An Exposition on the Eight Extraordinary Vessels: Acupuncture, Alchemy, and Herbal Medicine Wang Ju-Yi Preliminary Reflections

Preliminary Reflections

which avoids the tendency to portray traditional Chinese medicine as an unchanging

the five phase (element) system

Introductory Section

An Exposition on the Eight Extraordinary Vessels: Acupuncture, Alchemy, and Herbal Medicine Wang Ju-Yi Preliminary ReflectionsLi Shi Zhens Exposition on the Eight Extraordinary Vessels (Qi jing ba mai kao) is among the most remarkable texts in the Chinese medical literature. Bringing together writings on acupuncture, herbal medicine, and internal cultivation (nei dan), it argues that aspiring adepts and physicians alike must understand the full scope of the extraordinary vessels if they hope to achieve their respective goals. Although the Exposition is a cornerstone of the