Lauren Robinson

Herbal Chinese Medicine

Chinese herbal medicine is very important and has several purposes and benefits to
humans. Chinese herbal medicine has been used for many years to help prevent and fight
diseases and sicknesses. There are more than three hundred herbs that are still used today, with a
history of use that goes back roughly two-thousand years. These herbs being used, have been
added to the list of items that are helpful in the use for increasing effectiveness of modern drug
treatments, reduce certain side-effects, and can actually be used to replace these drugs. The
existence of Chinese herbal medicine is very important because the modern drugs that we use
today were developed from certain herbs that were used before. There are many forms of
Chinese herbal medicine which serve several purposes, and are very beneficial to humans.
Herbs are not only used for medication, but also for therapy. Herbal therapy is one of the
most commonly used Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment. TCM is used for both
treatment of illnesses and also the optimization of health and in preventing disease. Currently,
there are 5,767 medicinal substances used which include plant, animal, and mineral substances.
Chinese medicinal formulations are prepared in these five different ways. Chinese Herbal
Decoction is a method that takes quite some time and once completed, the final product is a
tea. Herbal Powders: are substances that can be mixed with hot water. Chinese Patent
Formulas: these are pre-made herbal substances in the form of a pill or tablet which are most
popular outside of China. Syrups: are for soothing coughs and sore throats, which are most
popular for children. The last formulation is, Liniments: salves, compresses and plasters, these

are only for external application only. All of these different forms of treatment are very helpful
and successful. It may take time to find the right one for you, but over all, these methods work
wonders. (Christopher Hafner; Pages 1 &2)
In China, people use two certain methods for applying herbal therapies. One of these
methods is a strong tea that needs to simmer for at least an hour, or more before consuming. The
use of tea would be most helpful for sicknesses dealing with the throat because the warmth of
this tea will sooth any discomfort. The second method is to create large honey-bound pills. These
pills are not helpful with discomfort in the throat because they are in fact a pill. Though they do
help very much once they are consumed. These methods are used for common ailments such as,
sore throat, cough, fever, etc. Though these methods are only used for the common cold or
allergies, they are used very often and can be found and obtained easier than many other TCM
methods.
Though Traditional Chinese Medicine is used for common ailments, diseases and
treatment, it can also be used to treat depression and anxiety. Anxiety is a mental disorder that is
suffered by millions of people. Anxiety is also an illness that associates with depression, which
both use herbal medicine to help clam the symptoms. The two most commonly used treatments
for anxiety are acupuncture and Tong Ren Therapy. Acupuncture is needles being inserted into
the fine points of energy throughout the body. This stimulates the bodys healing process, which
restores its natural balance. The Tong Ren Therapy is designed to heal internally. For this
treatment, patients sit and relax where the healing energy is received. When it comes to
depression, using herbs that are going to give the patient energy and positivity are the main
concern. While receiving these treatments, a change in diet may also be helpful. High amounts of

sugar intensify the symptoms of anxiety. Removing high amounts of refined sugars and
excessive amounts of caffeine will help improve the way these treatments help the body.
Herbs were found to be connected to ancient philosophy of Taoism and also dated back to
more than 2,500 years. Since herbs were found to help medical conditions, further research was
done to improve the use of them. With the improvement of herbal medicine on the rise, there was
an estimate in 1997 of about 10,000 practitioners were serving more than 1 million patients per
year. With all of the Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture and tai chi were most popular.
The number of Americans that visited acupuncturists tripled between 1997 and 2007. This means
that about 3.1 million people used acupuncture as a therapy leaving 2.3 million Americans that
practiced tai chi and 600,000 who practiced qi gong in the previous year. Though these methods
are useful, there are quite a few herbs that can be used as well. The fifteen most commonly used
Chinese herbs are; Astragalus (huangi), Atractylodes (baizhu), Bupleurum (chaihu), Cinnamon
(guizhi and rougi), Coptis (huanglian), Ginger (jiang), Ginseng (renshen), Hoelen (fuling),
Licorice (gancao), Ma-huang (mahuang), Peony (baishao and chihshao), Rehmannia (dihuang),
Rhubarb (dahuang), Salvia (danshen), and Tang-kuei (danggui). These herbs can be combined to
create formulas that will help the human body. These formulas created are widely used today.
(Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D. Pages 1-7)
Of course, there are risks with anything that has to do with making adjustments to the
human body. When using certain herbal medicines while on a different medication, your health
can be at risk. Certain herbal medicines should not be combined with other medications. There
have been many reports that products have been contaminated with drugs, toxins, or even heavy
metals and not including the ingredients that were listed. If the ingredients are not the same as
printed on the container, it could be very dangerous for the consumer. Certain herbal medicines

can interact with drugs a person is taking. The interaction between herbal medicines and drugs
can have very serious side effects for people with certain medical conditions. For example; a
study shows that the herbal medicine ephedra (ma huang) has been linked to many serious health
complications such as, stroke and heart attack. Following up on this discovery in 2004, the FDA
(Food and Drug Association) banned all sale of dietary supplements that contained ephedra,
though this ban does not include TCM remedies. (Traditional Chinese Medicine: National Center
for Complementary and Integrative Health; Page 2)
The existence of Chinese herbal medicine is very important because the modern drugs
that we use today were developed from certain herbs that were used previously. There are so
many ways that Chinese herbal medicines can help the well being of someone. Whether it be
helping with anxiety, depression, common ailments, or a mental ailment. These herbs are very
useful when put together into specific formulations for specific needs. With being careful about
dosages and creating a schedule in which these herbal medicines are distributed, each patient
receiving care should have great results. It is important to use Chinese herbal medicine because
of how natural it is. The human body is most likely to react positively to something natural than
it is to something that is chemically altered in a lab. All of these remedies and herbs are very
beneficial to humans, and as the world learns more about these herbs, the more we will be able to
do with them.