A cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine is the use of herbs. Practitioners believe that they can heal and prevent disease by influencing the body's yin and yang energy patterns---concepts that do not exist in conventional Western medicine. Present-day Chinese herbalists makes use of about 3,200 herbs and 300 animal and mineral extracts, according to the American Cancer Society. These are mixed into an assortment of at least 400 formulas.
History
A list of medicinal herbs and formulations was known in China by the first century A.D., according to the American Cancer Society. And during the Ming Dynasty, which lasted from 1152 to 1578 A.D., Li Shi-Zhen wrote a classic work listing about 2,000 herbs and extracts. Herbs still in use include ginseng, ginkgo, astragalus and eleuthero. In recent decades, the Chinese government has encouraged use of both Chinese traditional medicine, including herbal preparations, and Western medicine. Today, herbal medicine is popular in the United States and other Western countries.
Characteristics
Though native populations around the globe have used herbs for health purposes, Chinese herbal medicine is notable for its extensive use of formulation, according to TCMpage.com, a site devoted to information on traditional Chinese medicine. Other herbal traditions tend to rely on substances used alone or in limited combinations. Chinese herbalists, on the other hand, frequently combine four to 20 herbs into a single treatment, often administered as a concentrated tea.
Uses
Chinese herbal medicine practitioners focus in theory more on "restoring a balance of energy, body and spirit" to the patient than on healing particular conditions, but in practice they work toward both goals, according to the American Cancer Society. Hormone disturbances, breathing disorders, infections, cancer and arthritis are examples of specific maladies for which Chinese herbal treatments are available. More research is needed, according to the cancer society, to determine how effective they are.
Types
Depending on how they affect the body's energy flow, herbs can be "hot," "warm," "cold" or "neutral." They can, at the same time, be bitter, sweet, spicy or salty. As an example, bitter herbs are good for "clearing heat, purging the bowels, lowering the qi, improving appetite and drying dampness or wetness," according to TCMpage.com. Sweet herbs help in "toning, improving, moistening and harmonizing many of the important systems of the body," such as the respiratory, endocrine, digestive and immune systems.
Risks
The use of herbs for their medicinal value carries risks, according to the American Medical Society. One problem is that the herbs can interact in dangerous ways with prescription medications you might already be taking. For that reason, consult with a physician or pharmacist before ingesting Chinese herbs. A second issue is that herbal preparations can contain ingredients not listed on their packaging, including traces of prescription drugs as well as poisonous contaminants. Finally, forgoing conventional treatments in favor of herbs for serious diseases such as cancer can allow the condition to progress, with severe adverse health effects.
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