The Shang Han Lun and the Six Divisions

The Shang Han Lun was written around 200 AD by Zhang Zhongjing and is considered one of the foundational texts of Chinese medicine. The work describes how external pathogens, particularly Cold, penetrate the body and make their way through successive layers of defense and functioning.

The Six Divisions are the diagnostic framework with which Zhang Zhongjing maps out that disease process. He distinguishes six stages or layers through which pathology can move. Each of the six divisions has its own chapter, with corresponding symptom clusters, pulse patterns, and classic herbal formulas. However, true clinical skill does not lie in knowing those formulas individually. It lies in distinguishing formulas that resemble one another, recognizing transitions between divisions, and understanding combined patterns. After all, pathology is not static: a patient can start in Tai Yang and shift to Yang Ming, or relapse into Shao Yang. Understanding that dynamic is what distinguishes a good herbalist from an average one.

Whoever truly masters the Six Divisions thinks differently: more sharply, more systematically, with an eye for the movement of pathology through the body. This course is not for beginners. It is for the herbalist who wants to sharpen their clinical reasoning and understand their formulas with greater certainty.

Key points of the course

The course opens with a fundamental question: when do you apply the Six Divisions, and how is the theory structured? Building on that foundation, the course immediately delves deep. Basic knowledge of the Six Divisions is assumed to be known — the focus here is on the subcategories, the fine distinctions that are rarely addressed elsewhere.

Each of the six divisions is covered based on its own symptom clusters and clinical profile. However, it does not stop at recognition alone: ​​you also learn how divisions transition into one another as pathology deepens, and what improvement looks like in the reverse direction. This movement through the system is clinically essential and forms a common thread throughout the entire course.

The herbal formulas are systematically linked to each division. Subsequently, they are compared on two levels: between the divisions themselves, and within a single division. The latter is where true diagnostic acuity is practiced — the moment when you not only know which formula fits, but also why that particular one and not the others.

Benefits for you as a participant

After this course, you will think differently than before — and you will notice this immediately in practice. Your diagnostic process becomes more systematic and sharper because you understand the logic behind the formulas, rather than just the outcome. You know why you make your choices, and that provides you with certainty in your practice.

The course design is explicitly focused on clinical applicability. You apply what you learn—starting from the very next working day. Furthermore, you gain insight into the dynamics of disease progression: how pathology moves, deepens, or improves. This insight structurally strengthens your clinical reasoning, beyond the individual case.

And perhaps most valuable of all: you are taking this course taught by an instructor who applies it daily in practice. Not a theoretical construct, but living knowledge—precisely the knowledge that enables you to differentiate at a higher level and noticeably improve your treatment results.