Alex Tan addresses this popular question in his “The Beijing Cold & Flu Book” (The Easy-to-Use-Guide of Prepared Chinese Herbal Medicine to Treat Cold & Flu.)

Alex, who had an engineering background, became interested in Chinese Traditional Medicine and earned a degree in acupuncture and Chinese medicine. He became a certified TCM doctor and moved to Beijing in 2005. He worked alongside The Hutong for the last 7 years and has most recently moved to the US with his family.

Alex has a gift in understanding ancient health wisdom and translating it for the present-day lifestyle. This is the methodology he advises to the expat community that he served over the past 10-years:

Step 1 – Use decision trees to access the recommended herbal formula based on your    signs & symptoms

Step 2 – Take the formula page to the pharmacy to buy the recommended formula or    formulas

Step 3 – Take the recommended dosage and follow suggestions given to you in the book

Alex’s book is very useful to stop a cold & flu in its tracks, or preventing it altogether. It explains cold & flu according to theTraditional Chinese Medicine school of thought. It provides valuable information on ingredients, traditional remedies, as well as tips and notes on each formula.

To buy this book, simply drop by the Hutong – click here for map – where it is sold for the promotional price of 100rmb and you can buy 2 Cold & Flu books for 150rmb (75rmb each)

Copies of Alex’s book are also available at the Bookworm in Beijing.

For more visuals and video on the book – click here

For information about the seasons and the power of Chinese medicine by Alex, including articles and video courses see Straight Bamboo website – click here – Sign up for the newsletter if you would like to receive monthly Chinese Medicine wisdom and Chinese Luni-Solar Calendar information. 

Herbal Medicine – Mark Yang (Yang Yong) – experienced English-speaking Chinese Medicine Herbalist. Mark is also assistant professor at the Beijing Chinese Medicine University. You can call him directly at …

Acupuncture – Shelley Ochs, PhD, is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), native English speaker and fluent in Chinese. Shelley is also a translator of modern and classical Chinese medical texts, and is a scholar specializing in the cultural and intellectual history of medicine in early China. Her clinical training includes an M.S. in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Bilingual Program of the American College of Traditional Chinese medicine in San Francisco. Cell: 134 3938 6197. We Chat: 134 3938 6197 

Alex’s favourite Chinese Medicine preventative health book available in Beijing in English is:

“China’s Traditional Way of Health Preservation” [Zeng Qingnan, Liu Daoqing]

This book is available at the English Language bookstore in Wangfujing or in the TCM supply store adjacent to the north gate of the Dongzhimen Hospital. For more book resources available online see Alex’s “Chinese Medicine Literature Guide  for Beginners” – click here