About — Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts

Our Mission

Quality education in the classical art & science of Chinese medicine

We graduate professionals who provide independent and collaborative care in diverse settings, enriching their communities with Daoist-based medicine.

Our vision is to be a center of educational excellence — cultivating the next generation of teachers and leaders within the field of Classical Chinese Medicine. Our name reflects the profound relationship between Daoist philosophy and the origins of Chinese medicine: we honor the classical roots while preparing students to meet the complexities of contemporary healthcare.

Photo Classroom image

Students and faculty in a point-location or herbs class.

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What we hold ourselves to

Integrity

We say what we mean, and teach what we practice.

Excellence

An academically rigorous curriculum, held to a classical standard.

Diversity

A student body of recent graduates and returning professionals alike.

Transformation

Students transform emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually.

Our Story

Founded in 2003, still led by its founders

Dr. M. Cissy Majebé and Rachel Nowakowski founded Daoist Traditions to preserve a living transmission of Classical Chinese Medicine — and both still lead the college today, as President and Vice President.

More than twenty years on, Daoist Traditions is known as a center of educational excellence: academically rigorous, deeply engaged in community service, and an exemplary leader in Chinese medicine education. Students are encouraged in regular self-cultivation — qi gong, meditation, and journaling — practices that make the college more than an academic institution. It is transformative.

Meet our leadership

Photo Founders photo

Dr. Majebé & Rachel Nowakowski — the 20th-anniversary interview stills would work well.

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A Sister Institution

The Chinese Acupuncture & Herbology Clinic

Long before the college, there was the treatment room. In 1985, Dr. Cissy Majebé founded the Chinese Acupuncture & Herbology Clinic in Asheville — and nearly two decades of that work convinced her the medicine needed a school of its own. In 2003, she co-founded Daoist Traditions.

That clinic is a separate practice from our student teaching clinic — it’s Dr. Majebé’s own, staffed by licensed practitioners across Asheville and Hendersonville, and home to the largest herbal dispensary in the Southeast. It’s where the same lineage we teach is practiced every day, and several of our faculty see patients there. If you’re looking for professional care rather than a class, it’s a wonderful place to start.

Visit the Chinese Acupuncture & Herbology Clinic ↗

Chinese Acupuncture & Herbology Clinic

Founded1985 · Dr. M. Cissy Majebé

LocationsAsheville & Hendersonville, NC

Care byLicensed practitioners

DispensaryLargest in the Southeast

RelationshipDr. Majebé’s private practice — separate from our teaching clinic

Learn more ↗

A Living Lineage

Jeffrey C. Yuen

Our curriculum grew from the transmission of one of the world’s most respected teachers of Classical Chinese Medicine.

Jeffrey C. Yuen is an 88th-generation Daoist priest of the Jade Purity School, Lao Tzu sect, and a 26th-generation priest of the Complete Reality School, Dragon Gate sect. He apprenticed for more than twenty years in Classical Chinese Medicine and the Daoist healing arts with Master Yu Wen — who transmitted his lineage to Master Yuen before his death at the age of 108 — and studied under the direct tutelage of Lu Xin-Zu, a Daoist priest of the Long Men tradition.

Recognized internationally as a master of acupuncture, Classical Chinese Medicine, Daoism, Chinese herbology, Tai Chi Chuan, and Qi Gong, his teachings emphasize cultivating one’s life and spirit to prevent illness — and using Chinese medicine to maintain health and treat disease.

Master Yuen has recently turned to a new chapter: developing a Daoist Conservancy for the preservation of Daoist relics and texts. His teachings remain woven deeply into our programs, and our library holds the largest collection of Jeffrey Yuen course recordings in the United States.

Photo Jeffrey Yuen portrait

Master Yuen teaching or in portrait.

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Our Campus

In the Montford historic district

The college sits in Asheville’s Montford historic district — bike to campus, or take public transportation from anywhere in the city.

Main campus · 382 Montford Ave

Fully equipped classrooms, student dining facilities, our library and computer lounge, and outdoor seating areas.

Teaching clinic · downtown

Eleven treatment rooms, meeting spaces, and an extensive herbal dispensary at 222 South French Broad Avenue.

Medicinal herb gardens

Over 100 medicinal plants and growing every year. Students cultivate herbs from seed, then handle the dried and packaged herbs in the dispensary.

Larger gatherings and retreats are held at the Heaven’s Cloud conference center, a 15-minute drive from campus.

Photo Asheville / mountains

The Blue Ridge Mountains, downtown Asheville, or Montford streets.

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Our Home

Asheville, North Carolina

Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, Asheville is a city of roughly 94,000 with a substantial community of people devoted to natural approaches to wellness.

A thriving arts and entertainment scene draws a lively mix of professionals, students, and artists — an ideal home for four transformative years of study.

Accreditation & Approvals

Accredited and licensed

ACAHM — Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
Four programs are accredited: the Master of Acupuncture with a Chinese herbal medicine specialization (MAHM); the Doctor of Acupuncture (DAc) with degree-completion track; the Doctor of Acupuncture with a Chinese herbal medicine specialization (DAHM) with completion track; and the Certificate in Chinese Herbal Medicine (CCHM). ACAHM is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the specialized accreditation agency for institutions and programs preparing acupuncture practitioners. Accredited programs may offer courses via distance education.
Licensed by the UNC Board of Governors
Licensed in February 2012 to confer graduate degrees in acupuncture and herbal medicine; program titles were updated to MAHM and DAHM in December 2023.
North Carolina Acupuncture Licensing Board
Approved since the college’s founding in 2003. Graduates of the MAHM and CCHM are eligible for NCBAHM national board examinations.
SARA-NC & international students
A member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA-NC), and SEVP-approved to enroll F-1 international students in the MAHM and dual-degree programs. Note: the college is not currently registered with the California BPPE and cannot enroll applicants who reside in California.

Support the College

Giving to Daoist Traditions

As a small, single-purpose college, we rely on the generosity of our community. Every gift nurtures the growth of future healers — and brings balance to countless lives.

Gifts are made through the Traditions Acupuncture Foundation (TAF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so they’re fully tax-deductible. Your support funds student scholarships, our library, community programs, and acupuncture care for the medically underserved. We also welcome planned gifts and in-kind donations of books and materials.

Talk with us about giving

Where your gift goes

ScholarshipsTuition support for students

The libraryBooks, journals & recordings

Community careFree treatments for the underserved

Tax statusDeductible via TAF, a 501(c)(3)

Planned & legacy gifts are coordinated by Theo Yang Copley, Director of Community Engagement.

Experience It

Come observe a class

Observe a class, tour the campus and gardens, and talk with faculty, staff, and current students.

Plan your visit

A small college, by choice.