Free TCM study strategies for herbs, formulas & acupoints — plus board prep tips and memory techniques from Dr. Stacy Peck, DACM, L.Ac.
Huang Qi vs. Dang Gui. Bai Zhu vs. Cang Zhu. If these pairs make you sweat, you're not alone. Here's how mnemonic anchoring makes the differences stick permanently.
The science behind why cramming fails and how spaced repetition — combined with mnemonic encoding — can cut your study time in half while doubling retention.
Channel tropism, key actions, common formulas, and the one contraindication that shows up on every practice exam. Plus the Herbal Rhymes mnemonic that makes it unforgettable.
Question format, time management, which categories get tested most heavily, and the study schedule that worked. A practical guide from a DACM who's been through it.
Dual coding theory, elaborative encoding, and emotional salience — the three reasons mnemonic poetry creates stronger memory traces than rote repetition.
Wind-Cold vs. Wind-Heat, the key herbs in each subcategory, must-know contraindications, and comparison tables for the pairs that trip everyone up.
LI 4, ST 36, SP 6 — you know the names, but can you recall every indication under pressure? Here are the 12 highest-yield points and mnemonic anchors to lock them in.
Pathway trajectories, internal–external pairings, and the flow sequence — broken down into a system you can actually remember. Plus the visualization technique that makes it click.
Anatomical landmarks, cun measurements, and the tricky location questions that show up again and again on the NCCAOM and CALE. Know these patterns and you won't be caught off guard.
From LI 4 to KI 3, these ten points appear on every board exam and in every clinic. Master their locations, actions, and indications — and you'll have the foundation for everything else.
Jing-Well, Ying-Spring, Shu-Stream, Jing-River, He-Sea — the five transporting points seem complex until you see the pattern. Here's the mnemonic framework that makes the element correspondences unforgettable.
Yuan-Source, Luo-Connecting, Xi-Cleft, Back-Shu, Front-Mu — these categories are the backbone of acupuncture board questions. Learn what each category does, when to use it, and how to keep them straight.
Si Jun Zi Tang, Si Wu Tang, Xiao Yao San — learn the modification logic that turns a handful of base formulas into the entire TCM formulary.
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