TIPS

Greetings.    Those of you who are new to this way of memorizing information may benefit from a few tips.
    
    First of all this method does not work very well for  cramming.  Cramming uses the left brain; music uses the right brain.  If you have a test in two days better that you cram.  However, very little is retained  as long term memory when you cram.  Once these songs are internalized they will be with you for years.   For example,  two days before I took the State Boards I spent only one hour reviewing the 63 formulas; no more was necessary.  I had them down cold.  As you can imagine, this will free up an enormous amount of time and energy for studying everything else when you get to your licensing exams.

    The best way to internalize these songs then is to just listen to a few at a time.  If you are learning formulas start with 2 or 3.  If single herbs start with 5 at most.  Listen to those songs as much as you can, when you drive, or whenever, until you can sing along and remember the words.  Then go on to the next few but keep going back to listen and to review what you already know.  Repetition will, so to speak, keep wearing the grooves in your brain deeper and deeper.  You will get better at working with this process in time and can increase how many songs you are listening to and they will begin to go in faster.   Experiment.  You may need to start with only one formula song at a time or two or three single herb songs at a time.   What you don’t want to do is to start by listening to an entire 75 minute CD.  

    The mind can memorize an astonishing volume of information when approached in the right way.  Tests become nonchalant and, more importantly I feel, practicing in your clinic is more efficient and fun when you have all of this herbal information at you fingertips without having to repeatedly paw through your beat-up Bensky texts to look things up.   And in time you too will be swiveling your hips to Elvis as you walk down the hall to see your next patient....   Feel free to email me with any questions.

                                        Enjoy,
                                                                             
                                        Tim Fuller

                       WHAT TO EXPECT

          In creating these songs I have distilled what is in the Bensky textbooks into song format.  In doing the formulas the list of herbs is contained in either the verse or chorus, while the other half of the song tells you what the formula does  and it's functions and indications.  In doing the single herbs I  included tastes and temperatures, the channels the herb goes to, a western or Latin name and, of course, the functions and indications.  

          The songs are primarily what you would hear on any oldies radio station that emphasizes the 60's.   There's  also a handful of 50's  stuff  -  Chuck Berry,  Buddy Holly,  and several Elvis tunes.   There's even a Sinatra song ('My Way' becomes the single herb 'Bai Wei').   About 30% of the songs are Beatles.  There's also Dylan, the Beach Boys, the Who, the Stones,  the Monkees - it's all main stream pop culture that most people are familiar with, which was my intent.  Songs like 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' were not an option;  I have less interest in listening to that song than probably even you do.   I had a whole lot of fun creating all of this,  and  to be sure, when you are having fun memorization is a breeze.

          I actually went through 3 semesters of single herbs before I caught on and began learning with music so I know how bad one's retention of this material can be.   I  even passed  those classes with honors  but  ultimately remembered very  little.   I was quite alarmed and depressed  at that point,  and  so on the advice of  a graduating friend decided to try something different as I began learning the formulas.   Going to school in Santa Cruz and being an avid surfer gave rise to the first song being "Surfin' USA", which I did to 'Yin Qiao San'.  The change in my retention was profound and I never looked back.   I did the formula songs in '97 and still know them as well today as I did back then.   After completing the formulas I still had about a year and a half until my licensing exams and so began putting the single herb information to song as well.  Again I had the same experience.  Once I had put  the herbs of a particular category to music, and had listened to them for a while I  was able to say 'I really know these herbs now!'.  

          I found that listening while driving - to work, to check the surf, to the Sierra to backpack - worked especially well.  If you do much driving that's a lot of time that can be utilized to learn your herbs.   That's all for now.  Feel free to email me with any questions.