“I hate to sound like a broken record,” said one of my teachers, “but a lot of her problem is due to blood stagnation.”

I smiled at Greg’s remark. It was a familiar piece of advice, but one that bared repeating. Greg was one of the few westerners to go to China, learn chinese, finish a P.H.D. in Chinese medicine, and then study with various doctors who had decades of clinical experience.

“But why use the bugs Greg?” I asked after glancing at the patient’s herbal formula. “What would lead you to the conclusion that we need to break the blood?” His answer began an ongoing explanation of how to use bugs effectively in herbal prescription.