In an effort to provide some groundwork, I’ll develop a working explanation of Chinese Medicine. This explanation will grow and change as I do. I will add, grow, remove and edit sections as I see fit. Please do contact me if you would like to see something added or explained – it’s always difficult to know what others would like to know.
Chinese medicine encompasses a diverse array of therapeutic modalities and is informed by a number of competing and complementary schools of thought. As a student, it has been important to hold an overview of these elements in my mind so when I am considering any specific aspect I can understand its relationship to the whole of the medicine. This article will be released in parts relating to each of the different modalities of Chinese Medicine. I may add sections about the different schools of thought as I learn more about them. However, I will archive all of the sections in one document in the “Articles” portion of my website.
Introduction
If you ask fifty doctors of Chinese Medicine what it is that they practice, you will almost certainly get fifty different answers. One of the strengths of our system is its multi-faceted nature. However, this also creates a duplicity that can be confusing for students, patients and the general public. You’ll hear me reiterate this point in many contexts. This series of articles is an attempt to bring together the diverse opinions I have heard so far, combined with my own research and thinking, to produce a concise and engaging explanation of Chinese Medicine. It is important before you read on to visit my Author page so you can understand where I’m coming from as I write all of this.
Chinese medicine, broadly conceived, is a holistic and scientific system of healthcare that grows out of approximately 3,000 years of theoretical and clinical activity in China and abroad. Though it is not practiced solely in China now, it bears a uniquely Chinese stamp due to its theoretical roots in the growth and development of that culture for most of its history. In my opinion, any medicine that proposes to call itself “Chinese medicine” must take this legacy seriously and maintain its connection to the foundational texts and teachings of the medicine or risk becoming something else entirely. This is also the case for contemporary medicine practiced in China – when it fails to take its nourishment from the rich traditions that make up the ground from which Chinese medicine grows it fails to be Chinese medicine. The major modalities involved in Chinese medicine are: herbalism, acupuncture and allied arts (including moxibustion, cupping, bleeding, etc), dietary therapy and lifestyle counseling, Asian bodywork and medical QiGong. There are other arts and sciences that are a part of Chinese medicine, especially Classical Chinese medicine – and I will cover them as well.
Part I: Herbalism
It is evidence of my strong bias towards herbal medicine that I believe herbs and their usage are the foundation of Chinese medicine. Interestingly, many people in the West do not know much about Chinese herbalism. Most practitioners of Chinese medicine in the West are licensed as acupuncturists, and advertise themselves as such. Indeed, many practitioners in the US know little about herbal medicine and do not use it in their daily practice. One need only head to Acufinder or do a search for Chinese medicine practitioners in their area to see the dearth of people who devote a significant amount of attention to herbal medicine. Of those who do, a fair portion use plenty of patent medicines – which are commercially created herbal formulas mass marketed and often available in natural foods stores. One popular patent is Yin Qiao, sometimes spelled Yin Chiao, a formula known for its success in treating the common cold.
A very brief history
Chinese herbalism has probably always been practiced as part of the medicine, but one of the first canonical expressions of a unified herbal theory occurs in the 神農本艸經 Shennong Ben Cao Jing – a title sometimes translated as the Divine Farmer’s Herbal Classic. In this work, compiled in the Western Han dynasty (206-220 BC) and translated many times, the author(s) describe in detail a huge number of medicinals of plant, mineral and animal origin and their properties. Most of this information continues to be used in contemporary herbalism – with some exceptions. The tradition has grown and changed as all sciences do, adapting to different cultures and their known herbs (Japanese herbalism is one important example). Western herbalists are beginning to categorize Western herbs from a Chinese perspective. This is sure to reveal some important insights, but it is an enterprise that must not be taken lightly because of the possibility of misclassifying herbs in a rush to provide needed information to Western and Chinese herbalists alike.
Chinese herbs – they’re everywhere!
You might think you know nothing about Chinese herbalism. However, some Chinese herbs have been incorporated into many Americans’ daily routine. Some of the more well known Chinese herbs are ginseng and astragalus. Ginseng can be found in a wide variety of products meant to boost energy – some people have reported success in that aim with these products. Astragalus is often included in over the counter immune boosting formulas and it is also a herb used by Western herbalists. On one hand, it’s great that Chinese herbs are gaining a foothold in the United States and other Western countries. On the other hand, Chinese herbs are MEDICINE and their use is actually a highly refined and complex art. Because of this, herbs can easily be misused – even by people with the best of intentions.
With a few exceptions, these herbs as they are commercially used in the United States are a distortion of the principles of Chinese herbalism. The most basic of these principles are:
(a) The herbs are prescribed together in balance with regards to their flavor and their nature
(b) The herbs are prescribed in precise amounts and combinations so as to function together as a harmonious whole
(c) The herbs are prescribed with regards to the individuals’ constitution, the climate and seasonal energy and the particular condition being treated
(d) All of this is balanced with the rest of the treatment, the wishes and needs of the patient and other important factors that are case-specific
So, how could drinking – say – a Ginseng infused energy beverage become a problem for someone? Ginseng (Ren Shen 人參, standard species Panax ginseng) is classified as a slightly warm herb in the modern Chinese materia medica. This warmth is part of what gives Ginseng its energizing quality, as warmth is associated with Yang – the active half of the Yin/Yang duo. Unfortunately, because of modern western diets – heat is often a problem for people. There are many conditions that are worsened because of too much heat in a person, including insomnia. So, for an average American who eats the Standard American Diet, drinks daily coffee or perhaps alcohol (both warm or hot substances) and also consumes Ginseng infused energy drinks — heat could rapidly become a problem, possibly causing heat related illness. Does this mean that people shouldn’t take Ginseng? Well, you’re gong to find a wide variety of opinions on this topic. I believe that taking a little good quality Ginseng on a semi-regular basis can be a useful adjunct to increasing a person’s overall well-being. However, it would be best to make an appointment with a Chinese physician so they can monitor your health and, perhaps, suggest an alternative herb if Ginseng is not right for your constitution. Yes! There are alternatives!
How Chinese medicine doctors talk about herbs
Herbs are classified according to several qualities. First, their temperature – as discussed in the Ginseng example above. Herbs can be hot, warm, neutral, cool and cold. Sometimes they are also referred to as either slightly warm or slightly cool. The temperature of an herb, among other things, aligns it along an axis of Yin and Yang. Hot herbs are the most Yang, strong in their boosting of Yang energy in the body and often very moving substances. On the other end of the spectrum, cold herbs are the most Yin, strong in their augmentation of Yin in the body and are often used to guide pathogenic heat out of the body. Herbs are also qualified according to their flavor. Herbs can be pungent (or acrid), bitter, sweet, sour and salty. They are also sometimes described as being aromatic or astringent – but these are not strictly flavors, but more related to the action that the herbs take in the body. In general, pungent herbs are very moving of both Blood and Qi, bitter herbs clear heat and direct energy downward, sweet herbs are tonifying and moderate tension in the body, sour herbs consolidate what is scattered and help to generate fluids (just think of sucking on a lemon!) and finally salty herbs tend to soften hardness. Flavors work primarily along a five element axis.
Herbs are also discussed as entering specific channels. This is a somewhat controversial way of looking at herbs, insofar that it is a relatively new way of organizing them. There is considerable disagreement about what herbs go where, and even more disagreement about why they do this. Perhaps this is a piece of information that will be more developed as time goes along and theory becomes clearer around the reasons for the different channel attributions.
The future of Chinese herbalism – I will discuss this in a separate article. However, issues of supply and demand, pesticides, and regulation by the FDA and other countries’ governmental bodies are hot topics and important to consider.
Future basic sections of this “What is Chinese Medicine” series will include:
- Acupuncture and related arts
- Asian bodywork
- Chinese dietary therapy and lifestyle counseling
- Medical QiGong
Tags: Acupuncture, Chinese herbs
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I remember going with my dad to Chinese medicine shops. I remember them grab roots and herbs, etc… and weighing them and then wrapping them up in paper. Then we went home and boiled and steamed them. It smelled so bad. :)
Write in more detail about plants applied in the Chinese medicine
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