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Ancient and effective herbal truths: Chinese herbs

Chinese Medicinal herbs have not only benefited ailing human beings but also have been the source of Information and studies for the people of scientific world of today. These Chinese Medicinal herbs found its birth last 3000 years back among the Zhou Dynasty. Chinese healing herbs are prominent all over the world.

Chinese father of agriculture and leader of an ancient clan, Shen Nung, tested different plants to discover their nutritional and medicinal properties and this tradition continued therafter.

Chinese herbs

There are over 3000 different Chinese healing herbs that can be used for medical purposes. Only 300 to 500 of these herbs are commonly used.

Benefits of Chinese herbal medicines

Chinese healing herbs perform three main functions:
  • Treats immediate problem, like killing bacteria or a virus.
  • Strengthens the body, helping it to recover.
  • Maintains health.

Diseases Chinese herbs cure

Chinese healing herbs are commonly used to treat disorders such as:
  • Digestive problems
  • Eczema and psoriasis
  • Fatigue
  • Gynaecological disorders
  • Hepatic (liver) disorders
  • Cardiovascular disorders
  • Stress
There are different herbs for different types of herbs like:
  • Diabetes Chinese herbs
  • Chinese herbs for scabies
  • Chinese herbs for endometriosis
Chinese herbs for fertility and Chinese herbs for infertility are also famous.

Categorization of Medicinal Herbs

Chinese Medicinal herbs are categorized in following ways:
  • Property:
    Every herb is either cold, or warm, or hot. Cool herbs treat "hot" symptoms, such as fever, thirst, sore throat or constipation. Warm and hot herbs treat "cold" symptoms, such as cold hands and feet.
  • Flavor
    There are seven flavors of herbs. They are pungent, sweet, sour, astringent, bitter, salty, and neutral.
  • Channels
    Channels (or meridians) run throughout the body, affecting different organs. Each kind of herb affects a particular channel and organ
  • Actions
    Herbs perform different actions in the body. These are known as lifting, floating, lowering, and sinking.

Mechanism of Chinese herbal medicine in body

Chinese treatment is a part of larger healing system called "Traditional Chinese Medicine" (TCM), which includes acupuncture, massage dietary advice and exercise. For maintaining good health we must strive a harmonious relationship between the different systems, nature and our body .When this balance is disturbed we suffer from various diseases. This traditional Chinese Medicine balances our body with the help of Chinese healing herbs. The principle theory includes Yin and Yang, Qi Blood , Body Fluid theory ,Channels and Collaterals theory.

Yin and yang

The ancient Chinese proposed that all living things are sustained by two opposing forces of energy, called Yin and Yang. Together, they make up life or Qi - a type of energy that flows through the body via invisible channels called meridians. Half of organs and meridians are governed by Yin and the other half are governed by Yang. When Yin and Yang are out of balance in the body, this causes a blockage of Qi and a subsequent illness. Yin and Yang imbalances can be caused by stress, pollution, poor diet, emotional upsets or infection. For diagnostic purposes, Yin and Yang are further subdivided into interior and exterior, hot and cold, deficiency and excess.

Philosophy behind Chinese herbal treatment

This treatment depends on the philosophy that we live between heaven and earth and we are miniature universe in ourselves and we have five organs like
  • "Heart" or "mind" (hsin);
  • "lungs" or "respiratory system" (fei);
  • "liver" (kan);
  • "spleen" (p'i);
  • "kidneys" (shen)
These are called as Latent Phenomena.Exessive Wind (feng), cold (han), heat (shu), moisture (shih), dryness (tsao), and internal heat (huo "fire") harms the body, and are referred as the "six external disease-causing factors" (liu yin). On the other hand, if mood changes within the individual, such as happiness(hsi), anger(nu), worry(yu), pensiveness(szu), grief(pei), fear(k'ung), and surprise(ching), they will also harm the health. These emotions are called the "seven emotions"(ch'i ch'ing). These theoretical models, coupled with the "theory of latent phenomena," are used to analyze the patient's constitution his illness, and diagnose the exact nature of his physical and psychological loss of balance. Based on this analysis, the doctor prescribes method to correct the imbalance.

How the herbal medicines are prescribed

The TCM philosophy 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.

Each herbal medicine prescription is a mixture of many herbs tailored to the individual patient. One batch of herbs is typically decocted twice. The practitioner usually designs a remedy using one or two main ingredients that target the illness. Then the practitioner adds many other ingredients to adjust the formula to the patient's Yin Yang conditions. Sometimes, ingredients are needed to cancel out side effects of main ingredients. Some herbs require the use of other ingredients as catalyst or else the brew remains ineffective.

How the problem is diagnosed

Diagnosis is by visual assessment, listening smelling, questioning, and palpation. A single biomedical disease may be associated with a large number of TCM diagnoses. Once a diagnosis is established, therapy aims at restoring the body's homeostasis by treating the root cause of the disease.

Chinese healing herbs

Chinese healing herbs are based on some preparations like minerals or animal products. They can be powders, pastes, lotions or tablets, depending on the herb and its intended use. Different herbs have different properties and can balance particular parts of the body. Prescribing a particular herb or concoction of herbs means the practitioner's diagnosis has to take into account the state of the patient's Yin and Yang, and the elements governing the affected organs.

Science vs herbal medicine

Dr. David Nye pointed out some interesting facts in discussing scientific vs. Chinese Herbal Medicine. He said that scientific medicine is a body of knowledge about the human body, its maladies, and their treatment acquired by the application of scientific methods of study. These methods were developed for science in general and medicine in particular. For Alternate Medicine like Chinese Herbal Medicine, he explains alternative medicine as a name has been given to several schools of folk (non-scientific) medicine whose treatments are typically derived from tradition rather than from scientific study.

Steps to consider before going for Chinese herbal treatment

Chinese healing Herbs can act on the body as pharmaceutical drugs and should be treated with the same caution. Some herbs can be toxic in high doses. Others can cause allergic reactions. Many suffer from liver dysfunction. Make sure your practitioner is fully qualified. Never abandon regular medication or alter the dose without the knowledge and approval of your Doctor. Due to the variety of herbs used in Chinese herbal medicine, there is a potential for negative interactions with prescribed drugs. Some herbal preparations contain other ingredients which are not always identified. The FDA has issued a statement warning diabetics to avoid several specific brands of Chinese herbal products because they contain the prescription diabetes drugs glyburide and phenformin. FDA warnings have been issued for PC-SPES and production of that product has been stopped because the Chinese herbal products also contained prescription drugs (indomethicin, diethylstilbestrol and warfarin).

Chinese Medicinal Herbs has undoubtedly taken its own place into the hearts of millions due to its magical powers of healing.
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