Herbal Medicine

Chinese herbal medicines are prescribed either singly or made into formulae which take into account the individual therapeutic action of each herb and well as the effects when combined together. A well constructed formula maximizes the effectiveness for treating a particular condition, while counteracting and minimizing the unwanted effects of an individual herb

Chinese herbal medicine is part of an integrated system of primary health care, known as Chinese Medicine (CM) that has an uninterrupted history of development dating back thousands of years in China.

The origins of Chinese herbal medicine in China can be traced back at least 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest and most long-standing health care systems in the world.

In the intervening millennia, the Chinese medicine has developed and matured to become what it is today - a natural and wholistic system of primary health care that is being used by people from a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds to effectively treat a wide range of chronic and acute health problems.

 

Chinese herbal medicine takes a wholistic approach to understanding normal function and disease processes and focuses as much on the prevention of illness as on the treatment.

A qualified practitioner is able to prescribe a Chinese herbal formula that specifically matches and treats your individual health problem. As your condition changes and improves with treatment, the Chinese herbal treatment is also adjusted and modified until the desired health outcome is achieved.

Today, there are over 400 substances commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine - most are of plant origin though some animal and mineral substances may also be used. You may find some in your kitchen, such as ginger, garlic and cinnamon, while others such as chrysanthemum and peony flowers, are more likely to be found in your garden! Many of the substances used will be unfamiliar to you and have names like Chai hu (bupleurum), di huang (rehmannia), and huang qi (astragalus). Some substances that were used traditionally are no longer part of modern professional Chinese herbal medicine practice. For example, traditional remedies that are derived from endangered species have been replaced by other substances with similar actions.

 

The most frequently used herbs are as follows (20)

 

Radix Astragali Membranaceus (Huang qi, 黄芪，Milk-Vetch root)

Radix Ginseng (Ren shen, 人参，Ginseng root)

Honey-fried Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis (Zhi gan cao, 炙甘草，Hoeney-fried licorice root)

Radix Angelicae Sinensis (Dang gui, 当归，Chinese angelica root)

Radix Bupleuri (Chai hu, 柴胡，Hare’s ear root)

Herba Menthae Haplocalycis (Bo he, 薄荷，Field mint)

Radix Scutellariae Baicalensis (Huang qin, 黄芩，Baical skullcap root)

Fructus Gardeniae Jasminoidis (Zhi zi, 栀子，Cape jasmine fruit)

Radix paeoniae Lactiflorae (Bai shao, 白芍，White peony root)

Rhizoma Atractylodis [Bai zhu, 白术，Atractylodes (white) rhizome]

Rhizoma Zingiberis Officinalis Recens (Sheng jiang, 生姜，Fresh ginger rhizome)

Fructus Zizyphi Jujubae (Da zao, 大枣，Chinese date)

Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae (Shan yao, 山药，Chinese yam)

Radix Rehmanniae Glutinosae (Sheng di huang, 生地黄，Chinese foxglove root)

Ramulus Cinnamomi Cassiae (Gui zhi , 桂枝，Cinnamon twig)

Rhizoma Coptidis (Huang lian, 黄连，Coptis rhizome)

Cortex Phellodendri (Huang bai, 黄柏，Amur cork-tree bark)

Rhizoma Pinelliae Ternatae (Ban xia, 半夏 g，Pinellia rhizome)

Sclerotium Poriae Cocos (Fu ling, 茯苓，Hoelen),

Radix Ledebouriella (Fang feng, 防风，Ledebouriella root)