Book excerpt: Evidence-based Clinical Chinese Medicine provides a 'whole evidence' analysis of the Chinese medicine management of insomnia. Evidence from the classical Chinese medicine literature, contemporary clinical literature, the outcomes of clinical trials and experimental studies are reviewed, analysed and synthesised. The data from all these sources are condensed to provide evidence-based statements which will inform clinical practice and guide future research.This book has been designed to be an easy reference at the point of care. During a patient consultation, Chinese medicine practitioners can refer to this book for guidance on which Chinese herbal medicine formulas, specific herbs, or acupuncture points, can best treat their patient, and be confident there is evidence which supports its use.Currently, Chinese medicine practitioners who develop a special interest in a particular health condition such as insomnia have to consult a variety of sources to further their knowledge. Typically, they use the contemporary clinical literature to understand the theory, aetiology, pathogenesis and obtain expert opinions on the Chinese medicine management of insomnia. They search the electronic literature to identify systematic reviews of clinical trials, if any exist, to obtain assessments of the current state of the clinical evidence for particular interventions. If they have the skills and resources, they may search the classical Chinese medicine literature for an historical perspective on treatments that have stood the test of time.This book provides all of this information for practitioners in one handy, easy to use reference. This allows practitioners to focus on their job of providing high quality health care, with the knowledge it is based on the best available evidence.