Heiner Fruehauf has researched East Asian civilizations and Chinese Medicine for 40 years. After studying comparative literature, philosophy, sinology, and Chinese medicine at universities in Germany, China, Japan, and the United States, he received a Ph.D. from the Dept. of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. During five years in China, he researched Chinese medicine both within the institutionalized TCM model (Chengdu University of TCM), as well as the traditional lineage system that continues to function outside government schools. He founded the School of Classical Chinese Medicine at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, where he has taught and practiced since 1992. His interest in preserving some of the traditional features of Chinese medicine led him to develop a database dedicated to the archiving of classical knowledge, and an herbal patent series for chronic and difficult diseases (Classical Pearls).