🌿 Folk Prescriptions

One, Origin of Acupuncture Therapy
Some believe acupuncture originated earlier than herbal medicine, but this conclusion may be subjective speculation lacking solid evidence. Both acupuncture and moxibustion require medical tools and involve stimulating specific body points, suggesting they are more complex than accumulated knowledge of herbal medicine. The evolution of acupuncture needles roughly followed this path: stone lancets → sharp stone → needle → metal needle → modern needles. Thus, material development progressed from stone to stone needles, bamboo/wooden spikes, bone needles, bronze needles, iron needles, gold/silver needles, etc. Stone lancets were used not only for puncturing illnesses in ancient times but possibly more for incising and draining abscesses in surgical cases. Jin dynasty scholar Guo Pu commented on “Dishi” in Shan Hai Jing: “Can be made into a sharpened needle to treat boils.” Qing dynasty scholar Hao Yixing believed “Dishi” was a misreading of “Bian,” meaning “can be made into a stone needle.” Shuowen Jiezi defines “Bian” as “using stone to puncture illness.” Thus, ancient uses of stone lancets included treating abscesses and possibly using stones to stimulate acupoints, potentially encompassing acupuncture therapy.
Modern scholars generally consider stone lancets the progenitor of needles, so acupuncture likely originated from stone lancets. This is supported not only by textual records but also by archaeological discoveries of stone lancets, stone needles, bone needles, and bronze needles from prehistoric and Neolithic sites. Numerous similar shapes have been unearthed, providing valuable data for discussing acupuncture origins. Traditional views, such as “Fuxi... invented nine needles” in Lu Shi, clearly indicate that the invention of nine needles came later than stone tool-making and application. If Fuxi’s story holds truth, his era corresponds roughly to the Upper Cave People period of prehistory, suggesting stone usage in surgery and acupuncture dates back at least 10,000 years.
Acupuncture therapy includes both needling and moxibustion. The origin of moxibustion is intriguing, yet no definitive evidence exists in written records or archaeological findings, so research relies on inference. For example, people assume modern moxibustion using mugwort cakes or sticks, burning them to warm or scorch specific acupoints to treat diseases, stems from early humans' use of fire and artificial fire-making. They likely warmed themselves with heated stones to relieve cold, and gradually accumulated experience that warming certain body parts with hot stones alleviated discomfort, leading to the emergence of this therapy. Though this inference may not fully align with historical reality, it contains scientific logic. The Suwen: Different Methods and Regional Adaptation states: “In the north… living in high, mountainous areas, exposed to wind, cold, and ice, dwelling outdoors and consuming milk and dairy products, they suffer from internal cold and fullness diseases. Treatment should employ moxibustion.” Ancient physicians’ understanding of moxibustion’s origin, though unknown in detail, likely stemmed from oral traditions and legends passed down through generations. Moxibustion probably originated during the expansion of early humans’ use of fire, which seems plausible.
Two, Origins of External Therapies and Massage-Directive Exercises
Primitive societies had low living and production standards, harsh conditions. To survive, people faced struggles against wild animals, tribal conflicts, and adverse environments, resulting in frequent injuries, rheumatic diseases, and joint disorders due to wind, cold, and dampness—common ailments in primitive times. In response, early humans gradually accumulated experience and developed preventive and defensive strategies. For instance, Lüshi Chunqiu: Ancient Music notes: “In the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the region was dark and damp, waterways blocked, stagnation prevented normal flow, people’s energy was obstructed and stagnant, tendons and bones contracted and failed to reach their full function. Thus, dance was created to promote circulation.” This accurately describes how ancient people lived in dark, humid environments, leading to common joint diseases like wind-cold-dampness obstruction. Dance and movement were used to prevent such ailments. Massage and directive exercises were used not only to relieve muscle stiffness and joint strain from excessive labor but also to prevent and treat injuries and dislocations from fighting wild animals or warfare. From initial unconscious actions to conscious recognition, massage, directive exercises, and external therapies gradually emerged.