Traditional Chinese Herbal Treatment
The basic theory of Chinese medicine is that all processes in the human body are interrelated and that they interact constantly with the environment. Chinese medicine identifies the lack of harmony in these processes and the environmental effects to arrive at specific treatments. A large proportion of this theory is based on the principles of Taoism. This is in consonance with the basic Chinese philosophy that human experiences produce an effect in the environment at all levels. Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on five basic principles.
- Yin and Yang or Heaven and Earth – Yin is considered to be the dark, negative, feminine principle in Chinese dualistic cosmology while Yang is the bright, positive, masculine principle. This concept describes two primal opposing but complimentary principles.
- The Five Elements - Everything is considered to comprise of the five basic elements - metal, wood, water, fire and earth.
- Zang Fu – This describes the functions of the organs in the body and the interactions that occur between them.
- Meridian – The interconnected channels along which vital energy (Qi) circulates throughout the body.
- Three Jiaos – These are the three basic parts in which the body is divided in Chinese medicine. The system used in Chinese herbal remedies understands disease based on its location in the three Jiaos (burners) of the body: upper, middle and lower.
TCM includes theories, diagnosis, and treatments (based upon above principles). Some of the concepts that are used in TCM are:
- Herbal medicine - The use of herbs for their therapeutic value.
- Acupuncture - A treatment that involves inserting the tips of needles at specific points, called meridians, on the skin.
- Qigong - A system of breathing exercises that help in maintaining and improving health.
Patented Chinese herbal medicine normally comprises of several herbs and other ingredients that are powdered, mixed and bound (usually by honey) to form pills. Each herbal medicine is a mix of many herbs and is tailor made. The essence of each herb is extracted by boiling the herb twice over a period of an hour.
Traditional practice of Chinese medicine means preparing a specific concoction for a specific ailment for a specific patient. It is only after the practitioner identifies the problem and understands the patient’s internal balance of yin and yang that he proceeds to prepare the remedy. For example, an herb of yang (or hot) nature is used to treat a patient who has a general cold body constituency.
Another factor that is considered is the taste of the herb. Pungent tasting herbs are used to direct and vitalize, sweet to harmonize bodily systems, bitter for dispelling heat, salty for purging and easy elimination of wastes and bland herbs as diuretics. The meridian denotes which organ the herb will act upon.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a phrase coined by the People’s Republic of China for exporting Chinese medicine. In fact there is no equivalent word in Chinese. Some specialists have tried to incorporate modern scientific theories into TCM and tried to establish a relation between the yin/yang principle and pro and anti oxidant balance. There have also been efforts to find a scientific basis of its natural remedies as contained in acupuncture, breathing exercises and massage so that the benefits of the practice can be used to benefit more people.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_medicine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_herbology
