Course Description
Strategic Herbology with Jason Ginsberg, DACM, L.Ac.
Date recorded: April-June 2021
Length: 39 hours
Number of modules: 28
Approved for 39 California CEUs, Category 1, CEP#1651
Approved for 39 NCCAOM PDAs, Category AOM-OM
Purchase grants you lifetime access.
No refunds
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A comprehensive, yet efficient approach to effectively prescribing herbs
This course is designed for efficiency and applicability.
It is perfect for:
- Recent graduates of accredited schools of Chinese medicine who are not confident in prescribing or are not clear on actual clinical usage
- Licensed acupuncturists who took herbs in school but never really practiced herbal medicine, are rusty and need a refresher
- Practicing Chinese medical herbalists who are not getting the clinical results that can and should be expected
- Acupuncturists who did not study Chinese herbal medicine in school and want to offer herbal medicine to their patients in a safe and effective manner (solid diagnostics and pattern differentiation is a must and can be obtained in other TCM Hub courses)
Required Textbooks:
Fundamentals of Chinese Medicine
By Nigel Wiseman & Andrew Ellis
Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica: 3rd Edition
By Dan Bensky
Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies
By Volker Scheid, Dan Bensky, Andrew Ellis & Randall Barolet
Special bundle discount available through Redwing Books. Link to take advantage of this bundle will be in the order confirmation email you receive after purchase of Jason Ginsberg’s program,
Course description:
While acupuncture is the modality that has become most famous in the West, herbal medicine has been a major part of Chinese medicine almost since the beginning, and from early times to the present has often been the modality of choice for internal medicine, gynecology, externally contracted disease and seasonal pathogens, etc. Yet many people don’t learn herbs in school, or worse yet, graduate with herbs as part of their degree, but don’t feel truly confident using herbs, especially custom formulations, in clinic. Often, the reason for both is because the subject seems so overwhelming, the vast number of herbs and formulas and level of detail involved intimidating, and the decision process of choosing and modifying a formula, dosing it, etc too difficult and uncertain.
With this course, we aim to change all that by following the principle of “an inch wide but a mile deep”, focusing on a small core of herbs and formulas that nevertheless represent every commonly used treatment strategy in clinic, and giving practitioners the tools to prescribe a formula by following a systematic, step-by-step approach that builds off the fundamentals of Chinese medicine, and giving people the tools they need to expand and go deeper with herbal medicine on their own.
This course is geared towards licensed acupuncturists that did not study herbs in school, or who did, but don’t feel fully confident in prescribing herbal formulas for their patients, or who would like to explore a different, integrated, efficient and streamlined approach to understanding and prescribing Chinese herbal medicines.
In addition to a small representative set of core herbs and formulas and how to use them, we will go over a simple approach to understanding dosing of raw, vacuum packed, and granule formulas, pao zhi (use of processed herbs), dui yao (herbal pairs), the difference between classical and modern formula schools, and more. Students will leave this course feeling much more confident and efficient in prescribing individualized formulas for patients in clinic, building off their already-existing knowledge of Chinese medicine in general, and leveraging that to explore the unique features, and approaches specific to herbal medicine in particular.
What makes this course different:
- Instead of the standard model of learning the Materia Medica and then Formulas, this program teaches both at the same time in an integrated fashion. Herbs will be taught in the context of formulas that they appear in, including commonly used dui yao pairings with other herbs.
- Treatment principle as the key to selecting formulas is prioritized as well as the 8 principles and 8 methods as a rubric to simplify the decision making process.
- Provides a solid foundation with clinical relevance and no filler. This course is aimed to get the practitioner practicing herbal medicine safely and effectively as quickly as possible.
- Student Q & A with Dr. Ginsberg available in comment sections of video lessons.
Course Sections:
1. Introducing Herbology for the experienced acupuncturist: How to use existing knowledge of acupuncture and Chinese medicine theory to learn herbs as an LAc as opposed to a student. What makes this course different. An inch wide but a mile deep. Fewer, better tools, more deeply understood and more skillfully employed. Learning how to learn, and the power of “by way of example”. Teaching people to fish. How much do you actually need? Trade offs. Differentiating between indications (signs & symptoms), disease diagnosis, pattern diagnosis, treatment principle, and prescription. Introduction to 8 principles of diagnosis and 8 principles of treatment. Strategic herbalism and tactical herbalism. Different styles of formulation, jingfang pai vs. shifang pai vs. diverse repetoire, pros and cons of all three, and intro to how to learn.
2. Introduction to Basic Concepts of Formulas and how they work: dui yao pairs, roles (sovereign, minister, assistant, envoy), different means of administration (decoction, granule, etc), special preparation (crush, cook first, add at end, etc), dosage (raw/vacuum, granule, and pediatric), modification by addition, subtraction, pao zhi, and dosage. Clinical relevance of historical source text, and some of the major source texts and periods we’ll be learning formulas from.
3. Introduction to Concepts of the Materia Medica and Formula Books:
a. Chapter and category, action, indication, pattern diagnosis, temperature/taste/channel, dosage range, pao zhi, cautions and contraindications. How to summarize, prioritize, memorize, learn in context, and apply.
b) Brief review of basic theory concepts and systems of diagnosis as relevant for herbs: Yin/Yang, 5 Phases, Qi/Blood, Zang-Fu, disease evil, (channel collateral), Shang Han, and Wen Bing.
4. Eight Principles in Depth: Moving Past the Binary
8 principles as multiple choice questions, differentiating complex, combination, and conversion, mixing and matching the 8 principles . Yinyang evaluated through the 4 relationships. Introducing the idea of representative formulas and herbs for every permutation.
Below is a complete list of the individual medicinals and the formulas taught in the modules of the program.
- Herbs: Gui Zhi, Shao Yao (Bai Shao), Sheng Jiang, Da Zao, Gan Cao
- Formula: Gui Zhi Tang, Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang
- Herbs: Fu Ling, Shao Yao (Chi Shao), Mu Dan Pi, Tao Ren
- Formula: Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan
- Herbs: Dang Gui, Xi Xin, Mu Tong
- Formula: Dang Gui Si Ni Tang Herbs: Chai Hu, Huang Qin, Ban Xia, Ren Shen
- Formulas: Xiao Chai Hu Tang, Chai Hu Gui Zhi Tang
- Herbs: Huang Lian, Da Huang
- Formula: Xie Xin Tang
- Herbs: Huang Bai, Zhi Zi
- Formula: Huang Lian Jie Du Tang
- Herbs: Bing Lang, Mu Xiang, Rou Gui
- Formula: Shao Yao Tang
- Herbs: Gan Jiang
- Formula: Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang
- Herbs: Hou Po, Zi Su Ye
- Formula: Ban Xia Hou Po Tang
- Herbs: Dan Dou Chi
- Formula: Zhi Zi Chi Tang
- Herbs: Shi Chang Pu, Lu Gen
- Formula: Lian Po Yin
- Herbs: Sheng Ma, Sheng Di Huang
- Formula: Qing Wei San
- Herbs: Shi Gao, Zhi Mu, Geng/Jing Mi
- Formula: Bai Hu Tang
- Herbs: Shu Di Huang, Mai Men Dong, Niu Xi (Huai and Chuan)
- Formula: Yu Nu Jian
- Herbs: Dan Zhu Ye
- Formula: Zhu Ye Shi Gao Tang, Dao Chi San
- Formula: Mai Men Dong Tang
- Herbs: Suan Zao Ren, Chuan Xiong
- Formula: Suan Zao Ren Tang
- Formula: Si Wu Tang
- Herbs: Hong Hua
- Formula: Tao Hong Si Wu Tang
- Herbs: Gou Qi Zi, Sha Shen, Chuan Lian Zi
- Formula: Yi Guan Jian
- Formula: Si Ni San
- Herbs: Zhi Ke, Xiang Fu, Chen Pi
- Formulas: Chai Hu Shu Gan San, Xiang Su San
- Herbs: Jie Geng
- Formula: Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang
- Herbs: Long Dan Cao, Che Qian Zi, Ze Xie
- Formula: Long Dan Xie Gan Tang
- Herbs: Bai Zhu
- Formulas: Si Jun Zi Tang, Liu Jun Zi Tang
- Herbs: Sha Ren
- Formula: Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang
- Formula: Er Chen Tang
- Herbs: Xing Ren, Qian Hu
- Formula: Xing Su San
- Herbs: Huo Xiang, Bai Zhi, Da Fu Pi
- Formula: Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Tang
- Herbs: Chuan/Zhe Bei Mu, Gua Lou (Shi, Pi, Ren), Tian Hua Fen
- Formula: Bei Mu Gua Lou San
- Herbs: Cang Zhu, Shen Qu
- Formula: Ping Wei San, Yue Zhu Wan
- Formula: Li Zhong Wan, Ling Gui Zhu Gan Tang, Wu Ling San
- Herbs: Shan Yao, Bai Bian Dou, Lian Zi, Yi Yi Ren
- Formulas: Shen Ling Bai Zhu San, Er Miao San, San Miao San, Si Miao San
- Herbs: Huang Qi
- Formula: Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang
- Formula: Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang
- Herbs: Long Yan Rou, Yuan Zhi
- Formula: Gui Pi Tang
- Formulas: Ba Zhen Tang, Shi Quan Da Bu Wan
- Herbs: Fang Feng
- Formulas: Yu Ping Feng San, Tong Xie Yao Fang
- Herbs: Bo He, Wei Jiang (Pao Jiang)
- Formulas: Xiao Yao San, Jia Wei Xiao Yao San
- Herbs: Shan Zhu Yu, Fu Zi
- Formulas: Shen Qi Wan, Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan, Si Ni Tang, Zhen Wu Tang
- Herbs: Mang Xiao, Zhi Shi
- Formulas: Da Cheng Qi Tang, Xiao Cheng Qi Tang, Hou Po San Wu Tang, Tiao Wei Cheng Qi Tang, Tao He Cheng Qi Tang
- Herbs: Wu Zhu Yu
- Formula: Wu Zhu Yu Tang
- Herbs: Tian Ma, Gou Teng, Shi Jue Ming, Yi Mu Cao, Du Zhong, Sang Ji Sheng, Ye Jiao Teng
- Formula: Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin
- Further thoughts on diagnosis, selection, modification, and dosage.
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* This program is not for the lay public.
You must be a licensed practitioner of Chinese medicine as this program presupposes entry level, professional training in Chinese medicine from an accredited 4-year Chinese medical college. You must hold a valid license to practice acupuncture in your respective state.
This program is approved by the NCCAOM for 39 PDA and 39 CA CEUs.*
* Currently, in the following states you must have passed the NCCAOM Chinese herbology board exam and/or hold an active Dipl.OM./Dipl.C.H. diplomate status to practice Chinese herbal medicine under your acupuncture license. Therefore, in the following states, the Strategic Herbology program is not an appropriate path to practicing Chinese herbal medicine as it does not satisfy the requirements to sit for the NCCAOM Chinese herbal medicine examination.
In the following states, you may be required to complete an NCCAOM approved mixed distance/in-person training program through a Chinese medical college or institute which leads to permission to sit for the NCCAOM board exam.
You are responsible for availing yourself of the state laws in the state your practice and hold licensure.
States Currently (Dec. 2021)
Requiring NCCAOM/CA Herbology Certification:
California
Nevada
New Mexico
Texas
Arkansas
Illinois
Ohio
Florida
Pennsylvania
Delaware
New Jersey
Vermont
Massachusetts
Source: https://www.nccaom.org/advocacy-regulatory/state-relations/
Course Curriculum
About the Instructor
Dr. Jason Ginsberg, DACM, L.Ac. has been in private practice since 2002 and have been teaching since 2004.
He is the former chair of the herbology department at Touro College, and since 2008 has been teaching at PCOM NY. So practice and teaching have been parallel paths for his entire professional career, and have always been mutually informative. Jason completed a 2 year apprenticeship with Tom Bisio, and worked a total of 9 years at 2 different hospitals, seeing patients both in-patient and out-patient for everything from orthopedic issues to patients dealing with complex internal medicine conditions, as well as cancer and stroke patients. His private practice has reflected a similar wide variety; and he thinks of himself much more as a specialist in certain methods of treatment, rather the specific diseases he treats. Dr. Ginsberg maintains a lifelong interest in Chinese language and culture, starting from when he was a small child with an interest in Chinese martial arts and qigong and he holds an undergraduate degree from NYU in Classical Chinese language and literature.