Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: qi

  • Ancient Chinese medicine

    Chinese medicine represents one of the oldest systems in history. It views the human body as an integrated whole where physical health affects mental wellbeing while requiring environmental balance. The core principle of Chinese medicine includes the vital energy called qi (pronounced “chee”) which flows through the body. A proper flow of qi maintains health,…

  • American ginseng as an herbal emissary influencing Qing-American trade relations

    Richard ZhangPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States On February 22, 1784, the Empress of China set sail from New York Harbor.1 Destined for the eponymous country, the American ship carried thirty tons of a wild root—ginseng. The vessel reached Guangzhou via the Cape of Good Hope and returned to New York one year later, laden with Chinese…

  • The history and mystery of cupping

    Mariel TishmaChicago, Illinois, United States Maybe your chest hurts from coughing, or maybe your muscles ache. Maybe you feel sluggish and anxious, worn out, and not sure why. There is a treatment, some say, for all of that and more. If it is done right, you only walk away with bruises—perfect circles in shades of…

  • Christopher Wren and blood circulation

    Richard de GrijsSydney, AustraliaDaniel VuillerminBeijing, China “A young man of marvellous gifts who, when not yet sixteen years of age, advanced astronomy, gnomonics, statics, and mechanics by his distinguished discoveries, and from then on continues to advance these sciences. And truly he is the kind of man from whom I can shortly expect great things.”…