An Archaeology of the Qiao Vessels

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by Will Ceurvels (Author), Heiner Fruehauf (Foreword), Michael Brown (Editor), Allen Tsaur (Editor)

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In Li Shizhen’s seminal treatise on the extraordinary vessels, he quotes the Song dynasty Daoist adept Zhang Boduan to whom was attested the following statement regarding the Yin Qiao vessel: “If one can grasp the Yin Qiao and allow qi to collect and disperse via this opening, then the gates of heaven will remain forever open and the gates of the underworld forever closed.” Yet in the Inner Canon, the Qiao vessels were mere collaterals whose master points were employed sparingly in a few eye and urinary-related diseases. What accounts for the vast difference between these two accounts and what is the true nature of the pathophysiology of the Qiao vessels?

Through a wide-ranging analysis drawn from sources as disparate as Han dynasty cranial anatomy and Song era internal alchemy manuals, An Archaeology reconstructs a vision of the Qiao vessels as envisaged by the theory-crafters and practitioners of antiquity, in the process unveiling a hidden geography of the body with deep connections to the spagyric anatomy of the internal alchemists.

An Archaeology of the Qiao Vessels – Table of Content

An Archaeology of the Qiao Vessels – Sample

$42.00$49.00

Description

An Archaeology of the Qiao Vessels is an unrivalled and meticulous excavation of one of the great enduring and perplexing concepts in Chinese medicine. As if that’s not enough, Ceurvels plumbs the depths of the Ban Xia Tang medicinal family with an intricacy and scrutiny I’ve never seen bettered in the Chinese or English languages. A must read for any serious student of the Eight Extras.

–Mazin Al-Khafaji, co-author of A Manual of Acupuncture

 

 I love it! There is so much to revel in here: whether it is Will’s incisive analysis of the link between San Jiao and original qi, the fine details of Thousand-Li Water, or the identity of the grain used in Ban Xia Tang (one of the few herbal formulas in the Nei Jing), Will never fails to demonstrate a deep and admirable scholarship. This is one to savour along with a fine pot of Taiwan oolong.

–Steven Clavey, author of Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica and Fluid Physiology and Pathology in Chinese Medicine

 

Will Ceurvel’s text on the Qiao Vessels represents a new and important method for exploring, not only the Odd Channels of the Eight Vessels, but also our interpretation of modern Chinese medicine in general. Many aspects of our understanding of Chinese medicine, that we take for granted as the way it is, can benefit greatly from the type of inquiry Mr. Ceurvel’s models for us here.  He not only clarifies the physiology and pathology of the Qiao vessels, he does so while firmly locating himself historically and within the classical literature.  Aptly named “An Archeaology of the Qiao Vessels,” the text is asking us to join him in unearthing the true nature of these often elusive vessels, winnowing away the debris material that has accumulated over the years.

–Sharon Weizenbaum, Classical Chinese Herbalist and Acupuncturist, Director of the White Pine Institute

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Type of Book

Paperback, Hardback

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