About Chinese Medical Database

关于中医数据库〔關於中醫數據庫〕guān yú zhōng yī shù jù kù

The Chinese Medical Database, launched in 2025, provides comprehensive information about Chinese medicine.

With the goal of making this database free of charge for users, we accept sponsorships and donations.

Features of the Chinese Medical Database

This is the largest English-language database of Chinese medicine, the data provided filling several thousand pages of printed text.
It serves as a reference tool for all aspects of Chinese medicine, including terms, acupoints, medicinals, and formulas, as well as Shāng Hán Lùn and Jīn Guì Yào Lüè.
It serves as an all-in-one set of textbooks allowing systematic study of basic theories, acupuncture, and medicinal therapy.
It is compiled almost entirely from primary Chinese-language sources.
Entry terms are given in Chinese simplified and tradition, with accented Pīnyīn for the benefit of translators and bilingual students.

Structure of the Chinese Medical Database

This database is divided into 5 sections:

Terms: 30,000 plus Chinese terms with Pīnyīn transcription and English translation.
Dictionary: 6,000 plus Chinese terms with Pīnyīn transcription, English translation, definition and other information.
Acupoints: 400 or so channel and nonchannel points with location, classical location, local anatomy, indications, traditional indications, needling depth, stimulus, and point groups they belong to, and the meanings of their Chinese names.
Medicinals: 6,000 medicinals and folk medicines with Chinese, English, and Latin pharmacognostic names, their properties (nature, flavor, channel entry), actions, indications, and more.
Formulas: 2,000 formulas, with sources, actions, indications, warnings, rationale, and variations.>/li>
Shāng Hán Lùn and Jīn Guì Yào Lüè: Sister classics of medicinal theory by Zhāng Jī, incorporated into a single SQL table to allow searches through the original text.

Contributors

The main author and chief editor of this database is Nigel Wiseman. Substantial contributions to parts of the text were made by Paul Zmiewski, Andrew Ellis, Elke Johnson, Ken Boss, James Féng Yè (馮曄), Craig Mitchell, Sabine Wilms, Eric Brand, Nicolas Berger (see Sources below).

Acknowledgments

A huge thank-you goes to Bob Felt of Paradigm Publications for allowing the use of copyrighted materials, and for his support in projects over decades. Thanks also to Jimmy Roy and Kamrujjaman Tapu for the development of the website.

Sources

The Chinese Medical Database includes material from the following English-language texts compiled almost exclusively from primary Chinese sources:

Fundamentals of Chinese Medicine, Wiseman N., Ellis A., & Zmiewski P., Paradigm Publications, 1985.
Fundamentals of Chinese Acupuncture, Ellis A., Wiseman N., & Boss K., Paradigm Publications, 1988.
Grasping the Wind: An Exploration into the Meaning of Chinese Acupuncture Point Names, Ellis A., Wiseman N., Boss K., Paradigm Publications, 1989.
English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary of Chinese Medicine, Wiseman N. (魏迺杰), Hunan Science and Technology Press, 1995.
Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine, Wiseman N., Féng Yè (馮曄), Paradigm Publications, 1998.
Concise Chinese Materia Medica, Brand E., Wiseman N., Paradigm Publications, 2008.
Chinese Medical Characters, Volumes 1-5, Zhāng Y., Wiseman N., Paradigm Publications, 2003-2015
Chinese Medicine: Theories of Modern Practice, Wiseman N., Wilms S., Paradigm Publications, 2021.
A Chinese Medical Reference, (e-book), Wiseman N., Brand E., Paradigm Publications, 2022.
Chinese Medicine: The Ideas That Shaped It, Wiseman N., Wilms S., Paradigm Publications, 2024.
Shāng Hán Lùn: On Cold Damage, Mitchell C., Feng Y., Wiseman N., Paradigm Publications, 1999.
Jīn Guì Yào Lüè: Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet, Wiseman N., Wilms S., Paradigm Publications, 2013.

How to perform searches

Choose which section of the database you wish to use, i.e., Dictionary, Terms, Acupoints, Medicinals, or Formulas, or SH&JG from the menu bar the top of the page.
Select the language you wish to search on, i.e., English or Chinese (Pīnyīn, simplified Chinese, or traditional Chinese) below the search box.
Key in your search word in the search box and press enter. Write Pīnyīn without accents and spaces.
Search results appear in two sections: terms containing the search string (click on to see results) and terms starting with the search string (where results already appear). Click on the item you want to see.
The back button on the top bar of the browser allows you to navigate to the previous page you were viewing.
Items appearing in the brightest color are links to other parts of the database.
Cntrl+F accesses a search box to find things within one entry (web page).

Pick a study topic

This database contains copious reading material to help with your Chinese medical subjects. Beginners can select the following topics to understand the basic theories of Chinese medicine. Select the Dictionary from the menu bar at the top of the page. Topics appear below the search box.