Toby Daly, PhD, LAc

Toby Daly is a licensed acupuncturist in Cloverdale, California, an author, and a teacher of the Saam acupuncture tradition, a Korean Buddhist monastic system of acupuncture. He began studying Chinese medicine in 1997 with a Korean monk trained in the Saam tradition. He earned his master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2002 from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco, with additional training at Chengdu University in China, and interned with Dr. Angela Wu. In 2016 he completed a PhD in Classical Chinese Medicine under the guidance of Jeffrey Yuen. He also holds a degree in Food Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Books

• An Introduction to Chinese Medicine: A Patient's Guide to Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Nutrition & More (2023). A clear, practical guide for patients to how Chinese medicine works and what to expect from treatment.

• The Saam Acupuncture Tradition: Classical Roots and Clinical Application (2024). The classical theory and clinical practice of Saam acupuncture, with case studies.

• Tracing Our Lineage: The Enduring Legacy of Chinese Medicine's Great Masters (2026). The physicians who shaped Chinese medicine over two thousand years, from Hua Tuo to Deng Tietao.

Toby publishes excerpts from his books and work in progress on his Substack, tobydaly.substack.com.

Apps

• Chinese Nutritional Strategies (2013). The energetic properties, actions, and indications of foods in the Chinese dietary tradition, with seasonal recommendations. For iPhone.

• Chinese Medical Characters (2021). Learn the foundational terms and concepts of Chinese medicine through the Chinese characters themselves. For iPhone.

Teaching

Toby teaches the Saam acupuncture tradition internationally, in live seminars and online continuing education courses. For current courses, visit the Saam Benevolent Society.

Office Hours podcast

Toby co-hosts Office Hours with Angelique and Toby with acupuncturist Angelique Britt, covering clinical cases, practice questions, and classical theory. Every episode page includes a summary and a full transcript. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Chinese Medicine Benevolent Academy

Toby is the founder and president of the Chinese Medicine Benevolent Academy (CMBA), a California nonprofit school in development in Cloverdale, preparing to train practitioners of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine through a curriculum grounded in the classical texts.

Clinical practice

Toby sees patients at Flourish Medicine, 118 Broad Street, Cloverdale, California. To make an appointment, call 707.800.2275 or visit the contact page.