The Complete Stems and Branches

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The following is taken from the Introduction to the book.  Below that is an article which highlights the similarities and the many important differences between the stems and branches taught by myself and that previously taught by Johannes van Buren who has become associated with this system.  

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The Complete Stems and Branches: Time and Space in Traditional Acupuncture 

The appeal of the modern Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) system lies in its ability to act as a bridge between a reductionist, linear way of thinking and the lateral approach more natural to the system of correspondences of Chinese medicine.

This book takes you to the far side of that bridge and into a Daoist world where Heaven, Earth and Humankind are all of one original qi, where a vibration in any part affects the whole. We will forge through a seemingly impenetrable jungle of intertwining correspondences which have appeared resistant to linear methods of cognition. Hopefully you will find the journey fascinating and even exhilarating in places but what you won’t find in this jungle are any ‘new species’ of acupuncture theory.

According to Chinese medical theory there are only three ways to categorise phenomenon: according to Heaven, Earth and Humanity, according to the Five Elements and to Yin and Yang, all of which are part of rudimentary acupuncture training. However, most acupuncturists will not have been presented with these concepts in quite this manner.

Stems and branches is a basic calendrical counting method used by the Chinese for millennia to count the hours, days, months and years. It groups ten stems and twelve branches into the same polarity (yin or yang) pairings to provide a recurring sexagesimal sequence. In the West we denote time numerically, for instance 11.30 a.m., 14.3.2007, (fourteenth of March) which contains no descriptive value. The Chinese equivalent of this time is denoted as 3.7; 4.8; 10.4; 4.12, where the first number of each pair is the stem and the second is the branch.

Certain acupuncture methods select points according to the specific stem and branch of the hour or day and are therefore essentially a numerological acupuncture system. This is widely known as stems and branches acupuncture. This method is briefly explored in one chapter of this book but is not this book’s primary focus.

Instead, this book explores time in a wider context and through this exploration we come to a profound understanding of the basic principles of Chinese medicine and of how time (of which stems and branches is but one component part) is woven into the very fabric of acupuncture theory.

As Joseph Needham so eloquently expresses it, “The earliest, and in the long run the most influential kinds of scientific explanation, those so basic that they truly pervaded the ancient Chinese world view, were in terms of time.” Joseph Needham, Science and Civilization in China, Vol. 5, p. 222

Time is the first expression of the interaction between Heaven and Earth, philosophically speaking and also in real terms, that is time is the measurement of the apparent motion of the heavenly bodies around the Earth.

Because, according to Daoism, we are born from the interaction between Heaven and Earth, all living creatures are physiologically time sensitive. Yin and yang were early on depicted in relationship to the Sun (the Sun rising over a flag, or the sunny and shady side of a mountain). The five elements are expressions of qualities of the seasons. The twelve main meridians are related to the twelve branches, just as the ten organs are related to the ten stems. Even the number of the main acupuncture points (idealised as 360 in the Nei Jing, and presently complete at 361) is related to the calendar, the Jupiter cycle and the interaction between the Sun and Moon.

In this book the term ‘Stems and Branches acupuncture’ is used in the broadest sense: it is an acupuncture style which stresses the importance of the relationship between Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, and Time as it accords with that relationship.

The approach presented here is therefore Daoist, closely modelled on Huang-Lao Daoism. Huang-Lao Daoism , as explained by Major in the introduction to his translation of Huainanzi, is a combination of the teachings expressed by Lao Zi and cosmological ideas centred on the Sun God Huang Di.

The early Han text, Huainanzi, is heavily borrowed from by the Neijing. That the Neijing refers specifically to Huang Di in its title expresses more than a reverential bow to the mythical Yellow Emperor.  It lays down Time and our connection with the heavens as the foundation stone of medical theory.

This approach to acupuncture could therefore be called Huang-Lao acupuncture, or maybe simply Daoist acupuncture, but what it is not is an acupuncture by numbers system that has unfortunately become associated with ‘Stems and Branches’ when this term is used in its narrowest sense to refer to the specific stem and branch of the day or hour.

This book is organised in three sections.

Section One – This section deals with the basic principles which underlie acupuncture. It is my intention that this section provide not simply a quick revision of familiar concepts, but that it deepens our understanding of the fundamentals.

Section Two -  This section deals with the technicalities of time and fits the sexagesimal stems and branches into the broader context of time and its interweaving cycles.

Section Three – This section deals with more advanced concepts which, while not absolutely imperative to the practice of acupuncture, will undoubtedly throw a light on the more obscure passages from the Nei Jing and put to rest most of the shadowy confusions and perplexities which bedevil a substantial number of acupuncturists. In fact in exploring these concepts, I was struck by how even the most esoteric passages were easily illuminated by reframing them in the context of time. Many of the frankly occult references were settled by an understanding of Han astronomy.

This book sets out to explain this system in detail, both its philosophical basis and its practical applications. Regardless of one’s preferred acupuncture ‘style’, many of these concepts can easily be integrated into practice.

Because of the interconnected nature of this theory you may at times feel lost, as if in a maze of disturbing complexity. This feeling can initially accompany a shift in mental processing that happens once we build up a substantial linkage between the various groups of correspondences.

I can only say that if you take it slowly and, if you wish to, integrate the concepts one step at a time, you will eventually reach the heart of this maze. The odd thing is that once you reach the centre and grasp the core concepts, the previously opaque walls turn crystal and it all suddenly seems so very simple.

I do hope you enjoy The Complete Stems and Branches: time and Space in Traditional Acupuncture, as others have done. 

Reviews. 

“This is the best, most practical explanation in English to date of Stems and branches theory. You will thank yourself for buying it and your patients will thank you as well.”  Chinadoc.  Amazon.com

“When I picked up your book I knew I had found someone who really understands and can teach the fundamentals of Traditional Taoist Acupuncture.  I find this very exciting.” Nell Carr, acupuncturist Maryland, USA

“I have found this book an incredible resource for my own use in the treatment room and my understanding of Traditional Chinese medicine. This area of Traditional Acupuncture has been quite difficult to understand. This book is quite a demanding read but it is incredibly informative and interesting and with relevant case histories and practical questions and advice.”  Penny Clay, acupuncturist Southampton.

“This is a most enjoyable book exploring some difficult subjects of Chinese medicine.”  Sam Patel, acupuncturist and acupuncture teacher – Journal Of Oriental Medicine.

“I have taken it upon myself to thoroughly research and understand the notions of the celestial stems and terrestrial branches, and their pertinence to chrono-treatment methods.   This led me to purchase your book, and I must say I've found it wonderful resource for helping one to dig further into the many puzzles that emerge from this very complex subject.” Grayson Wood – acupuncturist Rhode Island, USA

“This book is worth reading for those who wish to get closer to the essential roots of classical acupuncture.  If one spends any time in China, Korea, or Japan, one is struck by the constant and obsessive attention to the calendrical cycles and issues of time and space and the stars in general.  Indeed, study of the Bazi as related to astronomy, little known by many contemporary physicians, was an every day part of medical culture in East Asia up until the twentieth century.  This should be a book to whet your interest in an area of much fascination and of considerable clinical significance.” James Flowers, Acupuncturist and Chinese medical practitioner, Australia.

“This is amazing work and I thank you for sharing it with me. Much of what I read here is new to me. There is a great wealth of information here … I find the discussions of time, elements, lunar phases and natural cycles to be very illuminating and reveal more of the depth and breadth of Chinese medicine with each paragraph.…I have found what I have read to be very helpful in connecting me with those wisdoms which are inherently contained within Chinese medicine.” Dr. Stephen Gascoigne, acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, author.

“This author has done a great deal of research on a very complex concept, and has done a good job on explaining it in terms that the occidental mind can easily grasp. I recommend this book for anyone who wishes to understand the approaches to acupuncture treatment on a much deeper level than is commonly taught in modern schools.”Amazon .com

“This book is indeed a highly aspirational work, as stated in the foreword by Peter Firebrace… to understand the nature of time in all its changing patterns and manifestations and to restore it to its all-but-forgotten position at the heart of Chinese medicine.” To render this theory into print in an accessible and enjoyable format is not an easy task. It is clearly a useful book for the practicing acupuncturist or student of stems and branches acupuncture and also ideal for those who want to delve deeply into Chinese medicine and learn about its resonances with Chinese cosmology.”  Rob Hughes, acupuncturist, acupuncture teacher, Journal of Chinese Medicine.

“If you really want to have access to the classics, then you cannot ignore the stem and branch system, as classical authors discuss the cosmology behind medicine at least as much as they discuss diagnosis.”  Richard Goodman, author of Chinese Classical Medicine Texts.

 This book is also on the recommended reading list of Jeffrey Yuen.

Buy The Complete Stems and Branches: Time and Space in Traditional Acupuncture

Background Information on Writing of the Book

The stems and branches system outlined in my book, The Complete Stems and Branches: Time and Space in Traditional Acupuncture, has some similarities to that taught by Johannes van Buren.  However, there are also important differences.  This article examines those similarities and differences.  

Time, Space and the Dao: the Inner Core of Acupuncture

 My belief is that acupuncture, at its very best, is simple.  The fewer the points, the clearer the signal given to the body, the more immediate and absolutely staggering the results that can be obtained. 

But the question is – how does one incorporate the body of knowledge of acupuncture – the yin and yang of it; the five elements; Heaven Earth and Humanity; the meridian system – including all the levels of Luo, longtitudinal Luo, divergent meridians, muscle meridians, extra meridians, etcetera into a coherent whole?  And of the 361 main points (unilaterally) how does one choose a select few that will prompt a powerful call to action for the body?  This, I believe, is the absolute beauty of stems and branches theory.  It incorporates the whole of classical acupuncture theory and provides a real clarity as to how to proceed.

I had originally studied so-called ‘stems and branches’ acupuncture at the International College of Oriental Medicine, ICOM, in Sussex, England from 1983 – 1986 full time, and completed my thesis on acupuncture theory during my fourth year in 1987  to gain a Bachelor of Acupuncture degree, while establishing an acupuncture practice. 

ICOM was founded back in 1972 by Johannes van Buren who had trained in 1963 with Jacques Lavier, (preceded by short courses in 1962) alongside Jack Worsley and Roysten Low and others.  There were scant scholarly materials to which these men were exposed.  Ilza Veith had translated 34 chapters of the Su Wen in 1934.  They had access to Soulie de Morant, Dr. Felix Mann, Porkert, and Jacques Lavier, but little else.  Van Buren was later influenced by Nguyen Van Nghi.  He also acquired a book on stems and branches written by a Taiwanese doctor and had one of his students translate this for him.

Despite inadequate resource material, Van Buren, Worsley and Low each started their own acupuncture colleges. The gaps in theoretical understanding from each was filled in part by their own particular philosophical view.  Worsley included many homeopathic concepts.  Low, with his osteopathic mechanical view of the body lent more towards a Western view of acupuncture.  

While van Buren continued his studies into acupuncture he also filled in some of the gaps in his understanding with metaphysical concepts, stemming in part from the theosophical philosophy that he grew up with. He was also very influenced by Free Masonry ideas on spirituality! Naturally there were many holes in the theory that never did close up.

It wasn’t until 1979 that Henry Lu published his first complete translation of the Yellow Emperor’s Classics and Difficult Classic [The Nei Jing: Su Wen; Ling Shu; Nan Jing]  Before that van Buren relied on Joseph Needham’s colossal work, Science and Civilization in China, which provided  useful background information on important concepts used in acupuncture theory but did not in any way make up for the lack of good translations of classical medical texts..

Van Buren always gave the impression that he was trying to reach for something transcendental, just beyond grasp, but that he had never quite got to the bottom of stems and branches.  He was never an intellectual teacher but he was inspiring, and an intuitive and probably gifted practitioner. Van Buren did what he could to pass on the scant and often contradictory information available to him.  

For my part, after almost twenty years of practice, research, study, post-graduate seminars, etc. I had so many notes and so many conflicting notions.  I needed to organise all of the material and all my thoughts. And I did not accept the standard view of Chinese medical theory – that it necessarily contains many irreconcilables.  That just is too illogical and it is certainly not a helpful notion in the clinic room.

I thought I had a fairly coherent understanding of stems and branches theory before I began researching and writing and I really wanted to explain this system to fellow acupuncturists who had not been trained in this method. 

In writing this book, (the original title, Time Space and the Dao: The Inner Core of Acupuncture, was changed due to a remark by a peer reviewer.  The Complete Stems and Branches: Time and Space in Traditional Acupuncture became the compromise title)  I was determined from the start that:

1. All information had to be cited – no exception.  If any information was contradictory to other commonly held views of acupuncture theory then I must supply the source of that information.
2. For the most part the information was to be based on direct information from the Neijing, Su Wen; Ling Shu and  Nan Jing;  or other Han or later texts.
3. If information taught at ICOM or elsewhere contradicted information given in the original classical texts then the theory taught was removed and replaced by the original as described in the Nei Jing. 
4. Metaphysical information that stemmed from other than Taoist, Confucian or the natural schools of China were removed from theory.
5. The theory had to be explained simply in simple terms.

My basic premise was that stems and branches theory, and indeed the whole of acupuncture theory, was constructed by ordinary people like you and me who lived in a particular time with pre-existing notions about how life worked.  To this end I studied as much as I could on Taoism (a favourite philosophy for me since the late sixties) We had already studied the I-Ching at ICOM, including it’s metaphysical theory.   And I also put myself in the shoes of the Han Chinese.  I studied the same sky that they saw, and noted the natural environment and the interpretations that they placed on naturally recurring cycles.

When I started to seriously research stems and branches theory I came across this from Joseph Needham. “The earliest, and in the long run the most influential kinds of scientific explanation, those so basic that they truly pervaded the ancient Chinese world view, were in terms of time.” Needham 1954/84 Vol 5 p 222

I feel that I really hit the jack-pot straight off when I decided to sort all of the information in terms of time! 

It may seem strange, if not bizarre, but neither van Buren nor any of the other teachers at ICOM made any real reference to time – except to provide a basic stems and branches year chart as well the branch months, and the timing of the host 6 divisions.  Rather confusingly they associated the branches with the wrong months! They also gave no start times for the arrival of guest qi.  (See below the differences in what was taught at that time at ICOM and what is explained in my book.)

So from there on, whenever I came across something difficult in the Nei Jing I sought to understand it in terms of time!  This yielded incredible insights and made some of the seeming contradictions disappear.  But, in terms of time, there were some difficulties.  For instance, why did Henry Lu’s branch months (which is where van Buren got his) not align with branch months given elsewhere?  When was the real arrival of the guest energies because this also caused confusion and differences of opinion? 

To answer these questions I had to go to the very real concept of Heaven, Earth and Humanity.  The most obvious interaction between heaven and earth is that the Heavens appear to continually move around the earth bringing the sun, moon, stars and planets with it. This movement creates Time, with the rising and setting sun over the horizon, and the yearly arrival of the sun at the cardinal positions on the ecliptic.

The bodily functions of every single life form – from bacteria to all other creatures – are strongly influenced by this ebb and flow of yin to yang, and through the changing elements of the seasons.  There is virtually nothing in the body that is not subjected to changes produced by time: from the most obvious like sleep wake patterns, menstrual cycles, digestive functions, heart rate, to things we don’t see such as pancreatic release of insulin, release and mobilisation of calcium, thyroid function, dopamine, cortisone…

So to really understand time and in particular to clear up the many misunderstandings in stems and branches theory I had to do what the Neijing itself advises all acupuncturists.  “A physician should know something about the upper region, which is astronomy.  He should know something about the lower regions which is geography.  And he should know something about the middle region which is human affairs.  And it is only with such knowledge that he will be able to make the medical theory long lasting in order to teach it to the masses without doubt.” – Su  Wen ch 75:5

I took Qi Bo’s advice literally.  In order to do this I read Ho Peng Yoke’s Phd dissertation – a translation of the astronomical chapters of Chin Shu, 1966.   Luckily Jacob Kistemaker and Sun Xiaochun had published their excellent The Chinese Sky During the Han: Constellating Stars and Society.  And of course in order to understand these I had to undertake study in observational astronomy.

It would have helped if I had read John Major’s translation of the astronomical chapters of Huainanzi before I had read these, but ultimately it corroborated what I had sought hard to work out for myself – that is the exact sequence of the branches, stems, timings etc.  And later, to be able to read in Lu Buwei’s Annals the exact position of the sun on the ecliptic for each of the branch months, was the cherry on the cake.  [When I teach this subject to my students I get them to read from Lu Buwei, then they go to the map of the Han Chinese sky and promptly find the position of the sun on that particular day as described by Lu Buwei, and can immediately tell of which day in the year he was talking. That feels good to know.]

This is the only way to understand Su Wen Ch. 67:5, which directly links the stems, certain stars, and the moving heavens.  Understanding this gives an added depth to the stem and organ relationships. 

Astronomy, which I originally studied in order to clear up a few unresolved differences in positioning and timing of divisions and stems and braches, became key to understanding core acupuncture theory.  When I now include some of this information towards the beginning of the course that I teach, it makes the whole theory come alive and makes it beautifully simple.  After all, even after two thousand or more years, we are still standing under more or less the same sky as the Han Chinese – it is just that the stars have moved a little towards the East.

All in all my book, The Complete Stems and Branches: Time and Space in Traditional Acupuncture, was written over a four year period.  

Two of these years were taken up with solid research on subjects not directly related to acupuncture, such as reading Ho Peng Yoke’s doctoral dissertation, a translation of the astronomical chapters of the Jin Shu which he completed in 1966, a copy of which is at the British Library in London.  And of course there were the half dozen or so full to overflowing files of notes on stems and branches that had to be sorted.

Two years were taken to write my book.  My advice in reading the book is to take your time.  There is more than enough information and explanation in my book for you to have a truly deep understanding of all of the underlying concepts in acupuncture theory – whatever your previous training.