Course Overview

Dr. Heiner Fruehaufs master class on Chinese herbal medicine deepens the lifelong learner’s mastery of herbal prescribing by rooting their understanding in classical principles and practices. It accommodates the needs and interests of all levels, from students of Chinese medicine and newer practitioners to seasoned practitioners who are ever-refining their capacity to successfully treat any condition presenting in the clinic. For each of eight major herb families, Heiner describes the energetic properties of the lead herb, common herb pairs, and the major herbal formulas. Case examples are presented to provide a clinical context for learning the indications for particular formulas within each family. With this base of knowledge, practitioners can stand on firm ground while being flexible in their ability to design herbal treatments that effectively treat the complex patterns manifesting in our increasingly out-of-balance world. In the second Gu Syndrome session, Heiner further explores the dosages, formula architecture, therapeutic actions, indications, and clinical applications of anti-Gu formulas. He presents multiple case studies from his extensive clinical experience treating systemic parasitic infections with anti-Gu herbal formulas.

Course Objectives

• Review the theory of Gu Syndrome and the notion of chronic parasitism.
• Learn how to identify the three stages of Gu Syndrome and their related Chinese medical pathologies. Discuss their modern clinical presentations.
• Discuss the application of Su He Tang and Jiajian Su He Tang, and how to craft modifications for both formulas for different Gu Syndrome classifications and symptoms, based on specific case studies.
• Present case examples and treatment protocols for patients with various stages of Gu Syndrome, including how to recognize when treatment protocols are successful.
• Explore how to treat Gu Syndrome for hyper-sensitive patients who tend to react to virtually all forms of treatment.

Course Outline

0 hrs - 30 minHeiner reviews the theory of Gu Syndrome, and explains how to identify the various classifications, the three stages, and the related pathologies.

30 min - 1 hrsHeiner continues discussing Gu Syndrome and presents case examples of Gu Syndrome, including how to approach treatment at the various stages.

1 hrs - 1.5 hrsHeiner continues to explore the formulas Su He Tang and Jiajian Su He Tang and presents how to combine specific herbs and modify the formulas to achieve the desired outcome at the various stages of Gu Syndrome.

1.5 hrs - 2 hrsHeiner reviews how to recognize when Gu Syndrome treatment protocols are successful. He continues to explain how to modify and combine formulas to support the trajectory of the treatment. He uses Thunder Pearls and Lightning Pearls as examples.

2 hrs - 2.5 hrsThe final 30 minutes will be devoted to a question and answer period. Questions will be selected from those posted in the Zoom chat based on relevance for the whole group.