"An Introduction to Sasang Constitutional Medicine" by Kyung Hee University's Chinese medicine professor Song Il-byung, the foremost exponent of the so-called Sasang Constitutional Medicine (SCM), has been translated into English by two fellow scholars. The book has five chapters with extensive appendices. The first three chapters - "Achieving Health through Knowledge of Your Constitution," "Methods of Differentiating Sasang Constitution," and "Daily Health Maintenance Using Sasang Constitutional Theory") focus on subjects that can be easily understood and readily applied by anyone, while chapters four and five ("Understanding Sasang Constitutional Medicine" and "Teachings on Health Cultivation by Dr. Lee Je-ma") deal with more technical subjects of Chinese medicine. The book illustrates the work of Joseon Dynasty's (1392-1910) prominent medical doctor Lee Jema, who wrote the monumental, "Longevity and Life Preservation in Eastern Medicine (Dongui susebowon), the foundational text of Sasang Constitutional Medicine. SCM is based on the principle that every person has one of the four constitutions: Tae-yang,Tae-eum,So-yang, and So-eum. SCM, which is highly accessible to common people, is not only curative but also a preventative medicine. The ultimate goal of SCM is to view the constitution using the philosophy of the "Golden Mean" or "Middle Path." It also teaches people to maintain harmony with all things while maintaining a balance of body and mind. Dr. Lee Je-ma presented the wisdom of finding the constitutional self-rectification within daily life in two ways: self-rectification based on health cultivation and self-rectification based on herbal medicine. The author, Prof. Song, has spent his lifetime studying, researching, and teaching SCM.

TRANSLATOR'S FOREWORD / III
PREFACE / V
PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION / IX
EDITOR'S PREFACE / XI
PART I. ACHIEVING HEALTH THROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR CONSTITUTION
CHAPTER 1. ACHIEVING HEALTH THROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR CONSTITUTION
1. YANG KUEI-FEI AND CLEOPATRA…4
2. IT'S YOUR FAULT…8
3. THE STORY OF PORK AND CHICKEN…11
4. THE STORY OF GINSENG & DEER HORN…12
5. THOSE WITH UPPER BODY PROBLEMS AND THOSE WITH LOWER BODY PROBLEMS…15
6. WILL A PHYSICALLY WEAK PERSON HAVE LONGEVITY?…17
CHAPTER 2. METHODS OF DIFFERENTIATING SASANG CONSTITUTIONS
1. THE THREE INDEXES OF DISTINGUISHING CONSTITUTIONS…21
2. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PHYSICAL APPEARANCE REFLECTING EACH CONSTITUTION…23
3. THE MENTAL CHARACTERISTICS REFLECTING EACH CONSTITUTION…26
4. THE DISEASE SYNDROMES REFLECTING EACH CONSTITUTION…33
5. DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN SOEUMINS AND TAE-EUMINS MUST BE MADE CAREFULLY…38
CHAPTER 3. DAILY HEALTH MAINTENANCE USING SASANG CONSTITUTIONAL THEORY
1. BENEFICIAL OR HARMFUL FOODS…54
2. TEAS…59
3. CONSTITUTIONS AND DISEASES…61
4. HERBAL MEDICINES AND TONICS…68
5. PRESERVING HEALTH THROUGH THE CONTROL OF EMOTIONS…71
6. ENJOYING LONGEVITY BY OVERCOMING THE VICES OF TEMPERAMENT…74
7. APPROPRIATE EXERCISES…78
8. TALENTS, APTITUDES, AND THE SELECTION OF A PROFESSION…82
9. SELECTING A PARTNER…86
PART II. UNDERSTANDING SASANG CONSTITUTIONAL MEDICINE
CHAPTER 4. UNDERSTANDING SASANG CONSTITUTIONAL MEDICINE
1. WHAT IS CONSTITUTIONAL MEDICINE?…93
2. ORIGIN AND BIRTH OF SASANG CONSTITUTIONAL MEDICINE…97
3. SASANG PHILOSOPHY AND SASANG CONSTITUTIONAL MEDICINE…101
4. THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SASANG CONSTITUTIONAL MEDICINE: THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FIVE ELEMENTS AND FOUR BURNERS…106
5. THE CONSTITUTIONS DO NOT CHANGE OVER TIME…111
6. DIFFERENTIATING METHODS OF SASANG CONSTITUTIONS…112
7. THE MENTAL NATURE OF SASANG CONSTITUTION…117
8. HEALTHY CONDITIONS AND CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASE SYNDROMES OF EACH CONSTITUTION…122
9. DAILY WISDOM TO ACHIEVE HEALTH AND LONGEVITY…130
CHAPTER 5. TEACHINGS ON HEALTH CULTIVATION BY DR. LEE JE-MA
1. A DISCOURSE ON GENERAL HEALTH MAINTENANCE…138
2. A DISCOURSE ON NATURE AND ORDER…143
3. A DISCOURSE ON THE FOUR PRINCIPLES…149
4. A DISCOURSE ON FIVE BLESSINGS…152
5. A DISCOURSE ON KNOWLEDGE AND CONDUCT…155
APPENDIX 1: THEORIES OF CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASE SYNDROMES…159
APPENDIX 2: THE SASANG SYSTEM OF DR. LEE JE-MA…171
APPENDIX 3: FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS OF SASANG CONSTITUTIONAL MEDICINE…202
APPENDIX 4: CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASE SYNDROMES AND HERBAL FORMULAS…214
GLOSSARY…229
INDEX…239
ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND TRANSLATORS…245