Bill Lehr, L.Ac. - Aiki Acupuncture

Japanese Herbal Kampo Book - What is the difference between Traditional Chinese Herbalism and how it is practiced in modern Japan - newsletter

20 Feb 2025 by Bill Lehr

February 20, 2024

Dear Patients and Friends,

Warm greetings for a cold winter! Geez, it just doesn't seem to let up this year. And then there's the political climate... Whaddaya gonna do?

Get acupuncture or take herbs of course :-) Yes it's true, I'm a one (two) trick pony.

As for me, I often read a little more than usual. It's either literary fiction or herbal/acupuncture books.

Here's one that is fascinating me:

Here is part of the table of contents so you get the idea:

Japanese Kampo Medicine is just Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCM) as it has evloved in Japan since the 5th Century AD when it came to Japan through Korea. It underwent significant change during the Edo (1603 - 1867) period. This was the main form of medicine in Japan until the country westernized and introduced European medicine in the late 1800s. Now it is complementary to conventional medicine which is dominant as in the US and the rest of the world.

In the US, Japanese Kampo herbal medicine is lesser used than Chinese TCM. Although the roots of it are in China, the way it is practiced in Japan is signifcantly different. Formulas are not as often customized for the individual. There are 148 officially sanctioned formulas that have been standardized. They are very high quality gruanules dispensed at relatively low doses. The diagnosis is based more on abdominal palpation than with the tongue and pulse as in TCM. Also conventional MDs (70% by some estimates) incorporate these formulas into their treatment along with conventional pharmaceuticals. The national health insurance also covers them to some degree. You can also just walk into a drug store and buy some of them off the shelf. I do this myself when we go back to visit friends and family.

I apologize for the geekiness today. But this is what your herbalist is interested in :-)

And just in case. you think I'm all work and no play (this is far from the truth) I'm also reading Bangkok Asset by John Burdett which is part of a detective series set in Thailand. It might be an acquired taste. The main detective is half American, his mother runs a brothel, and he is a practicing Buddhist. Sound like a crazy mix? Like I said, it might be an acquired taste.

I guess that combo of coffee and herbs and exercise has me spewing... please forgive.

Although we are still in the depths of winter here in the New Jersey, according to the Chinese lunar calendar, we are in Spring. This means you should keep eating your warming Chinese spices and foods, but be ready to lighten your diet when we get the warm upsurge in the coming weeks. This alternating between warming foods and more neutral or cooling foods is what we naturally, and should do, during Spring.

Don't hesitate to write with questions or feedback.

All best,

Bill

Herb of the Season - Perilla leaf - newsletter

9 Nov 2023 by Bill Lehr

November 9, 2023

Perilla Leaf Highlight (Zi Su Ye)

Perilla is in the mint family and if you've ever been to a high end Japanese sushi place you'll get it along with your pickled ginger. It has germ killing as well as digestive aid properites.

But I highlight it here because it also has immune boosting properties in the cooler weather.

As I said above, it is in the mint family. But unlike mint, which has similar diaphoretic (sweat inducing) properties, it is considered warm and therefore able to treat cold issues.

It is often included in early stage cold/flu/allergy formlas. It is also used for cleaning up digestive funk, including seafood poisoning, thus the pairing with sushi.

In Korean cuisine it is sometimes pickled with chilli and soy sauce, or used to wrap korean barbecue pieces. I'm remembering a meal on Capital Hill in Seattle last September and "yummy" is the word that comes to mind.

Here are some more indications. On the left are how we think about it in TCM terms. You might find the indications on the right more approachable.

So that's perilla leaf. it is a common plant that we even have in our small front garden.You might even mistake it for a weed it grows so easily.

These medicinal herbs are endlessly fascinating for me and I hope for you, too.

If I don't see you beforehand, have a great Thanksgiving.

All best,

Bill

Recent Coursework

13 Jun 2023 by Bill Lehr

I'm always refreshing or adding to my knowledge base. Here is some recent course work:

Mastering Menstrual Diseases: Complete Program w/ the Excellent book "A Compendium of Chinese Medical Menstrual Disease" by Bob Flaws (May 2023)

Integreting Functional Medicine with TCM - Adrenal Fatigue (June 2023)

Integretating Functional Medicine with TCM - Thyroid Dysfunction (June 2023)

Integrative Breast Oncology: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (June 2023)

Nationally Certified and State Licensed in Herbology

16 Nov 2020 by Bill Lehr

Hello Acupuncture and Herb Aficionados,

After 2.5 years of study, almost 900 hours in the classroom and clinic, and many, many more hours studying, I am now nationally certified by the NCCAOM and licensed in New Jersey. NJ is only one of 6 or 7 states that require a formal license for herbology.

I have been using herbs myself since I was in acupuncture school in 2002. I first studied basic formulas and commonly used patents with Anastacia White in 2010.

What I love about them is their power, safety, and time-tested appeal. Many of the formulas and herbs that are still used were recorded in 220 A.D. in Han Dynasty China. Like the Bible or Torah or other ancient text, these herbs and complex formulas have been continuously used, discussed, and modified since then. And of course now, in the context of modern medicine, there have been modifications and new insights applied. Some herbs and especially endangered animal substances have been banned and are no longer used by ethically-minded practitioners even though they might still be sought after by some consumers.

This medicine is very complex. I have been actively studying it for over 15 years. Some people have told me I'm a good student. And I am telling you, that you should not think of traditional East Asian herbal medicine as something easy to learn or apply. It is systematic, safe (in the hands of a trained practitioner), and usually very effective.

Don't hesitate to contact me with questions or to schedule an appointment.

HERBALIST SCHOOL! Acupuncture and TCM Herbs

1 Jun 2019 by Bill Lehr

After nearly 15 years of practice as an acupuncturist I am in school again studying Chinese Medical Herbology. If you think of acupuncture as working from the outside (a type of physical treatment that targets the nervous and endocrine system, muscles, lymph, tendons and bones) then Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Herbalism is the treatment from the inside or herbal internal medicine. Both fields have a similar theoretical base in Han Dynasty China which was about 2000 years ago (221BC–206 AD). An acupuncturist in New Jersey has about 2500 (3 years - currently 2700) hours of schooling in theory, safety, bio-medicine and acupuncture and trigger point needling (dry needling) technique. The herbal program at the Eastern School adds to this 2 years and 870 hours of in-class (or in-clinic) training. With the hours spent outside of class studying the myriad herbs and formulas and case studies, you can see how it is a rigorous training.

One of the mis-conceptions that people have about a formally trained Acupuncture-Herbalist is that it is like going to Whole Foods and adding some turmeric to your diet for anti-inflammatory relief or taking some echinacea and vitamin C and zinc for a cold. While those might be helpful strategies to some degree it simply does not compare to what a TCM herbalist knows and diagnoses and treats. For example there are 4 different types of curcumin, or turmeric, in our materia medica. Yes, conventional turmeric, curcuma longa, has anti-inflammatory as well as anti-platelet effects. But traditionally it is not used if there is no "stagnation" or pain or numbness. That is, it is not used as a long term preventative strategy when there are no symptoms. And, as with almost all TCM herbs it is not used alone. It is used in combination with other herbs that strengthen the medical action but also hedge against side effects. This is a common TCM strategy. Another commonly prescribed type of turmeric is curcuma aromatica or "yu jin". We consider it better at helping emotional issues (calms the Shen) and is better for the type of patient that has "heat" in the "Blood" or "Gallbladder". And there is yet another type, curcuma zedoaria, or "e zhu" that we use more for menstrual pain and abdominal masses. It is considered very strong and not for patients with weaker constitutions.

Some of the herbs studied are cinnamon and ginger, common spices commonly used in cooking. But many are various roots and leaves and minerals that most people have never heard of. And once again, the method of diagnosing and applying the formulas is very complex and symptom- and disease- and constitution-specific.

The program at the Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine also includes a course in Chinese Nutrition Therapy. Most acupuncturist/herbalists have well-informed opinions about food therapy which don't always agree with the current trends in modern nutrition. There are ideas unique to Asian medicine which emphasize the thermal properties or "temperature" of different foods and how they might benefit one constitution but challenge another constitution.

I've written more than I expected on this beautiful Saturday morning in June... Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.

All best,

Bill

Blog