subject: How Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Help You? [print this page] An increasing number of people are enjoying the fantastic benefits offered by traditional Chinese medicine. Before you start using these herbs, it is important that you fully understand what they are and what they do. In essence, everything on this planet has energy Qi and Blood. If the energy of the herb is matched correctly with the energy of the patient, health is restored.
Buddhists and Taoists have observed the energies of Chinese herbs for hundreds of years. They have an in-depth understanding of the benefits of these herbs and this has resulted in Chinese medicine as we know it today. Basically, Qigong (qi exercises) would be performed whilst studying one particular substance. The professional would meditate on this substance and feel the qualities of the energy within this. In doing so, intricate classifications of roots, barks, seeds, leaves, shells and animals were all recorded. When herbs are provided to people, Chinese medicine practitioners first consider whether the overall energy of the herb itself is a cooling or warming energy. Next, they look at the effect of the energy, which can either be decreasing or increasing. Lastly, they discover to which part of the body or internal organ the energy gets directed.
Professionals mix the herbs in the right combination for each patient. This process also makes the formulas safer, as different herbs can be offset against each other, thereby reducing the amount of energy that is released. These formulas, developed over years of practice, are also used as part of a person's normal diet.
It is incredibly important to understand that Chinese medicine revolves around more than simply understanding the workings of different plants and herbs. Chinese medicine goes far deeper, understanding where there are blockages in Qi and Blood energy within a patient and determining exactly which combination of herbs works in order to restore the correct flow of energy.
Traditional Chinese Medicine include moxibustion, massage, cupping, dietary therapy and mind body therapy. Yin-yang theory makes the basic concept of Chinese medicine. It lays down the approach of two opposing, yet complementary forces that shape life. A vital energy or life force circulates in the body through meridians, a system of pathways. Medicine focuses on maintaining balance and harmony in the circulation of energy.
Conventional practitioners of Chinese medicine use eight principles to analyze symptoms such as yin/yang, cold/heat, interior/exterior and excess/deficiency. It also propagates the theory of five elements (fire, earth, metal, wood, water) to explain how the body works. The elements correspond to particular body organs and tissues.
Chinese medicines have hundreds of medicinal substances that include plants, minerals and animal products. These are classified by their perceived action in the body. Various parts of plants such as the roots, leaves, stems, flowers and seeds are used. Herbs are available in forms like capsules, tinctures, powders or teas.
Efficacy of a herb in the body depends on its temperature, taste and meridians. Cool herbs are used to treat hot conditions while warm herbs are for treating cold conditions. Herbs may come in varied tastes like acrid, salty, sour, bitter and sweet. Acrid herbs are used to disperse cold and move stagnations. Salty herbs have the power of softening and purging. Bitter herbs are administered to dry damp and clear heat. Sweet herbs tonify qi, while sour herbs have an astringent effect in the body.
There are companies such Kan Herbs dedicated to the promotion of Chinese herbology in the West.
