Without a doubt our  June 2017 Beijing Study Tour was the best study tour I have ever hosted since I started the study tours in 2009. Our schedule for the two weeks in Beijing was packed with interesting lectures and clinical experiences. We had the good fortune to listen to Professor Chen Ming’s lectures on Shao Yang, which were amazingly good and much loved by everyone in the study group. Apart from being an eloquent speaker, Professor Chen was very generous and willing to share with us all his road-tested formulas.

Professor Peng Jian Zhong presented   four interesting lectures on the academic works of the Four Jin Yuan specialists (Li Dong Yuan, Zhu Dan Xi, Zhang Cong Zheng and Liu He Jian ). The series of lectures was concluded  with the useful work of the renowned Liu He Jian who was the forefather of Wen Bing.  Professor Peng raised  an interesting question on the issue of “Similar diseases treated with similar strategy 同病同治” versus the traditional concept of “Similar diseases treated with different strategies 同病异治”. We noted that Professor Peng’s treatment strategy is akin to the Wen Bing approach in the sense that it is closely aligned with Liu He Jian’s academic philosophy that “All the six excesses can transform to Fire” based on the Neijing theories of Nineteen Patho mechanisms. In  the Nineteen Patho-mechanisms, there was one treaty dedicated to each of the five zang organs; one treaty for diseases of the upper jiao and one for diseases of the lower jiao; with the remaining six treaties being based on the six excesses of qi such as wind, cold, damp (one each) and five treaties dedicated to fire and four to heat. It can be seen from the theoretic perspective of Nei Jing the majority of patho-mechanisms are on fire and heat, thus forming the basis for Liu Wan Su’s theory on fire.   Based on our own observation of Professor Peng’s Renal Clinic, all or most of the chronic nephritis patients including IgA kidney disease, renal insufficiency, nephritic syndrome and uraemia, were treated with blood cooling, toxin relieving, and blood invigorating strategies coupled with the use of small amount of wind herbs to enhance the overall treatment.  The outcome was very effective as some of the patients previously undergoing dialysis three times a week and after two months of Professor’s treatment are able to give up dialysis altogether with only herbal medicine.

At the request of the tour group, Professor Fu delivered a wonderful lecture on Jing Fang Pulse Diagnosis. Last but not least Professor Jia Chun Hua also presented two interesting lectures on Bi Syndrome and Abdominal Pain with formulas from Jin Gui Yao Lue.