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:
- Online audio lecture modules, supported by quizzes and an online forum
- Online clinical practice
- In person clinical practice blocks
- Personal supervision of your own clinical practice
Our students also attend two outsourced modules:
- Dispensary at the Bristol Chinese herb garden
- Online pharmacology and pharmacognosy.
The Jing Fang Qualification teaches Chinese herbal medicine from scratch and leads to a Licentiate in Classical Chinese Herbalism. SCCH has achieved Stage 2 in the EHTPA accreditation process.
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 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 a Whatsapp forum for discussion between students and tutors. In addition, you can bring questions and issues to your individual supervision sessions for discussion. Each student has six supervisions per year included in their course fee, and you need to book these individually with one of the tutors. We recommend one supervision every 2 months, but it is your choice how fast you complete the course.
Clinical
You are encouraged to work clinically from the beginning. Six group clinicals and discussion sessions in real time are offered online throughout the programme, and once a year there is an in-person clinical block, where students can come together to meet patients and each other, and to discuss Jing Fang together. 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
- Have access to the online Whatsapp group
- Observe the treatment of patients in the online and in-person clinicals
- Have the opportunity to bring your own cases and questions for discussion during supervision sessions and online discussion sessions
How long does it take?
Typically, students take around 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 less, or more, time to complete the programme, depending on your circumstances and need.
Graduation from the SCCH Jing Fang Programme occurs on completion of the Apprentice Logbook and attainment of the Learning Outcomes. Graduating students are awarded a Licentiate in Classical Chinese Herbalism (LicCCH).
Clinical code of ethics
SCCH has a clinical code of ethics that works in tandem with the codes of ethics of the apprentice’s lead body (for example BAcC or RCHM). In case of any fitness to practice issue, an apprentice has a right of appeal.
Accreditation
SCCH is currently at Stage 2 of the European Herbal and Traditional Practitioners Association EHTPA accreditation process. On achievement of accreditation, students will be awarded a Diploma in Classical Chinese Herbalism, and will be eligible to join the RCHM (Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine). 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.
Programme Details
The Jing Fang Qualification Programme is a flexible approach which mixes online learning with real time supervision and clinicals. It typically takes two years to complete the programme, but it can be shorter or longer depending on your personal needs and situation. In each year, you are offered:
- 20 audio lectures divided into 5 modules, each containing between 2 and 5 lectures. Each lecture is supported by a quiz, and completion of the quiz will release your next lecture.
- Six online clinicals. These take place on Monday and Tuesday mornings approximately every two months. The Monday is devoted to seeing patients, and the Tuesday to case discussion and questions.
- Six personal supervisions. We recommend that you book these with one of our supervisors in the months in which there is no online clinical. You can bring any questions or cases to these supervisions for discussion, as well as any other issues arising.
- Three in person clinical days in Oxfordshire. This clinical block usually take place as a summer school, and we recommend that you stay in the area during this time. Half of each day will be seeing patients, with discussion for the other half of the day.
Outsourced modules
In addition, once during your programme you need to attend:
- a dispensary day at the Bristol Herb Garden, or the equivalent in your own area.
- short pharmacology and phytochemistry course (we will recommend one to you).
There are two ways to study Jing Fang classical herbalism at SCCH.
For those who are new to Chinese herbal medicine and need a qualification:
- All components of the Jing Fang Qualification Programme need to be completed
- This usually takes 2 years, but can take shorter or longer depending on your personal situation.
- Components include:
- 40 audio lectures and quizzes
- 12 online clinicals
- 12 personal supervisions
- Attendance at a dispensary day
- Attendance at a phytochemistry and pharmacognosy course
For those who are already a TCM herbalist and wish to add Jing Fang:
- You can choose to follow only the audio lectures, either as a whole or module by module
- You can book individual supervisions as needed
- You can attend the online and in-person clinicals as needed
The cost of the Jing Fang Qualification Programme 2024-25: £6732 for the two years
- The £6732 is payable in three instalments:
- Initial non-refundable deposit of £500. On payment of the deposit you are given access to the online study materials.
- First year fee of £3116, payable on day 1 to release the first block of audio recordings
- Second year fee of £3116, payable on day 1 of the second block of audio recordings
This total price includes:
- 40 audio lectures with quizzes and marking
- 12 supervisions
- 12 online clinicals
- 6 in person clinic days
- access to the electronic study materials
- English version of Shang Han Lun with commentary, mainly from Dr Feng
- English version of Jin Gui Yao Lue with commentary, mainly from Dr Feng
- Many other useful handouts
This is a significant discount over buying the components individually (over £800)
You also will need to pay for the outsourced modules independently to the course providers (see additional costs).
If you wish to pay for these components individually you can do, but you will be charged the full price (see below), and you will not get your Jing Fang qualification unless you have completed all the components and recorded that in your logbook. From our experience students who buy the complete package are much more likely to complete the qualification, so we highly recommended that route if you are new to herbal medicine.
The cost of purchasing individual components is as follows:
Individual audio lecture with quiz £ 120
5 modules of audio lectures (20 in total) with pdfs and quizzes £ 2300 (£100 discount)
10 modules of audio lectures (40 in total) with pdfs and quizzes £ 4500 (£250 discount)
Individual supervision £ 60
Online clinical practice and discussion session £ 120
In person clinical practice and discussion block (3 days) £ 420
Please contact us if you want to discuss any of this. Please also speak to us to arrange payment. Online payment is not currently accepted.
Bristol Chinese Herb Garden Dispensary Day: Price tbc but in the region of £100
Tony Harrison runs a dispensary day in Bristol, where you can also visit the Chinese Herb Garden and see the herbs growing, as well as learn to make creams, tinctures and pills. This is an invaluable resource and highly recommended. You can access Tony’s free videos on Youtube, and particularly useful is the one on pao zhi: Pao zhi herbal processing explained.
Pharmacology and phytochemistry with Chris Everidge: Price tbc but in the region of £200
Phytochemistry and pharmacology are huge subjects that in themselves merit degree level training. Chris Everidge has a passion for this subject and has for many years run an online two day introductory course that gives you a taste of these subjects and their relationship to the classical approach to Chinese herbal medicine. This course gives us a sense of the wider context of Chinese herbal medicine in the UK today. We will also consider accepting attendance at an alternative course in your local area.
Textbooks & DVD sets
You may also like to buy some textbooks; please see the resources list for a complete list. In particular, a good formulary and a materia medica are essential tools for a herbalist, and the DVD sets from Dr Feng ShiLun are an invaluable insight into his practice, giving us many Jing Fang case examples.
When you are seeing patients in your own clinic under supervision, you are required to get student insurance. This is available from Balens.
Enrolment
To enrol on our apprenticeship course, please complete the enrolment form below. We will then contact you to arrange an interview.
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.
It has been the most remarkable and fulfilling educational experience I have ever had.
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.
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.
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 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.
It has been the single most helpful thing I’ve done for my health – it’s been life changing.
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.
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.