Chinese medicine is a coherent, internally consistent system of thought — grounded in the Shanghan Lun, the Neijing, and two millennia of clinical refinement. This page documents original research into its diagnostic frameworks, formula evidence base, and clinical tools.
Each card below summarizes a full-length research document. Click to expand detailed findings, data tables, and clinical references drawn from primary sources and modern literature.
Core studies:
Other gynecological uses:
2025 latest publications:
Comparative references:
Contact priority (authors of recent papers): Cao Nana (2025) ☆☆☆ · Wang Zihan (2025) ☆☆☆ · Sun Yunyun (2025) ☆☆
Comparison at a glance:
| Dimension | Uterine Fibroids | Chocolate Cysts |
|---|---|---|
| Prevalence | 30–50% (up to 75%) | 10–15% of childbearing age |
| Key symptom | Heavy bleeding, anemia | Progressive dysmenorrhea, infertility |
| 5-year recurrence | 30–50% | 40–50% |
| Core TCM pathogenesis | Qi stagnation, blood stasis, phlegm-dampness | Cold coagulation, blood stasis, stasis-heat |
| Representative formula | Li Chong Tang / Guizhi Fuling Wan | Shaofu Zhuyu Tang / Shuizhi |
Common formulas (work for both):
Differentiating formulas:
Future research directions:
Core internal formula — Yigong San (Qian Yi):
| Herb | Dose (2yr) | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Dangshen | 3g | Tonify spleen qi |
| Baizhu | 3g | Strengthen spleen, dry dampness |
| Fuling | 3g | Drain dampness, calm spirit |
| Chenpi | 2g | Regulate qi, transform dampness |
| Gancao | 2g | Harmonize |
Seasonal additions (summer eczema phase): Yiyiren 5g (drain dampness), Chantui 2g (stop itching, treat night crying), Danzhuye 2g (clear heart fire), Lianqiao 3g (clear heat, disperse nodules)
For constipation: Huomaren 3g (moisten intestines), Juemingzi 2g (clear liver, lubricate bowels)
External bath formula (Kushen-based): Kushen 10g + Huangbai 8g + Difuzi 10g + Baixianpi 8g + Shechuangzi 6g + Jingjie 6g + Aiye 6g — boil, add to bath at 38–40°C, 10–15 min, do not rinse
Dietary protocol: Xiao mi porridge + yam (breakfast) · Soft rice + steamed yam + lean meat (lunch) · Noodles + pumpkin (dinner) · Steamed apple (snack) · No cold drinks, no fruit (especially watermelon/dragonfruit), minimal dairy
Expected timeline: Stool improvement in 3 days · Eczema fading in 7 days · Sleep normalization in 2 weeks · Constitutive improvement in 3 months
Key insight: Many parents mistake damp-heat for "fire" and give cooling teas, which worsen spleen deficiency. The core of this protocol is strengthening the spleen, not clearing heat.
8-step daily tuina sequence (~13 minutes):
| # | Technique | Time | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kai Tianmen | 1 min | Open the Heavenly Gate — thumb push up midline of forehead |
| 2 | Tui Kangong | 1 min | Push along eyebrow from center outward |
| 3 | Rou Taiyang | 1 min | Clockwise rub at temples |
| 4 | ★ Dian Jingming | 2 min | Press & hold at inner canthus — most important point for eye muscle regulation |
| 5 | ★ Rou Sibai | 2 min | Press below eye socket — emphasize strabismic side |
| 6 | Mo Mu (Yumu) | 2 min | Warm palm gently covers closed eyes, circular motion |
| 7 | ★ Nie Ji | 3 min | Spinal pinching from coccyx to nape — press Ganshu, Pishu, Shenshu on last pass |
| 8 | Rou Erchui | 1 min | Knead ear lobes (ear point "eye") |
Dietary support: Carrots (steamed), chicken/pork liver (1–2x/week), gouqi berries (3–5 per day), blueberries/mulberries, black sesame powder, egg yolk (daily), spinach, yam — all nourish liver blood and spleen qi.
Environment — critical factor (Ni Haixia's teaching):
Vision training: Tracking exercise with colored toy (5 min/day) · Cover good eye 2–4 hours/day to force strabismic eye (under ophthalmologist guidance)
Medical referral pathway: Dilated exam → determine strabismus type → if accommodative esotropia, glasses alone may correct → rule out amblyopia → review every 3 months
A rigorous, three-level screening and enrollment Case Report Form designed for randomized controlled trials of classical Shanghan Lun formulas in influenza (taiyang disease pattern). Developed by our research group, version 1.0 dated 2026-05-29.
The instrument operationalizes the six-channel differentiation (六经辩证) framework of the Shanghan Lun into an objective, reproducible screening protocol. It proceeds through three increasingly specific levels of assessment.
8 objective criteria (temperature ≥39.6°C, course >72h, WBC >12×10&sup9;/L, CRP >50 mg/L, PCT ≥0.5 ng/mL, prior antiviral use, age <18 or >65, severe influenza). Any "yes" = exclusion.
6 scored items: fever + chills (2 pt), neck/head stiffness (2 pt), chills severity (2 pt), floating pulse (2 pt), no thirst (1 pt), acute onset (1 pt). Total ≥5 = proceed. Also records sweat status for formula stratification (Ephedra vs Guizhi).
Three confirmatory questions administered by a TCM physician (remote OK): (1) constant cold vs alternating hot-cold → rules out shaoyang; (2) neck/back stiffness → confirms taiyang; (3) thirst vs no thirst → rules out yangming. All three must pass.
Stratification: After enrollment, patients are stratified by sweat status (sweating → Guizhi Tang subgroup; no sweating → Mahuang Tang/Gegen Tang subgroup) and presence of neck-back rigidity (prioritizes Gegen Tang), then randomized to formula vs placebo.
Detailed, fully sourced treatment plans for common childhood conditions, integrating classical pediatric tuina, herbal medicine, dietary therapy, and environmental modification.
Core principle: Spleen deficiency leads to dampness accumulation; summer heat triggers the outbreak. Treatment must strengthen the spleen first, clear heat secondarily.
Internal: Yigong San (Dangshen 3g, Baizhu 3g, Fuling 3g, Chenpi 2g, Gancao 2g) + summer add-ons (Yiyiren 5g, Chantui 2g, Danzhuye 2g, Lianqiao 3g). 7-day course, then reassess.
External bath: Kushen 10g, Huangbai 8g, Difuzi 10g, Baixianpi 8g, Shechuangzi 6g, Jingjie 6g, Aiye 6g. Boil 20 min, add to bath at 38–40°C, 10–15 min, no rinse.
Topical: Huanglian Zicao Gao (Coptis 5g + Arnebia 10g infused in 50ml sesame oil) · Alternative: fresh Portulaca oleracea poultice.
Diet: No cold drinks, no fruit (especially watermelon/dragonfruit), minimal dairy. Focus on millet porridge, yam, lotus seed, coix seed, steamed apple.
8-step daily sequence: (1) Kai Tianmen → (2) Tui Kangong → (3) Rou Taiyang → (4) Dian Jingming (★★★) → (5) Rou Sibai (★★) → (6) Yumu (warm palm over eyes) → (7) Nie Ji (spinal pinch, press Ganshu/Pishu/Shenshu) (★★★) → (8) Rou Erchui.
Spinal pinching (Nie Ji) is the systemic foundation: the eye-area points regulate locally, but spinal regulation balances the liver (opens into eyes), spleen (governs muscles), and kidney (governs essence).
Environment: Ni Haixia specifically warned that a single-point night light can cause the child to turn their eyes toward it asymmetrically — either total darkness or two symmetrical lamps.
Vision training: Colored toy tracking (5 min/day) · Cover good eye 2–4 hrs/day under guidance · Minimize screen time (<30 min/day).
Medical: If accommodative esotropia from uncorrected hyperopia, glasses alone may suffice. Rule out amblyopia. Review q3 months.
The research presented here is anchored in a small number of foundational texts and figures. These are the sources from which the diagnostic instruments, formula selections, and treatment rationales are derived.
Zhang Zhongjing's paired masterworks (c. 200 CE). The six-channel differentiation framework that powers the taiyang CRF. The Guizhi Fuling Wan formula from Jingui Yaolue remains the most-studied herbal formula for pelvic masses.
Qian Yi (c. 1032–1113), the "father of Chinese pediatrics." His insight that children have "spleen always insufficient, liver and heart always hyperactive" is the basis for both pediatric protocols on this page.
Author of Yixue Zhongzhong Canxi Lu. Pioneered the integration of classical herbal formulas with modern diagnostic reasoning. His Li Chong Tang is the most-studied formula in our gynecology dossier.
The six-channel diagnostic system of the Shanghan Lun. Rather than classifying diseases by pathogen, it maps the body's pattern of resistance and vulnerability. This is the diagnostic logic underlying the taiyang CRF.