Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine(TCHM)

 

In the West, herbal medicine is part of folk medicine. However, in China it is rather academic TCHM approach.

 

Used frequently in combination with acupuncture treatments, TCHM is quickly establishing itself as one of the most popular and effective alternative therapies in the West. TCHM has moved it into the mainstream of global health care. The latest (11th) version of the World Health Organization's list known as the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) will include these remedies for the first time.

 

For more than 2,000 years Chinese healers have used herbs mostly from plants, flowers, roots and barks. Individual herbs are usually combined with each other into unique and individual formulas specific for each case. Ingesting the herbs mixed together into a formula not only minimizes any unpleasant effects of individual herbs, but also maximizes the benefits by targeting the exact disharmony for each different case. These are used in hundreds of nations globally, documented and cataloged.

 

There are 5,767 medicinal substances currently in use, including plant, animal, and mineral substances. The materia medica (book on TCHM medicinal substances) includes information on the traditional uses, dosages, and contra-indications for each substance, as well as any available information on drug interactions, and any conventional medical research that has been published.

 

Principles of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine

 

According to the principles of all Chinese medicine, health exists when the body is balanced and its energy is freely flowing. The term “energy” refers to qi, the life energy that is said to animate the body. The term “balance” refers to the relative factors of yin and yang—the classic Taoist opposing forces of the universe. Yin and yang find their expression in various subsidiary antagonists such as cold vs. heat, dampness vs. dryness, descending vs. ascending, at rest vs. active, and full vs. empty.

 

In an ideal state, yin and yang in all their forms are perfectly balanced in every part of the body. However, external or internal factors can upset this balance, leading to disease. Chinese medical diagnosis and treatment involves identifying the factors that are out of balance and attempting to bring them back into harmony. Diagnosis is carried out by means of “listening” to the pulse (taking the pulse with extraordinary care and sensitivity), observing and palpating various parts of the body, and asking a long series of questions. The TCHM proposes that everything including organs of the body - is composed of the five elements: fire, earth, metal, water and wood. The herbs are similarly classified into the five tastes - sweet, salty, bitter, pungent and sour - which correspond to the five elements, for example, since the skin is a metal element Yang organ, it would be treated with a pungent herb. Different herbs have different properties and can balance particular parts of the body. Prescribing a particular herb or decoctions of herbs means the practitioner’s diagnosis has to take into account the state of the patient’s Yin and Yang, and the elements that are governing the affected organs.

 

The underlying principles of TCHM

 

It is important to realize that diagnosis according to TCHM differs greatly from Western diagnosis. To understand this, consider two hypothetical patients with the single Western diagnosis of migraine headaches. The first might be said to have “dryness in the liver and ascending qi,” while another might be diagnosed with “exogenous wind-cold.” Based on these differing diagnoses, entirely different remedies might be applied. In other words, there is no such thing as a TCHM remedy for migraines per se; rather, treatment must be individualized to the imbalance determined by traditional theory.

 

The herbal formulas used in TCHM consist of four categories of herbs: ministerial, deputy, assistant, and envoy. The ministerial herb addresses the principal pattern of the disease. Deputy herbs assist the ministerial herb or address coexisting conditions. Assistant herbs are designed to reduce the side effects of the first two classes of herbs, and envoy herbs direct the therapy to a particular part of the body. For example, in the case of “dryness in the liver and ascending qi” described above, an herbalist might employ a ministerial herb to reverse ascending qi, a deputy herb to exert a moistening effect, an assistant herb to prevent the stagnation of qi (qi stagnation is said to be a side effect of moistening herbs), and an envoy to carry these effects to the liver.

 

Traditional Chinese Herb medicine are prepared in a number of different ways:

 

• Chinese herbal decoctions. The most traditional method of preparing an herbal formula in China, decoctions can involve lengthy preparation and strong taste and aroma.
• Herbal powders, which can be mixed with hot water to make a tea, are more convenient to prepare and use, and are not as pungent as traditional decoctions.
• Chinese Patent Formulas are pre-made herbal formulations in pill or tablet form and are perhaps the most widely used form of Chinese herbal medicine outside of China.
• Syrups, which are soothing preparations for coughs and sore throat, are also a convenient way to administer herbal formulations to children.

 

WHAT is TCHM used for?

 

In the traditional system of Chinese herbal medicine, herbal formulas can be used to treat virtually any condition. Some of the most common uses in China include liver disease (hepatitis and cirrhosis), sexual dysfunction in men, infertility in women, insomnia, cold and flu, menstrual pain, irregular menstruation, menopause, and cancer treatment support.

• Allergies
• Angina
• Asthma
• Cancer Treatment Support
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Constipation
• Cold and Flu
• Cough
• Dementia
• Diabetes
• Eczema
• Epilepsy
• HIV Support
• Infertility in Women
• Insomnia
• Irregular Menstruation
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Menopause
• Menstrual Pain
• Muscle Spasms
• Osteoarthritis
• Respiratory Infections
• Sexual Dysfunction in Men
• Stress
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Tension Headache
• Weight Loss

 

Additional treatment and advice

 

Dr. Song might advise you to make specific changes in your diet, such as avoiding spicy foods or alcohol. Foods are believed to either ‘heat’ or ‘cool’ the constitution, making dietary changes an important part of the healing process. Acupuncture might also be used to treat disrupted qi.

 

When prescribed and used correctly, Chinese Herbal Medicine is very safe. It is important to work with a qualified herbalist who can prescribe an appropriate formula, monitor progress, and adjust the ingredients and dosages depending on changes in each case at different stages along the healing process.