By Joobong Kang, KMD
As a beginner, it may be easier to learn Eastern Medicine through the column of Shang Han Lun(傷寒論).
Shang Han Lun opened the door to scientific practice in the field of Eastern Medicine in China at 3rd Century A.D. and was written mainly in terms of symptom relationship.
Shang Han Lun explains an inter-relationship between symptoms, formulas, herbs, and diagnoses. Therefore, symptoms in Shang Han Lun are described a specific conception called sign symptom.
For a herb that can treat various symptoms of a patient, one of the symptoms is the signal to use that specific herb to treat the patient, one of the symptoms is the signal to use that specific herb to treat the patient’s sickness. This particular symptom for that herb is called sign symptom of the herb. And generally, there are one to three sign symptoms in the herb.
A Formula made of mixture of herbs also has sign symptoms of the formula in hierarchical order. Like a herb’s sign symptoms, a formula has two or three sign symptoms that based on indication mentioned in provisions of Shang Han Lun.
Most terms of sign symptoms in Shang Han Lun are composed and related to abdominal diagnoses. Therefore, sign symptoms or sign symptoms treatment can be called abdominal diagnosis and vice versa.
The terms and logic behind sign symptoms in Shang Han Lun can be clear and concreate terms in a column. For example, it is like a column based on modern philosophy than explains the notion of ‘Symbolic Logic’, which is like explaining a math formula.
Shang Han Lun expresses a close connection between sign symptoms, herbs, formula, and six channel pattern identification through the provisions was written by Zhong Jing.
Shang Han Lun is a book written about practical technics. Learning sing symptoms of Shang Han Lun will be give you insights into identifying the various symptoms to precisely and accurately diagnosis the sign symptoms of a patient.
