PCP#33 Chen Hsiu-Fen: Nourishing Life, Demons and Talking Cures

09/14/21 • 70 min

In this episode we talk to Chen Hsiu Fen about the Yangsheng Nourishing Life culture of the Jiangnan region in Ming dynasty China and how it was exemplified by Gao Lian in his work the Zunsheng Bajian. We also delve into the use of the seldom discussed tradition of talking cures in Chinese medicine, in which doctors elicit strong emotional reactions within their patients to cure disease, and the stances doctors took to demonological elements in the healing of diseases.

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PCP#32 Michael Brown: Getting to the Point of Acupuncture

In this episode we talk to Michael Brown about his its long-awaited second installment of ‘Explanations of Channels and Points Vol.2’ . a Qing dynasty acupuncture commentary by Yue Hanzhen (1602-1693 CE). Despite having never been published, this work has survived owing to its historical significance. It was the first to integrate point locations and classical channel pathways, thereby setting a precedent of assigning a numbering scheme to channel points. It is currently available for purchase at www.purplecloudinstitute.com

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PCP #34: The Myth of Pan Gu and the Creation of the Universe

In this first of our solo podcast series on Chinese mythology, we delve into the myth of Pan Gu and Chinese cosmology. We explore the historical origins of the myth, and how this particular conception of the origins of the universe can enhance our understanding of Chinese medicine.