The latest issue of Chinese Medicine and Culture offers a broad look at how TCM has been formed, interpreted, and transmitted over time. Published as Volume 9, Issue 1 in March 2026, the quarterly journal positions itself as an interdisciplinary forum linking medical science, history, culture, and heritage research. That mission is clearly reflected in this issue, which moves across early Chinese thought, imperial material culture, regional schools of medicine, and the international circulation of medical ideas.
One of the feature articles, “Overarching Three Yin-Three Yang: Evolution of the Basics,” revisits a foundational concept in TCM: the three yin–three yang (三阴三阳) system. Rather than treating it as a fixed doctrine, the paper argues that it emerged gradually from earlier yin–yang (阴阳) cosmology, body movement practices, manual therapies, and early meridian observations. Drawing on classical texts and excavated figurines, the study suggests that this framework developed step by step as ancient thinkers sought to align the human body with the wider cosmos.
A second feature article examines the concept of Du (毒), often translated as “toxicity” or “poison”. The study shows that its meaning varies depending on clinical context, referring to potency, Pian Xing (偏性 imbalanced qualities of materia medica), or harm. It highlights that safety in TCM depends not only on the substance itself, but also on dosage, preparation, and the patient’s condition.
An original article on Shang oracle-bone medical inscriptions traces early ideas about disease causation, suggesting that etiological thinking has much deeper roots than later formal medical canons alone might indicate. It reinforces the view that TCM is not a static body of knowledge, but a long intellectual tradition shaped through continuous reinterpretation.
The issue also explores how medicine has functioned within political and social systems. In “Imperial Power and Medicine: Ingot and Its Equipment Made by Qing Palace during Yongzheng Period,” researchers examine medicinal ingots produced during the Yongzheng period of the Qing dynasty. Using archival records and museum materials, the study shows that these objects were not merely therapeutic items, but also instruments of court ritual and symbols of authority. It suggests that medicine in the Qing court helped regulate not only health, but also hierarchy and political order.
Other contributions highlight the diversity of medical thought and practice. One paper discusses the classical idea of treating lung disease through the large intestine, illustrating the continued relevance of organ interconnections in TCM theory. Another traces the development of Joseon Korea’s indigenous Onyeokhak through Sino-Korean exchange, emphasising how state-driven and pragmatic approaches shaped medical practice.
A comparative study of low back pain in TCM and Thai medicine places different Asian traditions in dialogue around shared clinical challenges. Similarly, a review on the transmission of Chinese medicine in France highlights how medical knowledge evolves as it moves across cultural contexts.
Regional perspectives are also explored. One article examines the Longsha medical school, showing how geography, ecology, local resources, and population characteristics shaped a distinct medical lineage in Jiangsu and beyond. Another review of Mu Tong fruit (木通果实) demonstrates how the names, identities, and attributed effects of a medicinal substance have shifted over time, revealing the layered and often contested nature of materia medica classification.
Overall, this issue presents TCM as a complex and evolving knowledge system shaped by archaeology, language, clinical reasoning, empire, regional identity, and international exchange. It highlights that understanding Chinese medicine today requires recognising how it has continually been reinterpreted and remade.
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Reference
DOI: https://journals.lww.com/CMC/pages/default.aspx
Chinese Medicine and Culture
Chinese Medicine and Culture Volume 9, Issue 1, March 2026