Jing Fang Qualification
Our Jing Fang Qualification
Studying Jing Fang is a fantastic way of starting your Chinese herbal medicine journey. It offers you a clear method of diagnosis and practical application, while at the same time keeping the number of herbs and formulas you need to learn to a minimum. This is a huge advantage, as Chinese herbal medicine is a huge subject and can be hard to access without a tradition to act as an arrow to show us the way.
In our Jing Fang Qualification, diagnosis and treatment is highly structured, helping you to navigate your way through the ocean of Chinese herbal medicine. Jing Fang is an essential grounding for anyone interested in practicing Chinese herbal medicine, as seen in the fact that herbalists in China are all familiar as a matter of course with the Shang Han Za Bing Lun and its formulas. From this starting point, you can continue to explore Chinese herbal medicine in any direction.
We have created a Jing Fang Qualification programme that caters to the modern practitioner, with much of the academic learning in online modules for ease of access, as well as a mixture of in-person and online clinical practice. The Jing Fang Qualification has four primary components:
Our students also attend three outsourced modules:
- Dispensary at the Bristol Chinese herb garden
- Online pharmacology and pharmacognosy.
- Online lecture on the legal status of herbs.
The Jing Fang Qualification teaches Chinese herbal medicine from scratch and leads to a Diploma in Classical Chinese Herbalism.
The EHTPA has accredited the Jing Fang Qualification Diploma course.
How does the SCCH Jing Fang Qualification work?
Enrolment on the SCCH Jing Fang Qualification programme can occur at any time during the year. Your enrolment day will be considered the first day of your first year.
Audio lectures
On your enrolment day, you will be given access to the first of the 40 online lectures. Each lecture is accompanied by a quiz and case study exercises. On completion of that quiz you will be given access to the next lecture. You can thus follow these lectures at your own pace. Each module contains an average of 4 lectures, and we encourage you to complete 5 modules per year, although you can take longer or shorter to do this depending on your individual circumstances.
The material is carefully structured to build your Jing Fang knowledge systematically, and the lectures are richly illustrated with case studies, showing you from the begining how this medicine works in practice.
Learning support
Your audio lectures are supported by group Tutorial sessions where students can discuss Jing Fang theory and clinical cases with tutors. In addition, you can bring questions and issues to your individual tutorial sessions for discussion. We recommend one tutorial every 2 months. Individual tutorials are arranged by the student by contacting their supervisor.
Clinical
You are encouraged to work clinically from the beginning. Group clinicals and discussion sessions occur online in real time, and are offered online throughout the programme. In addition there are an in-person clinical days, where students can come together to meet patients and each other, and to discuss Jing Fang together, as well as gain experience of working in a herbal medicine dispensary. Students gradually build up to treating their own patients under supervision, and these supervisions are a key part of your clinical practice from the outset.
In Summary you will
- Have access to the systematic presentation of Jing Fang theory, and be able to test yourself using quizzes
- Observe the treatment of patients in online and in-person clinical days
- Have the opportunity to bring your own cases and questions for discussion during Group Tutorials and Individual Tutorials

How long does it take?
Typically, students take two years to complete the Jing Fang Programme and qualify in Classical Chinese Herbalism. However, flexibility is important to us, and it is possible to take more time to complete the programme, depending on your circumstances and need.
Clinical code of ethics
SCCH has a clinical code of ethics that works in tandem with the codes of ethics of the student’s lead body (for example BAcC or RCHM). In case of any fitness to practice issue, an student has a right of appeal.
Accreditation
The European Herbal and Traditional Practitioners Association (EHTPA) has accredited the SCCH Jing Fang Qualification course. On completion students will be awarded a Diploma in Classical Chinese Medicine. On completion of the course, students will be elegible to join the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) Find out more about accreditation here.
Are there any admission requirements?
Students are required to have a degree or equivalent in acupuncture, or to be in the last year of your acupuncture degree. You need to demonstrate a desire to study, and a commitment to safe practice in Chinese herbal medicine as outlined by the RCHM. Acupuncture degree equivalence can be attained in different ways, and if you are unsure whether you qualify, please contact us to have a chat about it.
Start your journey into Jing Fang with SCCH
If you are interested in becoming a Jing Fang classical herbalist, please contact us using the form below and we’ll send you more details.
Testimonials from patients, students and graduates.
It has been rewarding and challenging to use this medicine. Every patient is a teacher!
Dr Feng, you have turned my world upside-down with this wonderful Jing Fang system… reading your case histories is inspirational.
Jing fang has given me a way of understanding herbal medicine that is both profound and effective. For that I am eternally grateful!
It has been the most remarkable and fulfilling educational experience I have ever had, because the learning is done through observing real patients and seeing how Frances diagnoses and treats them. Every week I’m there, I learn something new whether it is about herbs or formulas or syndromes. And being at the clinic is always hugely interesting. Doing Frances’s course and learning the Jing Fang pattern diagnosis has changed the way I treat my own patients as an acupuncturist.
It is such a privilege to be studying the Jing Fang Apprenticeship with Frances Turner, and I cannot wait to incorporate this incredible system into my practice to help patients.
Your depth of knowledge, as well as your warmth and willingness to share it, have made the last two years the most important and enjoyable of my career to date.
Thank you for bringing Jing Fang into my life, it has done miracles for my health…I feel so privileged to have discovered this lineage.
It has been the single most helpful thing I’ve done for my health – it’s been life changing.
I have been very lucky to meet Frances Turner and study the Jing Fang tradition you have shared all over the world. It’s a truly wonderful medicine, which I absolutely love to continue learning and practicing. So many have benefited from these teachings.
It has been the most remarkable and fulfilling educational experience I have ever had.
Frances does a wonderful job of teaching Jing Fang to us in England, online and in person. It has transformed my herbal practice into being more effective, with quicker results, and being more curative.
The Jing Fang introductory lectures are extremely useful. The information is explained in a very clear and structured manner, with case studies that illustrate all the different formula patterns. The audio is a bonus. These lectures provide a very solid base that complement the practical side of the apprenticeship and help consolidate your learning.
Interested in becoming a Jing Fang Practitioner?
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