1026 Formulas

1026 Formulas is a workbook and reference for everyone who studies or practises Chinese herbal medicine in depth. It brings together 1026 classical and modern herbal formulas, based on the formula list that Magister Martin Doskar, one of the pioneers who imported Chinese herbs into Austria from the 1970s onwards, compiled for his herbal company and pharmacy in Vienna. His list reflects what was actually available, used and bought on the Asian market at the beginning of the 21st century. Georg Weidinger MD received it through his mentor Professor Gertrude Kubiena and, after years of holding it back, has now reworked it thoroughly for his students and colleagues.The original alphabetical list has been rearranged according to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine and divided into 55 groups by therapeutic action: formulas that release the Exterior, from gentle release to dispersing Wind-Cold and Wind-Heat; formulas that clear Heat, from Summer-Heat and Heat-Toxin to Organ Fire, Heat at the Ying and Blood levels and Empty-Heat; formulas that warm the Interior, transform Phlegm, stop cough and calm asthma, treat Wind-Damp and Bi syndrome, move the Blood or stop bleeding. Further chapters cover gynaecology, cycle, pregnancy and the postpartum period, harmonising the Shao Yang, Liver and Spleen, regulating the Qi, draining downward, transforming Dampness, Wind and skin diseases, the classical emergency remedies that open the orifices, calming the Shen, moistening Dryness, astringing, and tonifying Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang.For each formula the book gives its composition, its source, its indication, the TCM diagnosis it is used for, and the pulse and tongue that show whether it fits, together with important notes, for example on preparation. Georg Weidinger has also included his own W formulas, in which he has put his experience from practice. The compositions are given as percentages for granules rather than as doses, which makes the formulas easy for a pharmacy to prepare; the foreword explains how granules and raw herbs relate to each other and why conversion factors vary.A complete Materia Medica systematically presents the 517 herbs used in these formulas, from herbs that release the surface, cool the interior and transform Dampness to calming, Qi- and Blood-regulating, Phlegm-resolving, tonifying and astringing herbs, with notes on methods of preparation and a list of abbreviations. Linked indexes of formulas and herbs make it quick to move between a formula and the herbs it contains.This is not a book for beginners, nor for quickly looking up a remedy for a single complaint. Georg Weidinger, a doctor of general medicine and Chinese medicine who has taught TCM for many years, invites his readers to read classical formulas like a text or a poem: to understand why each herb is in a mixture, why not another, and which herbs balance the side effects of others, until a person who fits exactly that formula appears before their eyes. The book is written for students, physicians, pharmacists and practitioners who want to broaden their range of formulas, and it is meant to inform and to inspire.