037 Simplifying Herb Formulas By Considering Flavor and Function • Andrew Nugent-Head
From Qiological Shoptalk by Qiological
January 22, 2026 · 35 min · Episode 37
About this episode
Andrew Nugent-Head discusses treating respiratory illnesses through the lens of classical Chinese medicine, emphasizing flexible treatment strategies based on flavor and function.
Colds and coughs arrive uninvited, rearrange our plans, and remind us that the body has its own weather systems—its own logic for how things move, settle, and resolve. Treating colds well requires more than naming a pathogen; it asks us to pay attention to terrain, timing, and the person standing in front of us. In this conversation with Andrew Nugent-Head, we explore respiratory illness through the lens of classical Chinese medicine as it was practiced before modern standardization. Drawing on his study and clinical experience with Republican-era doctors, Andrew reflects on a time when physicians treated everything from acute emergencies to chronic disease—and when formulas were understood not as fixed prescriptions, but as flexible strategies rooted in flavor, nature, and direction. Listen into this Shoptalk as we explore how herbs work through their flavor and nature, how to treat colds and flus without falling into rote pattern diagnosis, the importance of changing the internal landscape rather than “killing” an illness, and what it really means to practice patient-centered medicine when respiratory bugs come through the door.
People in this episode
Guest: Andrew Nugent-Head
Topics covered
- herb formulas
- respiratory illness
- classical Chinese medicine
- patient-centered medicine
- treatment strategies
Keywords
- herbs
- colds
- flus
- treatment
- Chinese medicine
- patient-centered
- respiratory
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: classical Chinese medicine
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