ZHANG Lesong,LI Jun,CUI Zhaorui,et al.The Philosophy and Practical Pathway of "Dao (道)-Shen (神)-Formula" in Traditional Chinese Medicine[J].Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2026,67(09):921-925.
ZHANG Lesong,LI Jun,CUI Zhaorui,et al.The Philosophy and Practical Pathway of "Dao (道)-Shen (神)-Formula" in Traditional Chinese Medicine[J].Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2026,67(09):921-925.DOI: 10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2026.09.001.
The Philosophy and Practical Pathway of "Dao (道)-Shen (神)-Formula" in Traditional Chinese Medicine
By tracing back to the classical literature of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), this paper proposes a TCM philosophy integrating "
dao
(道)-
shen
(神)-formula" as a unified whole. It systematically elaborates the formula-constructing thought that "the monarch drug follows
dao
, and the formula carries
dao
", analyzes
shen
(spirit/ life vitality) from the perspectives of its substance, manifestation and function, and explains the pivotal role of
shen
in connecting
dao
and formula. Taking
Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases
(《伤寒杂病论》) as an example, the paper explores how the "
dao
-
shen
-formula" union is implemented in classics. Based on the
Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor
(《黄帝内经》), the paper articulates a practical pathway for the "
dao
-
shen
-formula" union, namely "observing
shen
to differentiate the mechanism → restoring
dao
to regulate
shen
→ achieving harmony of
shen
and restoration of
dao
", thereby transforming abstract concepts into operable and verifiable practica
l approaches. It is hoped that this study will provide theoretical foundation and practical guidance for the shift from treating diseases to treating the person, and from correcting deviations to restoring
FIORANELLI M , BOTTACCIOLI A G , BOTTACCIOLI F , et al . Stress and inflammation in coronary artery disease:a review psychoneuroendocrineimmunologybased [J]. Front Immunol , 2018 , 9 : 2031 . doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02031 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.02031 .