In 2012, a total of eight medical books were compiled from Tianhui medical bamboo slips unearthed in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, which for the first time, recorded bafa (ba technique) and acupuncture technique. Bafa is only found in Tianhui medical bamboo slips. Based on the records in medical bamboo slips, it is believed that the essential theory of bafa refers to an outlook of life for the harmony between form and spirit, meaning "the heart mind is the monarch of form". It is the initial view of physique centered on five-zang organs. In clinical application, bafa is used for prevention of diseases in four seasons, specially for wubi (five-bi disorders) and wufeng (five-wind disorders), covering a extensive parts of the body. Compared with the stone technique, "bafa must work on meridian points, while stone on meridians". Bafa is often used for deficiency syndrome, while stone technique is for excess syndrome. Hence, these two types of technique should be applied cautiously. It is speculated that bafa is an external therapeutic method based on the theory of meridian medicine in the Han Dynasty.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; China ; History, Ancient ; Meridians ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history* ; Books/history* ; Acupuncture Points ; Medicine in Literature

Objective To clarify the effects of Xinfukang containing-serum on stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) translation and protein secretion of bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs).Methods BMSCs were isolated and amplified using bone marrow culture method,and were identified by flow cytometry.mRNA and protein secretion of SDF-1α were detected by quantitative PCR (q-PCR) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA),respectively.Results The expression of SDF-1α mRNA were significantly increased after 72 h in drug-containing serum,and SDF-1α mRNA in the experimental group was approximately 200 times as that in the control group (P＜0.05).Secretion of SDF-1 α in the experimental group (277.561 1 ± 15.651 8) pg/ml was nearly doubled compared with that in the control group (153.107 1±14.765 1) pg/ml (P＜0.05).Conclusions BMSCs from whole bone marrow adherent culture have high purity,and drug-containing serum can promote BMSCs to express SDF-1 α mRNA and secretion of SDF-1 α.