Stems and Branches

In addition to receiving a broad based education in classical and contemporary acupuncture approaches - yin/yang, Five Elements and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) - at ICOM you will also be taught about the contemporary application of the classical Chinese Stems and Branches philosophy. ICOM is the only acupuncture college to teach Stems and Branches acupuncture at undergraduate level in the UK.

What is Stems and Branches?

Stems and Branches theory is about cycles, transformations and interactions of qi (energy) in nature (climates); in Man and between Man and his environment.

The ancient Chinese observed the cycles of nature: day and night and the changing seasons. They recognised that the natural rhythms of nature underlie the most fundamental aspects of our lives and are thus fundamental to our health. They believed in a holistic world: Everything in the universe is made of qi and everything is connected. A vibration in any part affects the whole.
Although everything is made of qi - it is clear that everything in the world around us is not the same, things look and feel different from each other, they have different qualities. In classical Chinese theory there are three ways of categorising phenomena (ways to help us differentiate between things), according to:

• the duality of yin and yang
• the correspondences of the Five Elements
• heaven, earth and humanity (Man)

All of these concepts are fundamental to ALL acupuncture approaches (Five Elements, TCM, Stems and Branches) and intertwined in Chinese Medicine.
We (humanity) are born from the interaction between heaven and earth and are thus affected by the cycles and rhythms of heaven and earth. In practice, Stems and Branches acupuncture is a style that stresses the relative importance of the relationships between heaven and earth, but it also incorporates the five elements and yin and yang.

"Stems and Branches (the calendar and the clock) provide the warp and weft upon which yin and yang, the five elements and Heaven, Earth and humanity can be woven. The ancients applied this to medicine and called it acupuncture. We call it classical Stems and Branches".

Roisin Golding, ICOM Graduate 1983
Author of The Complete Stems and Branches (2008)

How is Stems and Branches Used?

The system of Stems and Branches can be used in several ways. Most commonly, it is used to help us understand each patient's constitutional strengths and weaknesses and why disease occurs in that individual. It helps us develop a treatment plan to address the root cause of the patient's problem with acupuncture. It also helps you choose wisely from the vast array of acupuncture points available.

If you would like to find out more, please come along to one of our Open Days

Next intake: September 2010
Ring us to book your place: 01342 313106