Introduction to Chinese Herbal Medicine

As long as people have communicated to each other and their children which plants, mushrooms, and animals were edible, and which had strange effects, there has been a tradition of herbal therapy. Who knows when the first person found a unique use for an herb--for a sore throat, to soothe stomach pain, or as a visionary substance to talk to the Creator? Other animals, including dogs, seem to instinctively know certain plants to treat their maladies. Monkeys are smart enough to avoid toxic plants. So herbal medicine really isn't so special after all--the only time it hasn't been used as the main source of medicine for all creatures was among certain human groups in the 1900's--we'll have to wait and see what the 21st century will bring.

It is easy to categorize plants into various groups based on their flavor: sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, and salty are the basic five categories in Chinese Medicine. There are other ways to categorize herbs, as well. One can categorize them by plant part--flowers, stems, roots, barks, leaves, seeds. The most useful categorization in Chinese Medicine is by medicinal functions. For example, there are herbs that clear heat, herbs that induce perspiration, herbs which kill parasites, and herbs which supplement the blood. Some herbs and categories have interesting correlations with nutrition and chemistry. For example, some categories have many of calcium-based herbs (such as oyster shell), and some categories have a preponderance of herbs with strong essential oils in them.

After building a Materia Medica with hundreds or thousands of ingredients categorized by effects on the body, the Chinese Herbalists began to develop formulas, discovering optimum combinations of herbs to maximize the benefit while minimizing side-effects. This went hand-in-hand with diagnostic theory--observing the tongue, pulse, complexion, and interviewing the patient about their signs and symptoms.

Throughout the history of Chinese Medicine there have been some outstanding figures, such as Li Shi Chen, Sun Si Miao, Hua Tuo, and Zhang Zhong Jing. They wrote books with theory, formulas, and their clinical observations. Many of these books are still respected and used; others have been lost or burned.

Ancient Way has a full Chinese herbal pharmacy, and can quickly order special or rare herbs which are not in the regular pharmacy. We recently imported a very effective herb grinder from Taiwan, so we now have the capacity to replicate traditional powders with unparalleled freshness. The sad truth is that even the highest quality prepared formulas have lost significant amounts of their potency and essence because they were processed months or more before they are used. Special ordering freshly powdered herbs means that you're getting the most traditional, purest, and highest potency preparations and using them within days of grinding.

While Ancient Way also carries the better-quality prepared formulas, such as Golden Flower and Plum Flower brand tablets and teapills, Kevin strongly recommends using the whole herbs in teas or fresh powders (which can be encapsulated) to insure you have the most effective preparation available, custom prepared for your unique condition.