Recently, the ISO international standard "Traditional Chinese Medicine—Chu Zhen Instruments", led by Professor Fan Xiaohong's team at the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was officially released. This is Sichuan Province's first ISO international standard for traditional Chinese medicine instruments, marking a milestone for the Li Zhongyu Chu Zhen Therapy—a national-level intangible cultural heritage originating in the Bashu region with a 300-year legacy—as it now possesses globally unified technical specifications for its instruments, laying a standardized foundation for this intangible cultural heritage technique to reach the world.

Chu Zhen acupuncture instruments

Chu Zhen therapy is a national-level intangible cultural heritage and a representative external treatment technique of the Sichuan school of traditional Chinese medicine. As a non-invasive acupoint stimulation device featuring a blunt tip, the therapy requires no skin penetration and combines the dual advantages of acupuncture for meridian unblocking and massage therapy. Through five specific manipulation techniques applied to designated acupoints—tapping, lifting and lowering, opening and closing, rotating, and separating—the therapy is widely used to treat pain, insomnia, and sub-health conditions, offering broad applicability and high safety. In particular, for post-stroke limb spasticity, joint mobility impairment following fracture surgery, sports-related soft tissue injuries, and chronic cervical and lumbar disorders, standardized intervention can help patients relieve spasticity and unblock meridians; when combined with routine rehabilitation training, it effectively alleviates pain and improves limb function.

Although Chu Zhen therapy has long been promoted and applied both domestically and internationally, unified technical specifications have been lacking on a global scale. Variations in instrument materials, dimensions, and shapes, along with safety hazards posed by some non-standard products, have to some extent hindered the standardized dissemination of the therapy and the development of international trade.

To address this issue, the Chu Zhen team at the Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, drawing on years of clinical research and lineage-based knowledge accumulation, collaborated with domestic instrument manufacturers to systematically conduct studies on material mechanics, manufacturing processes, and safety performance. These efforts established core technical indicators for Chu Zhen instruments, including structure, dimensions, materials, hardness, and surface roughness.

The implementation of this standard will effectively regulate the global manufacturing of Chu Zhen instruments, ensure consistency in clinical safety and therapeutic efficacy, and fill the gap in international standards for such devices. This initiative not only enhances China's voice in the field of traditional Chinese medicine instruments but also facilitates the global expansion of Sichuan-school TCM intangible cultural heritage techniques and TCM instrument products, promoting the standardized dissemination of TCM culture worldwide.

【本篇文字部分内容由 AI 辅助写作，特此声明。Please note: the text in this article was created with the help of AI.】