Eric Brand: Changes in Herbal Medicine from Ancient Times to the Present
July 18, 2015 (9am - 1pm)
AIMC Berkeley (Room F)
2550 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704 - Get Directions
Changes in Herbal Medicine from Ancient Times to the Present
Instructor: Eric Brand
Clinicians have relied on classical formulas for nearly 2000 years, and many of the core herbal combinations that guide everyday practice were first established in ancient texts such as the Shang Han Lun. This clinically-oriented lecture explores the evolution of herbal medicine over the centuries, with a particular focus on:
- Changes in dosage, processing methods, and delivery forms
- Changes in natural resources and botanical identity, including divergences between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean medicine
- Changes due to the expansion of cultivation methods and the introduction of new medicinals from foreign and local regions
Eric Brand is a graduate of the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and a fluent Chinese speaker. He is the author of A Clinician's Guide to the Use of Granule Extracts and the co-author of the text Concise Chinese Materia Medica. Eric has a particular passion for Chinese herbal processing, authentication and quality discernment. He is currently pursuing a PhD in pharmacognosy in Hong Kong and is the owner of the granule company Legendary Herbs, which he uses as an excuse to keep feeding his inner nerd. He is a Chinese medicine advisor to the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and currently serves as the U.S. Chair for the ISO TC 249 committee on international standards in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
