Clinical Applications and Insights into the Xiao Chai Hu Tang Pattern
Learn to identify the Shaoyang pattern with confidence, see exactly where Xiao Chai Hu Tang sits within the Six-Meridian framework used for influenza and COVID-19, and discover how classical Jing Fang thinking sharpens — rather than replaces — the acupuncture and Chinese medicine skills you already have.
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM AEST
Is This Webinar For You?
Xiao Chai Hu Tang (Minor Bupleurum Decoction) is one of the most frequently prescribed formulas in the Shang Han Lun, yet its classical indications are often applied loosely — or avoided altogether because the Shaoyang pattern can feel too abstract to pin down quickly in a busy clinic. Many Acupuncturists know the formula's name but hesitate to bring Jing Fang reasoning into daily practice, assuming it means learning an entirely new system from scratch.
This two-hour webinar shows otherwise. Professor Sai Mei Li begins with how the ordinary cold, influenza and COVID-19 differ clinically and where Chinese medicine sees them as related, then works through the Shaoyang pattern's essential diagnostic markers and situates Xiao Chai Hu Tang within the national Six-Meridian epidemic-response protocol — so you can see exactly where it fits alongside other classical and contemporary formulas, and when it is (or isn't) the right call. Four real clinical cases, spanning a 9-month-old infant to a 30-year-old office worker, then show this reasoning applied in practice, not just on the page.
Professor Li is a Distinguished Professor and PhD Supervisor at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Chair of the National Shang Han Lun Curriculum Alliance, and one of China's foremost Jing Fang scholars — author of 58 textbooks, more than 260 published papers, and supervisor to over 120 PhD candidates. Delivered in Chinese with live English interpretation by Dr Scott Ling, a PhD graduate under her supervision, this webinar brings her classical clinical judgement directly to Acupuncturists worldwide.
What This Webinar Covers
Quickly Differentiate Cold, Flu and COVID-19 at the First Consult
How the ordinary cold, influenza and COVID-19 differ in presentation, course and severity — and why Chinese medicine places both influenza and COVID-19 within the single diagnostic category of epidemic pestilence (wenyi) — so you can classify what's in front of you with more confidence from the first consult.
Apply an 1,800-Year-Old Framework to Modern Epidemic Disease
How Zhang Zhongjing's Shang Han Lun became China's first true clinical framework for epidemic disease — and why its logic still underpins how Chinese medicine stages and treats influenza and COVID-19 today, giving you a tested structure rather than guesswork.
Stage the Illness and Match It to the Right Formula Family
A walk-through of the 8th edition national COVID-19 protocol, reorganised along the Six-Meridian framework — Taiyang, Shaoyang/Yangming/Taiyin, Shaoyin/Jueyin, and recovery — so you can place a patient's presentation at the correct stage and know which formula family belongs there.
Confirm the Xiao Chai Hu Tang Pattern with a Single Reliable Sign
The ten classical clauses on Xiao Chai Hu Tang in the Shang Han Lun, the core diagnostic principle that one Chai Hu sign is sufficient to prescribe, and the situations where the formula should be withheld — so you can prescribe with more certainty and fewer second-guesses.
Adjust the Formula for the Patient Actually in Front of You
Four practical angles for applying Xiao Chai Hu Tang to influenza — channel location, disease progression, its overlap with Warm Disease patterns, and formula composition — plus real dosage and modification strategies for damp-heat constitutions, so the formula fits the patient rather than the other way around.
See the Pattern Recognised and the Formula Applied in Four Real Patients
Four real clinical cases — spanning a 9-month-old infant, a 2-year-old child, a 24-year-old male student and a 30-year-old female office worker — showing how the Xiao Chai Hu Tang pattern is recognised and how the formula is applied in practice across very different ages and presentations.
Live Q&A with Professor Sai Mei Li
Bring your own clinical questions on Jing Fang diagnosis and the application of Xiao Chai Hu Tang directly to Professor Sai Mei Li.
Meet the Teacher & Host
Professor Sai Mei Li
Professor Sai Mei Li holds a Doctor of Medicine degree and is a Renowned TCM Doctor of Guangdong Province. She is a Professor, Chief Physician, and Doctoral Supervisor at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine; Director of the Institute for Clinical Research on TCM Classics; and Chairperson of the National Shang Han Lun Course Alliance. With more than 40 years of Jing Fang experience in hospital settings including ICU and emergency, she specialises in the use of classical formulas to diagnose and treat diabetes, liver disease, hyperthyroidism, and other refractory conditions. She founded the International Classical Formula Training Program and established China's first Classical Formula Exhibition Halls — Jingfang Ge and Guizhi Yuan. She has chief-edited 58 nationally planned textbooks and academic works, published more than 260 papers, won the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and has trained 126 doctoral students, 90 master's students, and 5 postdoctoral fellows. She has been invited to teach in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Professor Li was also the PhD supervisor and mentor of Dr Scott Ling, founder of SustainHealth Academy.
Host & Interpreter
Dr Scott Ling
Dr Scott Ling is the founder and clinical director of SustainHealth Academy. A PhD graduate in Jing Fang under the supervision of Professor Sai Mei Li, he brings more than 15 years of clinical practice and a deep grounding in classical formula thinking to his role as host and live English interpreter for this webinar.
Important Information
Live Only — No Recording
This is a one-time live event on Zoom on 16 August 2026. No recording or replay will be made available.
Chinese with Live English Interpretation
The webinar is delivered by Professor Sai Mei Li in Chinese, with live English interpretation provided by Dr Scott Ling throughout the session.
CPD Points
2 CPD points.
Free to Attend
This webinar is free. Register via the link below to secure your place.
Reserve Your Place
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Register Now — FreeFrequently Asked Questions
Is there a cost to attend?
No. This webinar is completely free to attend. Simply register to receive your Zoom link.
Do I need prior knowledge of the Shang Han Lun or Jing Fang?
No. While some familiarity with Chinese medicine is helpful, the session is designed to be accessible to Acupuncturists and Chinese Medicine practitioners at all levels of experience with classical formulas.
What language is the webinar in?
Professor Sai Mei Li presents in Chinese. Dr Scott Ling provides live English interpretation throughout the entire session, so fluency in Chinese is not required.
Will a recording be available?
No. This is a live-only event and no recording or replay will be made available.
What is Xiao Chai Hu Tang?
Xiao Chai Hu Tang (Minor Bupleurum Decoction) is one of the most important classical formulas in the Shang Han Lun, written by Zhang Zhongjing approximately 1,800 years ago. It is the principal formula for the Shaoyang pattern — a stage of illness characterised by alternating fever and chills, bitter taste, dry throat, and a feeling of fullness in the chest and hypochondriac region — and remains one of the most widely researched classical formulas in modern clinical practice.
Who is Professor Sai Mei Li?
Professor Sai Mei Li is a Distinguished Professor, Chief Physician, and PhD Supervisor at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, and Chair of the National Shang Han Lun Curriculum Alliance. She is one of China's foremost Jing Fang scholars, with more than 40 years of clinical experience, 58 textbooks, over 260 published papers, and more than 120 PhD graduates to her name. She is also the PhD supervisor and academic mentor of Dr Scott Ling.
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