MedicineTraditions–Important Texts
Shang Han Lun
The Shang Han Lun has been copied and
printed many times over the centuries.
printed many times over the centuries.
Text:
Shan Han Lun (Treatise on Cold Induced Disorders)
Author & Tradition:
Zhang Zhong Jing (150–219)
Year Published
C. 220 CE
Brief Overview
This is one of the most important texts in TCM, and every TCM student will study it and its formulas. Many of its formulas are among the most commonly used TCM formulas in clinical practice today.
It is effectively a book of formulas with a symptom pattern given for each formula. There is neither a detailed explanation of the formula prescriptions, nor of the individual Materia Medica.
The whole text is based on the Six Stages of the progression of a diseases from the surface of the body to the interior. It is based on the premise that the beginning stages of (nearly) all diseases are caused by Cold or Yang deficiency.