Ten Key Formula Families in Chinese Medicine

Huang Huang, a professor at the Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, is one of the most influential physicians and teachers in Chinese medicine today. His most popular work, Ten Key Formula Families in Chinese Medicine, has been reprinted many times in China, translated into Japanese, and republished in Taiwan. In this work, Dr. Huang discusses the core aspects of the ten most important families of formulas in the classical formula tradition in a way that is both profound and accessible. By introducing the concept of constitutions and the attendant vulnerabilities of those constitutions to certain types of problems and symptoms, he hands the reader a very useful key to understanding how and when to use these 10 key formulas in the modern clinic. The ten families of formulas are grouped around the following herbs:

• • Cinnamon – Cinnamomi Ramulus (guì zhï)
• • Ephedra – Ephedrae Herba (má huáng)
•  Bupleurum – Bupleuri Radix (chái hú)
•  Gypsum – Gypsum fibrosum (shí gäo)
•  Rhubarb – Rhei Radix et Rhizoma (dà huáng)
•  Coptis – Coptidis Rhizoma (huáng lián)
•  Aconite Accessory Root – Aconiti Radix
•  lateralis preparata (zhì fù zî)
•  Dried Ginger – Zingiberis Rhizoma (gän jiäng)
•  Astragalus – Astragali Radix (huáng qí)
•  Pinellia – Pinelliae Rhizoma preparatum (zhì bàn xià)

For each herb family, Prof. Dr. Huang provides an introduction to the relevant constitutional aspects and significant indicators to look for when deciding whether a member of each herb family is appropriate for a particular patient. He then describes the most important and useful members of the herb family, including brief discussions of relevant research.