I should make some comments on the dosages of the herbal prescriptions. The dosages shown
are mostly those from modern and old Chinese books. In my practice I use much lower dosages
and these are reflected in the case histories, the average for each herb being about 4 g. I find that
these reduced dosages work very well. As for the mode of administration of the herbs, I use,
almost exclusively, decoctions as I find these give the best therapeutic results. In my practice in
England the patients' compliance is very high indeed (about 95%) and even most children
manage to take decoctions (albeit disguised in a variety of ways). In children under 3 years of
age the decoction can be substantially diluted and given throughout the day. In children over 3,
honey can be added to the decoction: strictly speaking, the addition of honey alters the taste of
the decoction and brings in honey's own properties, but in practice I think it is better for a child
to take the herbs with honey than not to take them at all. Other ways of coaxing children to take
decoctions include offering them a biscuit (cookie) or a favourite drink immediately after they
have swallowed the mixture. However, I find that one of the best ways of getting children over 3
years to take a decoction is by involving them in the dispensing of the herbs: the child is
fascinated by the different shapes, textures and smells of the herbs and loves helping to dispense
the herbs and putting them in the bags. Involving a young patient in this way ensures that when
the child drinks the decoction it is not an alien preparation but something the child relates to the
actual herbs he or she helped to dispense. This method is of course time-consuming for the
practitioner but it is also great fun.
Whenever possible, I have indicated patent remedies which can be used for each pattern. This
section of the book is mostly for the benefit of acupuncturists who do not use Chinese herbs, as
an experienced Chinese herbalist would choose a patent remedy according to his or her own
knowledge and experience. I have evaluated the therapeutic effect of patient remedies according
to their ingredients and sometimes quite independently of the actions and indications given by
the manufacturer. For this reason, a patent remedy may occasionally be suggested for a condition
quite different from the ones for which it is normally given. To help the acupuncturist select the
fitting remedy I have given the tongue (and sometimes pulse) presentation appropriate to each
remedy: this is an important guideline to the choice of the correct remedy and the reader's
attention is drawn to it. The reader should also note that some patent remedies may contain
substances which are illegal in certain countries: this could be either because they are toxic (such
as Zhu Sha Cinnabaris) or because they are of animal origin from protected species. The mention
of such patent remedies in this xxvii book does not signify an endorsement of their use, and the
reader is strongly advised to enquire about the laws governing the use of certain herbs in his or
her country. Each practitioner should therefore satisfy himself or herself as to the suitability of a
particular patent remedy.
Dosages of the patent remedies have not been given because they may come in different form
and size of pills: the practitioner should therefore check dosages and contraindications in
textbooks of patent remedies such as Fratkin's "Chinese Herbal Patent Formulas" or Zhu's
"Chinese Prepared Medicines", which are both mentioned in the bibliography.
All the case histories are drawn from my own practice and the reader is invited to study them as