Chinese Herb

Although acupuncture was the first Chinese method of treatment to gain wide acceptance in the West, Chinese herbal medicine is quickly establishing itself as one of the most popular and effective alternative therapies in the West. In fact, the science of herbs is central to Chinese medicine. During the last two millennia, many more books have been devoted to herbology than to acupuncture. And while Chinese physicians tend to practice both medical tecgniques, physicians who practice only with herbs are more numerous than those who practice only with acupuncture in China.

Western folk herbalism usually focuses on one symptom or disease at a time and use a single herb or groups of herbs for treatment.

Chinese herbal medicine may include vegetable, animal, and mineral ingredients, however, the majority of ingredients are from vegetable sources. Leaves, flowers, twigs, stems, roots, tubers, rhizomes, and bark are among the parts of the vegetable used.

Chinese herbalist, after distinguishing a particular pattern of disharmony in a patient, usually chooses a prescription from a repertoire of some 500 common classical prescriptions that can rebalance various disharmonies. These prescriptions are learned from the great clinical manuals that exist alongside the pharmacopoeias. Thus, the physician is armed with knowledge that has been tested over the past centuries of Chinese medical history. Herbs are seldom used singly;they are usually combined in prescriptions containing five to fifteen substances.

The most common method of taking Chinese herbal medicine is drinking a liquid, prepared by boiling the selected herbs. There are also herbal pills, tinctures, and powdered extracts for those who do not have the time or taste for drinking the more traditional liquid form.