Chinese
Herbal MedicineChinese herbal medicine goes back some 2,500 years in written history, although it has been practiced much longer than that.
Chinese herbal medicine is especially good for promoting the body's ability to heal and return to a state of balance. It treats acute disease, like flu and cold, as well as chronic diseases such as allergies, hormonal disorders, emotional imbalances, auto-immune and degenerative diseases. Chinese herbal medicine is increasingly being used to mitigate the effects of chemo- and radiation therapy in cancer treatments.
Q: What's the difference between Western herbalism and Chinese herbal
medicine?
A: Western herbalism primarily treats diseases or symptoms, such as
headaches, runny nose, constipation, PMS, etc. Chinese herbal medicine is based
on an individualized pattern diagnosis as well as a disease diagnosis. Your
customized herbal prescription is designed to treat your symptom or disease as
well as your individual pattern. The pattern is made up of your signs, symptoms,
emotional temperament, and bodily constitution.
Q: Are there any other differences?
A: Single herbs or groups of herbs, such as you'll find in Western
herbalism, are less powerful than taking a carefully designed Chinese herbal
formula including from 6-18 herbs working synergistically to address your main
symptoms as well as your constitution.
Q: Are all herbs vegetable in origin?
A: Chinese herbs are from vegetable sources: leaves, flowers, seeds,
twigs, stems, roots, tubers, rhizomes, and barks. Chinese herbal practitioners,
however, use ingredients from vegetable, animal, and mineral kingdoms.
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Frances in the giant rhubarb; Warwick Castle in the background. |
Q: Where do the herbs come from?
A: Herbs from all over the world appear in the Chinese materia medica.
What makes these herbs Chinese is that they are prescribed according to
Chinese medical theory.
Q: Does Chinese herbal medicine have side effects?
A: The body readily recognizes herbs as food and therefore assimilates
their healing substances smoothly. If you experience any discomfort while taking
Chinese herbs, call your practitioner who will then modify your formula
accordingly. Most of the medicinals in the Chinese materia medica have
very low toxicity compared to most common, over-the-counter Western drugs. When
prescribed according to a correct pattern diagnosis, there should be no side
effects, only beneficial healing results. The incidences of allergic reactions
to Chinese herbal formulas are very rare, even among the most sensitive.
Q: How are Chinese herbs taken?
A: Often the most effective way of taking Chinese herbal medicine is a
decoction (soup or tea). The herbs are simmered for an hour or so and then
strained and drunk 2-3 times a day. However, there are herbal pills, capsules,
tinctures, and powdered or granulated extracts for those who cannot manage the
decoctions.
Q: What's the advantage of drinking Chinese herbs in decoction?
A: This method allows maximum flexibility. A practitioner can put in the
required herbs in the appropriate amounts and change it, if necessary. Also,
decoctions tend to be more potent and directly assimilated than other means of
administration.
Q: Why do decoctions taste so bad?
A: Chinese herbal teas are mainly composed of roots and barks where the
strongest medicines are found. However, one usually becomes accustomed to the
taste in 1-2 days. Your practitioner can offer suggestions to help with
administration.
Q: When are pills and powders used?
A: Pills and powders are good for long-term use, as in the case of
chronic disease where formulas do not need to be as potent or adjusted on a
frequent basis. Pills and powders are also useful to consolidate the therapeutic
results after a successful course of therapy with decoctions. Although
convenience is often a factor, the efficaciousness of the treatment should be
the foremost concern.
Q: What can I expect in a diagnostic session?
A: Your practitioner will read your pulses, look at your tongue, and ask
you questions in order to understand and diagnose. Then she will devise a
strategy and an appropriate herbal formula for you to begin your treatment.
Q: What about follow-up?
A: Your practitioner wants to know how the herbal medicine is affecting
you. Physical or emotional changes can occur as soon as 3-5 days after beginning
therapy. Whether desired results or not, these changes help your practitioner
know how to adjust the formula or what to do next. Please give periodic reports
about what you notice. Keeping a log is helpful. As your condition begins to
stabilize, a monthly report will be adequate.
Q: What about the costs of herbal therapy?
A: Herbal therapy generally costs a fraction of conventional drug
therapy. Initially, you will pay the diagnostic office visit fee plus a deposit
toward the cost of a customized herbal formula order if one is ordered. At some
stages of treatment, many communications can be handled by phone or mail, thus
reducing office visit fees.
Q: What if I am taking prescription drugs?
A: Please tell your practitioner which drugs you are taking, since this
may be a consideration in the design of your herbal formula. It is important
that you continue taking any drugs that your physician has prescribed.
Q: What about Chinese herbs and pregnancy?
A: The trained herbal practitioner knows which herbs and herbal
combinations are contraindicated during pregnancy. Chinese herbal medicine has
been used for over 2,000 years to treat nearly any symptom occurring during
pregnancy without harm to the fetus or the mother. Chinese herbal regimens are
also safe and effective for resolving many types of infertility and hormonal
imbalance. Lactating mothers can take Chinese herbal formulas safely when
prescribed by a trained herbalist.
Q: How long does it take to see results with Chinese herbal medicine?
A: Results may often be seen within two weeks although long-term, chronic
conditions may require longer. Signs that the medicine is working should be
evident within a few days. Acute conditions may be expected to improve more
quickly.
Q: Should I get acupuncture along with Chinese herbs?
A: In some cases, the combination of both will expedite healing. There
are many possible combinations and approaches. You can decide in consultation
with your practitioner.
Q: Why is professional training in Chinese herbal
medicine important?
A: Chinese herbs are strong medicine, thus it is necessary that you look
to a professionally trained, knowledgeable practitioner. It is potentially risky
if not a waste of your money and time, to experiment with Chinese herbal
formulas off-the-shelf or on the recommendation of a person who is untrained or
inexperienced in the intricate craft of Chinese herbal medicine. You will save
time, money, and ultimately receive greater benefit by consulting a practitioner
with the appropriate training, a graduate of a 2- to 3-year Chinese herb course,
at the minimum.
Frances Gander is a licensed acupuncturist and has completed a 2-1/2 year
post-graduate course in Chinese Herbs at the Traditional Acupuncture Institute
taught by Ted Kaptchuk, OMD, Principal Investigator at Harvard Medical School
Osler Institute and author of The Web That Has No Weaver. Frances
apprenticed with Daohe Fang, L.Ac., graduate of Chengdu Medical College,
Sichuan, China. Recently she completed a graduate Chinese herb mentorship
program with Sharon Weizenbaum, L.Ac. Frances Gander practices Chinese herbal medicine along
with acupuncture in Maryland.
"The concentrated part is not greater than the whole."
Standardized fractional extracts refer to extracting the supposed active ingredient from an herb and then concentrating that single chemical to a certain standard. According to Dr. Leung, author of the Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics (Wiley Interscience, 1980, revised December, 1995), the danger of including so-called standardized fractional chemical extracts from medicinal herbs in dietary supplements is that we are basically introducing new classes of drugs into our food supply which do not have the documented safe use history enjoyed by the whole herbs from which these chemical fractions are derived. Such use allows nutraceutical producers to use the reputation and safety of a Chinese herb to isolate specific chemicals from it for their specific pharmacologic effects. However, this new extract may have no relevance to the properties and safe uses of the original herb. Instead of getting the benefits from a good wholesome extract of an herb/food, consumers are increasingly getting purer and purer chemicals isolated from that herb or food. Since these "standardized" chemicals are usually not the only active component in a therapeutic herb, the best they can do is only serve as quality and authenticity markers for such extracts. But, once a nutraceutical or extraction company becomes hooked on the profits of marketing such highly concentrated chemical fractions, there is little incentive to go back to develop new assays to include all the truly active components. And when toxic incidents or ineffectiveness occur as a result of such highly purified chemicals, the whole herb is what gets blamed. This is currently the case with ephedrine in Ma Huang (Herba Ephedrae) and may soon be the case with sinephrine in all the Chinese citrus medicinals, such as Zhi Ke (Fructus Citri Aurantii), Zhi Shi (Fructus Immaturus Citri Aurantii), Chen Pi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae), and Qing Pi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae Viride). --From www.bluepoppy.com.
Please call 740-593-7915 or email Three Treasures for more information.
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