中医院校来了“洋弟子”丨“艾”上中医：一位外国小伙的长“灸”之约

2026-06-30 00:44:04 创业指导

【编者按】草木不言，智慧有声。一味本草，一扇窗——性味归经里，藏着身体与自然的对话；药香氤氲间，回响着生活与文化的合鸣。从东方药圃到世界桥梁，中医文化在国际友人的目光中，被重新认知。在这里，药材不只是药斗里的知识，更是文化碰撞、情感共鸣与生命理解。请跟随这个系列，走近每一位“洋弟子”的本草旅程，共赴一场从“知晓”到“看见”的对话。

【Editor's Note】

Plants do not speak, yet wisdom resonates. Each herb is a window—within its nature, flavor, and meridian tropism lies a dialogue between the body and the natural world; amid the curling fragrance of medicinal materials, the harmonious resonance of life and culture echoes. From the Eastern medicinal garden to a bridge to the world, traditional Chinese medicine culture is being rediscovered through the eyes of international friends. Here, medicinal materials are not merely knowledge stored in herb drawers, but rather cultural collisions, emotional resonances, and understandings of life. Now, let us follow this series to draw near to each "foreign disciple's" herbal journey, and together embark on a dialogue from "knowing" to "seeing".

一缕青烟，暖意融融。一枚小小的艾叶，在中国人手中不仅是驱虫避秽的芳草，更是温经散寒的良药。而在山东中医药大学的教室里，来自阿尔及利亚的小伙米勒，正通过一根燃烧的艾条，探寻着东方医学的奥秘，准备将这份独特的“中国温度”带回遥远的北非。

米勒本名Hamam Hamza，是山东中医药大学的一名外国留学生。他本科、硕士时期曾在阿尔及利亚主修土木工程，毕业后加入中国铁建股份有限公司，参与过阿尔及利亚百公里高速公路、学校、铁路等重大基建项目。工程都在户外，阿尔及利亚北部沿海的潮湿与南部沙漠的昼夜温差，让他渐渐感受到腰腿发沉、困乏——他不知道这叫“湿”，只是觉得浑身不舒服。

在中国铁建股份有限公司工作期间，米勒跟中国结下了很深的缘分。2025年，他来到山东中医药大学，从土木工程师变成了中医学生。他开始认真学习中文，后来在汉语课上接触到了中医。他说：“虽然接触时间不长，但是中医的东西太丰富了——用自然的植物做药，像人参、枸杞、生姜、大枣；还有针灸、艾灸这些疗法。”

艾草燃处，湿气渐散

山东中医药大学针灸推拿学院院长杨继国说，这位留学生学的土木工程，接触的环境往往潮湿，日久身体出现湿气重、腰腿疼痛不适等症状，是比较常见的现象。艾灸正好对症——温经散寒、活血化瘀。

米勒第一次体验艾灸时，温热的药力慢慢渗进身体，沉重、闷胀感消散了。他感叹，如果在阿尔及利亚的工地上就能用上艾灸，自己或许就不用硬扛那么久。

杨院长说：“他（米勒）要想着把我们的艾灸带到他的国家，我觉得这个想法非常好。因为艾灸不仅仅治病，在日常的保健中也非常重要。”从钢筋水泥的工地到草药飘香的教室，米勒跨越的不仅是职业，更是想用另一种方式去治愈自己、治愈他人。

昔日修路，今朝“修”人

土木工程和中医，看似截然不同的领域，在米勒心中有着一脉相承的初心。“土木工程修的是地上的路——高速公路、铁路。这些东西让人走得更快、更方便。中医修的是身体里的路——疏通经络、调和气血、祛除湿气。”在他看来，土木工程和中医，这两件事本质都是“修路”，都是为守护美好生活而努力。

米勒独特的跨界感悟，也得到了学院老师的认可。山东中医药大学国际教育学院招生培训科科长穆鸽说，这个比喻非常生动，也非常契合中医的理论。“工程非常讲究系统、结构和流通，中医讲究经络、气血和平衡，把他熟悉领域的能力迁移到中医的学习中来，跨学科的类比会让他上手特别快。”

米勒始终坚信，中医的根在中国，唯有扎根本源求学，才能习得正统中医智慧。如今的他，为克服中文薄弱、医理晦涩的难题，正日复一日勤学苦练，在中医药文化的浸润中稳步成长。谈及未来，他早已笃定方向。他希望学成归国后，将艾灸这一便捷实用的中医养生疗法带回阿尔及利亚，也把更多的中国传统养生智慧分享给家乡亲友。

昔日筑路，连通山海；今朝“修”人，温润身心。艾叶虽小，却可温经通脉——正如这位阿尔及利亚小伙，正把中医的温度，带向更远的地方。

A wisp of rising smoke, warm and soothing. A small leaf of Chinese Mugwort (Artemisia argyi), in the hands of the Chinese, is not merely an herb to repel insects and purify the air, but also a potent medicine to warm the meridians and dispel cold. And in the classrooms of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Miller, a young man from Algeria, is exploring the mysteries of Eastern medicine through aburning moxa stick, preparing to bring this unique "Chinese warmth" back to distant North Africa.

Miller's real name is Hamam Hamza, an international student at Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering in Algeria. After graduation, he joined China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) and participated in major infrastructure projects in Algeria, including a hundred-kilometer highway, schools, and railways. He worked outdoors year-round— the humidity of the northern coastal areas and the drastic temperature swings between day and night in the southern deserts gradually left him with heavy, sluggish legs and waist, and a persistent sense of fatigue. He didn't know this was called "dampness"(shi); he only knew that something felt wrong throughout his entire body.

During his time at China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), Miller forged a deep bond with China. In 2025, he came to Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, transforming from a civil engineer into a student of traditional Chinese medicine. He began studying Chinese diligently, and later encountered TCM in his language classes. He said, "Although I haven't been exposed to it for long, TCM is incredibly rich in content—using natural plants as medicine, such as ginseng, goji berries, ginger, and jujubes; and therapies like acupuncture and moxibustion."

Where Chinese Mugwort Burns, Dampness Disperses

Yang Jiguo, Dean of the School of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, explained that this international student's background in civil engineering often exposed him to damp environments. Over time, this commonly leads to symptoms such as excessive dampness in the body, along with pains in the waist and legs. Moxibustion is precisely the right treatment for this — it warms the meridians, dispels cold, promotes blood circulation, and removes stasis.

When Miller experienced moxibustion for the first time, the warm medicinal energy slowly penetrated his body, and the stuffiness and swelling dissipated. He sighed that if he had had access to moxibustion on construction sites in Algeria, perhaps he wouldn't have had to tough it out for so long.

Dean Yang said, "He (Miller) wants to bring our moxibustion to his country—I think this is a wonderful idea. Because moxibustion is not only effective in treating illness; it is also very important for daily health maintenance." From the construction sites of steel and concrete to the herbal-scented classrooms, what he crosses is not merely a career boundary, but a journey to heal himself and others in an entirely different way.

Once Building Roads, Now Healing People

Civil engineering and traditional Chinese medicine may seem like entirely different fields, yet in Miller's heart, they share a common original purpose. "Civil engineering builds roads on the ground—highways, railways. These things help people to travel faster and more conveniently. Traditional Chinese Medicine repairs the roads inside the body—unblocking the meridians, harmonizing qi and blood, and eliminating dampness." In his view, these two pursuits are fundamentally the same: both are about "building roads," and both strive to protect a better life.

Miller's unique cross-disciplinary insight has also won recognition from his teachers at the university. Mu Ge, Section Chief, Admissions & Academic Programs Section, School of International Education, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that this analogy is remarkably vivid and aligns perfectly with TCM theory. "Engineering emphasizes systems, structure, and flow, while TCM focuses on meridians, qi and blood, and their balance. Transferring his capabilities from his familiar field into the study of TCM, this interdisciplinary analogy will help him get startedparticularly quickly."

Miller has always firmly believed that the roots of TCM lie in China, and that only by returning to the source and studying at its origin can one truly master the authentic wisdom of TCM. Today, to overcome the challenges of his limited Chinese proficiency and the abstruse medical theories, he studies diligently day after day, steadily growing through his immersion in the culture of traditional Chinese medicine. When speaking of the future, his direction is already set. He hopes that after completing his studies and returning home, he will bring moxibustion — this convenient and practical TCM wellness therapy — back to Algeria, and share more of China's traditional health wisdom with his family and friends back home.

Once he built roads to connect mountains and seas; now he is learning to healpeople, bringing warmth to body and soul. Chinese Mugwort (Artemisia argyi) may be small, yet it can warm the meridians and promote blood circulation—just like this young man from Algeria, who is carrying the warmth of Traditional Chinese Medicine to places far and wide.