TCM teacher passionate about integrating theoretical knowledge with practice

Liu Xun, a faculty member with Suzhou Vocational Health College in Suzhou city, east China's Jiangsu province, has gained widespread popularity among his students, as his courses offer a wealth of pragmatic knowledge related to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Liu introduces a type of Chinese herbal medicine to a group of students. (Photo/China Youth Daily)

Clad in a greenish camouflage uniform and wide-brimmed hat, Liu often offers practical courses to his students in mountains near downtown Suzhou, imparting a variety of skills, such as how to distinguish various Chinese medicinal materials collected on the spot.

"Look at these leaf sheaths. Do you know which family this plant belongs to?” asked Liu during one class session, holding a newly-discovered herb in his hand. “It is called Polygonum perfoliatum L. of the family Polygonaceae,” the teacher explained, following heated discussions among his students.

This innovative teaching method allowed Liu’s students to gain a deeper understanding of the medical materials.

Liu’s strong interest in TCM can be traced back to his childhood, when a popular science book entitled Handbook of Shandong Chinese Herbal Medicine that belonged to his grandfather caught his attention. This eventually led Liu to choose traditional Chinese pharmacology as his college major.

During university, Liu took great delight in collecting medical materials in various regions around the country, in an effort to integrate theoretical knowledge with practice. His hobby continued even after he took up the post of teacher.

Apart from gathering herbs in the wild, Liu also spent a great deal of time communicating with TCM traders, so as to keep up to date with the information on the latest TCM varieties, production areas and processing methods.

During his spare time, Liu actively participated in the work of popularizing science around his neighborhood. "The taste of all medicines comes first," explained Liu on one occasion, adding that sometimes it is easy to confuse the shapes of different medical materials, but a trick in identifying the right variety is to taste the herb, which is unique in itself.