Field notes and materia medica
Bark and stems
Field notes on the barks, stems, wood and whole-plant materials of Chinese medicine: how they are stripped or cut, and what that does to the tree.
4 field notes
Chinese herbs
Ephedra herb and root (麻黄): two parts with sharply different risks
How Ephedra survives dry landscapes, and why its stems and roots are harvested, processed, and discussed separately.
Read the article
Chinese herbs
Glossy privet fruit and Eclipta herb (女贞子 / 墨旱莲): a field-and-tree pairing
How black privet fruits and a low annual field herb are harvested separately before being paired in a traditional formula.
Read the article
Chinese herbs
Eucommia bark (杜仲): harvesting bark without losing the tree
How Du Zhong bark grows, is carefully removed, flattened, and dried for traditional use.
Read the article
Chinese herbs
Dragon tree resin (龙血竭): finding and extracting a red tree resin
How resin-bearing dragon trees are located, protected, and processed into the material known as Long Xue Jie.
Read the article
Tell us what you would like help with
It takes a couple of minutes. Nothing is booked and nothing is charged — a person reads it and writes back within 24 hours.