HB Kim’s Handbook of Oriental Medicine has been a constant companion in my clinic for the past 7 years. With each new edition, he has improved an already amazing combination of scholarship and practicality. In organization, accessibility, and versatility, this Handbook of Oriental Medicine has no peer. In a subject so vast and ancient, HB Kim has lit a lamp of efficiency with this precious reference. No serious practitioners should ever find themselves without this essential volume. I give my highest recommendation and earnest encouragement for every student and sage to acquire this Handbook of Oriental Medicine. – Robert N. Darnell, L.Ac., D.C., Ph.D.
Masterful in his organization, precise in his presentation, skillful in his synthesis, and insightful in his knowledge and understanding of Oriental Medicine. There is no acupuncture exam study guide available today that is more complete, lucid, and generous. HB Kim’s devotion to his students and his passion for our medicine is expressed in every chart and in every page of his Handbook of Oriental Medicine. Discover for yourself why students on the west coast refer to it as, the “TCM Student’s Bible to passing the CA State Board Exam.” – Doctor J.
HB Kim is a wonderful teacher, and I have to thank him for writing his book and his teachings. I used the Book to prepare for the CA Board and National Boards, and I found it very concise, easy to follow, and handy to have. His insights into Acupuncture/Herbal Medicine are vast, and I was lucky to have his book to prepare for the Licensing Board Exams. I still use it as a reference in my daily practice, as it contains everything I need. Thanks, HB, for a wonderful book. I will be using it for the rest of my career as an Acupuncturist & Herbalist. – Olivia Rhee, L.Ac.
I discovered the HB’s handbook in my first year as an AOM student, and it was an invaluable study tool for all of my classes all the way throughout the program as well as for board exams. What a time-saver to have all of those charts prepared! The handbook allowed me to spend more time on understanding and honing in on the fine details. In private practice, the Handbook of Oriental Medicine continues to be my #1 go-to reference because it is so comprehensive and quick to use. – Chanta Van Laanen, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
HB Kim’s book is a comprehensive atlas for TCM. A myriad of material is weaved into crystalline charts to help bring clarity to the essential texts that are on the Board lists. I use this text almost every day; it was under my pillow when I studied for the boards and it’s a sharp tool for my practice and for teaching review classes. It’s worth every penny regardless. It has my highest recommendation. – John Kokko, L.Ac.
This book is an absolute must-have for anyone preparing for the California State Board or NCCAOM Acupuncture licensing exams and for every TCM library. It is also an invaluable reference for use in clinical practice on a daily basis. HB Kim has been the premier review class teacher for more than 10 years in California and this comprehensive book reflects his experience and knowledge of what is an important reference for both the student and practitioner. I give it the highest recommendation! – Djdidit
This book delivers in-depth oriental medical knowledge and skills in such a systematic and concise way. It’s full of excellent summaries and charts. I must say that this is the one and only TOM test preparation guide! – M.J. Lee, N.D., L.Ac.
A brilliant scholar and teacher, HB Kim L.Ac, Ph.D., leads the field in terms of providing wisdom, strength, and trustworthy leadership within the profession; we are fortunate for his innumerable contributions. With great clarity, he has composed a complete review of the essential knowledge needed to successfully diagnose and treat patients while illuminating a clear pathway that assures competent practitioners are entering the field. The Handbook of Oriental Medicine presents all the board-relevant details on Oriental Medicine, western biomedicine, acupuncture, single herbs, herbal formulas, practice ethics, and laws in one extraordinarily comprehensive yet manageable, organized, straightforward, and useful text. HB Kim’s Handbook of Oriental Medicine as well as his live California and National Board prep courses demonstrate the steely determination, generosity, and whole-hearted benevolence evident of a true physician and healer. The Handbook is recommended for any Oriental Medicine student from the first year of study throughout one’s career. HB Kim’s Minibook is a great companion to the Handbook of Oriental Medicine. Its portability allows students to refer to it often during clinical rotations, saving precious time by ingraining important treatment principles from the start. Also, a wonderful lifelong professional resource, HB Kim’s Minibook is all that is needed for reference in any travel kit and serves as a handy pocket guide when practicing in a multiple treatment-room setting. I have no idea how he fits so much information into such a little book; like HB it defies the laws of physics and obliterates what we may think is possible. Endless appreciation goes out to HB Kim. His continuous and steadfast efforts have raised the level of consciousness of the entire field of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine for the benefit of the students, professionals, and all those seeking relief from various forms of suffering. – Sarah C. Mowdy, L.Ac., M.S.
The Best Reference book for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine I’ve bought. It has all of the information points with drawings, point functions, theory, diagnosis visually, palpation, symptomatic, and from various classics, herb formulas for both Cale and NCCAOM. It basically has all of the pertinent information from other books rolled into very easy to read, study, and comparison charts. The other books are all important but this is a great comparison reference. Then use the explanations and details in the other books for further understanding. – Jessi P.
As an acupuncture student, this is a must to study for exams. It has a lot of resources and a good setup easy to find things. It’s mostly for reviewing for boards including CALE and National. I should have gotten this sooner! – Shi S.
I love this book. It is an essential book for every acupuncture student. I used it to study for my board exams and it was a lot of help. – Cassy
This book was great for studying for Nationals. I did not take an herbal program so did not need that portion of the book but still found this to be a fantastic value. The book sits on my bookshelf in my office and has come out more than once! I also did his video series which is great as well. – Tracey C.
Excellent reference. I am a TCM student and I have found in this work or book an excellent reference for my studies. – Anni A.
AN ALL-IN-ONE REFERENCE MANUAL. A magnificent book and a must-have for any TCM library. – G’man
Great book! As a student getting my master’s in acupuncture and oriental medicine, this is a must! – Luis F.
The best book ever that has all the information you need to be compiled for you from all the different TCM books. – Inna
Perfect for any oriental medicine student or practitioner. – Carlos C.
A must-have to prepare for the national boards. It breaks so many things down succinctly and with clarity. I wish someone told me about this book during my early years of school. Aside from preparing me for the boards, it’s already one of my go-to references. – Bob C.
Excellent book. I wish I would have had this book, my first or second term in school. Everything is explained clearly and all the charts and comparisons of language are very very helpful. – Beard G.
Its concise and very helpful. It definitely endorses the idea study smart not hard! – Me
I’ve gotten other TCM study resources but this one is the best. Organized, thorough, efficient, user-friendly layout, clean look, a gift that keeps on giving! – Rachel M.
HB Kim is amazing! – Yogi M.
Essential for boards. – Anonymous
Amazing book everything is organized perfectly. – Anonymous
This book helped me pass my board exams. – Silent S.
Gracias, excelente libro! – Osdunia
Amazing book! Thank you. – Anonymous
I wish this book was a mandatory text the very first semester of school. If you want things simplified and clearly laid out, don’t hesitate to buy it…use it daily. Study it clearly. It is saving my life for boards. HB Kim…I could kiss you! – Lulu
I absolutely LOVE HB KIM’s work!! All of his books are wonderful! BTW anyone studying for boards, I can highly recommend HB Kim’s video packages – written and diagramed extremely well, yin & yang, etc. Much better than another study program I bought!! THANK YOU KIM!! for sharing your wonderful perspective on this beautiful medicine and making it easier to understand!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 – Lori
For class and for the clinic. For me and my classmates and colleagues, from day 1 it’s always been the HB KIM Handbook of Oriental Medicine in class and clinic. Even for boards, it’s the best. – JG
This is an excellent reference book and comprehensive review that would benefit anyone wishing to take the California state board acupuncture licensing exam. – Anonymous
Best Books By Far! I’m a newly graduated medical doctor who just so happens to be in her 3rd year of acupuncture studies as well. With all the rigorous studying I have to do and seeing patients on the “side” lol, I needed materials that were short, sweet, and straight to the point. These materials are exactly what you need if you’re studying TCM. I’ve purchased so many of the foundational books written by the gurus that contain thousands of pages that ramble on and on and on and on but these 2 books are not written this way. They are definitely user-friendly. These books allow you to eat the meat and spit out the few bones that are included. This is a requirement for any student/teacher of acupuncture, TCM, or oriental medicine. I’m a former teacher and I know how hard it is to present things in a manner that students can comprehend. These books will help facilitate effective teaching and studying. The minibook is a clinic “MUST HAVE.” It has an all-in-one approach and has diagrams of the body, typical prescription medications, and even CPR information……it has too much to type in this little review lol. I’ve purchased quite a few books during my studies in medical school and now in the TCM program but I’ve put them all on my “professional bookshelf” except for these 2 books. If you are only a budget and in limbo about what materials to purchase so that you can grasp all this ancient Chinese “mysticism” then the journey ends here. – Dr. W
Probably the most useful book for oriental medicine. Very organized and thorough books, other books go all over the place and there are often times contradictions as if they were confusing themselves. HB Kim’s book organizes the thoughts of multiple books and even has side-by-side comparisons of what certain words mean, create a huge sense of clarity. Lots of handy charts, lots of information packed into shorter and easier-to-remember packages. This is a far more all-inclusive book than others, it also includes herbs as well as western pathology and how they would be interpreted by Eastern Medicine. – Andrew L.
Wish i had known about this book earlier. HB Kim’s handbook and minibook are a complete collection of information. I like that I can find what I need in just one source. I have bought several reference books but they seem to fall short of information. I also found this useful material to help study for the NCAAOM boards. It is also worth noting that the company sends little laminated charts in the book which is a nice gift and they allow you to sign up to their websites to download pdfs of charts that are useful. This is a space saver for the office, home, and backpack. – L. Marlin
Fantastic books are really helpful to go deeper into TCM and also to have all summarized. I love them and use them daily. There is also ear acupuncture and herbs that I definitely didn’t expect and that I really appreciate. The price was great for the value. – Anonymous
Amazing! A must-have for board review and just general reference for any TCM student/practitioner. Bought both the handbook as well as the pocket version. Carry the pocket version with me always and the handbook stays at my office. – JW
The single most important investment studying TCM I could have ever bought!!! And the green one is mint to refer to in-clinic!!! It’s saved me heaps of time doing assignments as well … These books are worth their weight in gold!! – NRW
THESE are THE Books You’re Looking For! Outstanding resource. Clear and concise. Covers all the basic and ingeniously easy to understand. I keep the minibook with me nearly all the time. Highly recommended for students or practitioners alike. One of the best condensations of information I’ve ever seen. – TJR
Excellent books! Great for the TCM student! I couldn’t be more pleased! – Susan
A must-have for a TCM student. Super helpful, and breaks down complicated information into easy-to-see charts. – L.C.
This is one of the best book sets I have spent money on. GREAT for any TCM student or practitioner. It has nearly everything needed but the kitchen sink. – Dawn
A complete and excellent guide for Acupuncture students. – Anonymous
Outstanding! Excellent well organized accurate and complete synopsis of study material for both NCCAOM and California Chinese medical board exams. Feel very fortunate to have found it. Mini book is a great addition to the text for pocket study and as a clinical reference. – Ross
Great books!!!!!!! These are amazing! This is a must-have for Acu students looking to take entrance, exits, or the boards! – Dr. Diane D.
For class, clinic and boards…a must-have! I purchased these books a couple of years ago and HB Kim (in my humble opinion) is the formost authority on acupuncture and TCM classroom and clinical handbooks, presentation, and great instructional videos. They are so well organized for quick reference and study. With this handbook and minibook you’ll journey from day 1 in class, to clinic, and all the way through board exams! Of all the texts you’ll use, you will find that these are the two that you will find are always going back and referring to. – J. Girardot
A brilliant scholar and teacher, HB Kim L.Ac, Ph.D., leads the field in terms of providing wisdom, strength, and trustworthy leadership within the profession; we are fortunate for his innumerable contributions. With great clarity, he has composed a complete review of the essential knowledge needed to successfully diagnose and treat patients while illuminating a clear pathway that assures competent practitioners are entering the field. The Handbook of Oriental Medicine presents all the board-relevant details on Oriental Medicine, western biomedicine, acupuncture, single herbs, herbal formulas, practice ethics, and laws in one extraordinarily comprehensive yet manageable, organized, straightforward, and useful text. HB Kim’s Handbook of Oriental Medicine as well as his live California and National Board prep courses demonstrate the steely determination, generosity, and whole-hearted benevolence evident of a true physician and healer. The Handbook is recommended for any Oriental Medicine student from the first year of study throughout one’s career. – Anonymous
HB’s Handbook delivers the masterful and insightful organization of Oriental Medicine. Every page and every chart is valuable and well-prepared for school or board exams. HB’s Minibook also makes a good companion in the lab coat pocket for quick reference. You will be astounded to learn how complex layers of information can be condensed simply and beautifully. – DJ
Excellent Books, Extremely informative, Very organized, and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED…..!!! – Anonymous
Very concise and to the point best for reviewing Chinese medicine. – KP
Best review book covering every content needed for the board exam. – Hugh K.