. But if there is still no meaningful improvement after a month, it may be time to look for another practitioner.

Finally, truly good Chinese medicine doctors are generally practical and grounded. Traditional Chinese Medicine developed through long-term clinical observation and experience. Be cautious of practitioners who rely heavily on mysticism, supernatural claims, or excessive “energy healing” language instead of clear clinical reasoning and patient outcomes.