The history of Chinese herb use is the oldest method of the Chinese health system evolving slowly over thousands of years. It is believed to date back 5000 years when ancient Chinese shamans used herbs for religious and health ceremonies. The first written documentation dates back 2700 BC, The Yellow Emperors Inner Classic which was a discussion of health between the Yellow Emperor and his doctor.

Legendary Shen Nong, wrote The Classic of Materia Medica. This text was written on the trial and error experimentation of 365 substances. Shen Nong took all these substances himself, observed and documented the effects. Taoist Tao Hong Jing, added another 365 substances and edited the work to include classifications.

By 1618 AD, the first official Materia Medica was created with about 1800 substances listed. By the 20th century it lists herbs from all over the world. It is still be updated today to include scientific data, uses, functions and uses with acupuncture.

During the 1900's, modern medicine was being forced into the Chinese culture. Many fought the idea and still kept their faith in their traditional health systems. I have not found a lot of information on the Internet about this time period, but it appears to me that they have found a way to utilize faster modern medicine to diagnose first, then treat and correct using their traditional methods.

It is almost impossible to try to learn about Chinese herbs and using them correctly without learning about the basic health philosophy as a whole. Chinese medicine is based on the body as a whole and it's condition at the time of diagnosis. Herbalism may be the oldest portion of the Chinese health system, but it is a synergistic combination with many other practices such as acupuncture, exercise and meditation, diet and lifestyle. It is also a very intricate part on its own. Chinese herbs are used on energetic evaluations verses symptomatically like we do here in the west.

How can Chinese medicine offer so many benefits? Chinese herbal medicine is all-natural. And while many herbs are powerful and may have side effects if not properly used, these side effects normally don't even compare to the possible, horrific problems often found in many of today's prescription drugs.

In addition, Chinese medicine generally focuses on finding the source of the condition or disease and alleviating it. Western medicine leans more toward merely treating symptoms. One example of this is a scroll that was recovered when an ancient Chinese healer's body was excavated. Ma Wang Dui was found holding a list of 52 diseases and several prescriptions for treating/curing each one.

Also, Chinese medicines are primarily produced with low heat. All life begins to break down at 107 degrees Fahrenheit. When plants and herbs are processed at temperatures above 107 degrees, they quickly begin to lose their potency. The longer they remain at high heat, the less effective they become.

Currently, there are over 100 effective herbal formulas that have had the distinction of treating emperors, queens, generals, and average citizens over the past 400 years. Impressively, Chinese herbal medicine's documented history is even making modern American doctors and researchers take note.

A: No. This system has been created by some of the best educated and brightest scholars in Chinese history. These scholars have recorded their theories and clinical experiences from generation to generation in literally thousands of books. It is estimated that there are between 30-40,000 books on Chinese medicine still in existence that were written before the

turn of the century. Since then, thousand more books and articles in professional journals have been written and published in the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

 

A: The main professionally applied methods of reestablishing balance are Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture /moxibustion. Chinese herbal medicines may be prescribed internally of applied externally. Acupuncture and moxibustion seek to regulate the flow of Qi and blood within the body by either inserting fine, sterile needles at certain acuponts or warming certain acupoints by various methods. In addition, Chinese medical

practices may also use tui no or an mo, styles of Chinese massage, they may prescribe remedial or preventive exercises, such as tai ji, qu gong, or dao yin, and they typically counsel their patients on diet and lifestyle, all according to the theories of Chinese medicine.

 

A: Chinese medicine is a complete medical system which attempts to treat the full range of diseases, acute and chronic, traumatic, infectious, and internally generated. That being said, if a disease is extremely virulent or far advanced, and especially if there are serious changes in organic tissue, Chinese medicine by itself is sometimes not powerful enough or too slow. in particular, Chinese medicine is an excellent and effective choice

at the beginning of any disease or for diseases which modern Western medicine either does not understand or for which it has no effective treatment. Furthermore, Chinese medicine can also speed up the healing process when used in conjunction with modern Western medicine.

 

A: Very. When practiced correctly by trained, qualified professional practitioners, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are extremely safe. In fact, when practiced correctly, they have no side effects and produce no iatrogenic or doctor-caused disease. If a patient reports side effects from a Chinese medial treatment, the practitioner modifies the

treatment until their is healing without side effects. This is because Chinese medicine seeks to restore balance to the entire person, not just a piece of part. Side effects mean there is imbalance which needs to be corrected.

 

A: Chinese medicine has worked for thousands of years on literally billions of people. Because of the diverse population of China and its varied geography, Chinese medicine has proven itself effective on all sorts of ethnic groups in all sorts of climates and lifestyles. In fact, Chinese medicine is so universally effective that the World Health Organization has

selected it for world-wide propagation. At this time, thousands of practitioners around the world are proving every day that Chinese medicine works no matter where one lives or what race one belongs to.

 

A: In the United States, most practitioners of Chinese medicine are licensed of certified as acupuncturist by their state Department of Regulatory Agencies. In addition, practitioners who follow their names with the abbreviations Dipl. Ac. and Dipl. C.H. are nationally board certified in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine respectively and have had over 2500 hours of professional training. Chinese medicine as a system is extremely complicated

and extensive. It is not just a bunch frontbench that can be added to some other health care profession. Just as one does not call an electrician to fix their plumbing, one should only seek treatment from professionally trained and qualified practitioners of Chinese medicine. For answers to other questions, contact us at the Burbank Healing Arts Center.