What is Chinese Herbal Medicine?
Chinese Herbal Medicine is the combination of two or more medicinal substances, usually herbs (see pictures below), to create a formula designed to treat a specific problem or problems.
Chinese Herbal Medicine is based on a Chinese Medical Diagnosis. We, as practitioners of Chinese Medicine, are looking for what is causing the problem according to Chinese Medical Theory. If you fix the cause, then there will be no reoccurrence of the problem. In other words, it is not simply a symptomatic treatment. For example, if a person has a headache, there is no specific "headache" herb in Chinese Medicine, although it can treat headaches quite effectively. In order to do this, we have to make a Chinese Medical Diagnosis (find the cause). We would need to know the location of the headache (temples, back, front, or top of head, etc.), the type of pain (dull, achy, sharp, etc.), whether or not the headache is constant or it comes and goes, what brings it on, is it better or worse at a certain time of the day, what makes it better or worse, etc. We would also look at the tongue and feel the pulse for clues as to what is causing the headache. We take these signs and symptoms and this leads us to a Chinese Medical Diagnosis. Once we have the Chinese Medical Diagnosis, then we do the appropriate treatment to correct the imbalance.
Understanding this, one can see why Chinese Herbal Medicine when prescribed properly is so effective. Randomly taking a Chinese Herb for a condition is not the practice of Chinese Herbal Medicine. The practice of taking a specific herb for a specific complaint is the practice of Western Herbalism, which is a symptomatic approach with no diagnosis involved. This is fine for Western Herbalism, but it should not be confused with the complexity of Chinese Herbal Medicine. In my practice, I (Robert N. Fueston, Dipl. O.M.) have had patients who tell me they have been taking Chinese Herbs for a particular condition. When I ask if they got better from taking them, the answer is usually no - and sometimes the condition got worse! Just as taking the right Chinese Herbal prescription can make the condition better, taking the wrong Chinese Herbal prescription can make the condition worse. Another contrast between these two practices is that in Western Herbalism, usually only one herb is taken for a condition. Whereas is Chinese Herbal Medical, a formula is created using any number of herbs, the average being 12-15 to treat not only the presenting problem, but to also treat the whole person leading the body back into a state of balance.
The 3 most commonly used forms of Chinese Herbal Medicine are:
- Bulk Herbs (i.e. raw Chinese herbs one cooks into a tea to drink)
- Granular Herbs (i.e. Chinese herbs that have been cook and concentrated down into a powder form, which is then mixed with hot water and drunk.)
- Chinese Prepared Medicinal's (i.e. pills, tablets, cough syrups, etc. made out of Chinese Herbs)
Each form of Chinese Herbal Medicine has advantages and disadvantages.
Bulk Herbs are the standard form of treatment in China. They allow a practitioner to effectively prescribe Chinese herbs that are tailored exactly to the individual. Noticeable effects are usually seen faster by taking Bulk Herbs and they are relatively inexpensive. Bulk Herb may also be used in making medicinal wines and can be applied topically for certain conditions. The downside is that they are not as convenient if one is planning on traveling and sometimes the taste of the tea made from the herbs is not pleasant.
Granular Herbs have been used for decades in several country effectively. They also allow a practitioner to effectively prescribe Chinese Herbs that are individually tailored to the individual and they are easy to travel with. Granular herbs look like instant coffee and dissolve in liquid for easy administration. The downside is that they are more expensive than other forms of Chinese Herbal Medicine and the taste may not be pleasant. However, Granular Herbs may be encapsulated and swallowed with water to avoid the taste.
Chinese Prepared Medicinal's are Chinese Herbal Formulas that are already packaged and made, so it is impossible to tailor them to the individual's need. In many cases, the practitioner needs to prescribe 2 or more different Chinese Prepared Medicinal's to effectively treat the condition. In addition, because of their low herbal concentration ratio, a large number of pills, tablets, etc. must be taken to elicit a therapeutic response. And of course, there will always be herbs in the product that one does not need and others that the practitioner would like to have in them. However, their convenience, ease of traveling, and relative low cost somewhat offset these drawbacks. For chronic conditions requiring long term treatment with Chinese Herbs, taking pills or tablets is a viable route. There are companies who will make customized formulas into pills and tablets. The cost and time to produce such customized formulas varies.
To know if someone is qualified to prescribe Chinese Herbal Medicine, look for the initials Dipl. O.M. or Dipl. C.H. after their name. This means they have passed the National Exam for Chinese Herbology as administered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.