FAQ on Chinese Herbal Medicine

Western folk herbalism primarily treats diseases or symptoms, such as headaches, runny nose, menstrual pain, etc. Chinese herbal medicine, when practiced as a part of TCM, is based on an individualized pattern diagnosis as well as a disease diagnosis. Your pattern is made up of your signs and symptoms, your emotional temperament and the overall composition of your body; The TCM patient receives a custom written herbal prescription designed to treat their individual pattern as well as the symptom or disease.

Western folk herbalism usually focuses on one symptom or disease at a time and use a single herb or groups of herbs for treatment; TCM formulas are crafted to treat your entire pattern as well as the symptoms or disease that prompted you to seek treatment. TCM formulas may include six to eighteen herbs to treat the symptoms or disease as well as you entire pattern.

Chinese herbal medicine may include vegetable, animal, and mineral ingredients. However, the majority of ingredients are from vegetable sources. Leaves, flowers, twigs, stems, roots, tuber, rhizomes, and bark are among the parts of the vegetable used.

The Chinese adopted and incorporated herbs from all over the world. Fifteen to twenty percent of the 500 ingredients considered standard originated from outside China. What makes these “Chinese” herbs is that they are prescribed according to Chinese medial theory and a TCM pattern diagnosis.

Yes, Chinese herbal medicine works as well for Westerners as it does for Chinese. Chinese herbal medicine has been used successfully the North and Sough America, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and all throughout Asia.

The most common method of taking Chinese herbal medicine is drinking a liquid, prepared by boiling the selected herbs. There are also herbal pills, tinctures, and powdered extracts for those who do not have the time or taste for drinking the more traditional liquid form.

This method allows the practitioner maximum flexibility in writing a prescription. They can put in just what is necessary in just the right amounts. The formula can be changed frequently, if necessary, and the liquid forms tend be more potent than other means of administration.

Chinese herbal teas tend to taste very bitter because they are made mostly from roots and bark where the strongest medicinal ingredients are found.

Pills and powders are good for:

1. Prolonged administration, like for chronic disease

2. Where formulas do not need to be very potent

3. Where formulas do not need to be changed very often

4. Pills and powders are also commonly used to continue therapeutic results after a successful initial treatment with liquid herbal medicine.

Most of the components pf Chinese herbal medicine have a very low toxicity compared to even common, over-the-counter Western drugs. When they are prescribed according to a correct TCM pattern diagnosis, they should have few, if any, side effects, only beneficial healing results.

If you experience any discomfort while taking Chinese herbal medicine, tell your practitioner who will modify the formula until there are no side effects.

 Chinese herbal medicine treats the full range of human disease. It is used to treat:

1. Acute disease, like intestinal flu and the common cold

2. Chronic disease, such as allergies, gynecological disorder, autoimmune disease, and chronic viral diseases

3. Degenerative diseases due to aging

4. Chinese herbal medicine is especially good for promoting the body’s ability to heal and recover from illness.

A professional TCM practitioner can write prescriptions that are appropriate for pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Yes again. Pediatrics is a specialty within TCM and children can be given reduced dosages. There are also specially prepared pediatric medicines in pill and powder form. Chinese herbal medicine can treat colic, the fussiness of teething, earache, diarrhea, cough, and fever in babies and children.

In acute conditions, results may occur in a matter of minutes. Chronic conditions, some results should be seen within one week. Although chronic conditions may require taking Chinese herbal medicine for long time, signs that the medicine is working should be apparent to the patient and practitioner alike almost form the very start.

Although Chinese herbal medicines are safe when prescribed by a trained, knowledgeable practitioner, they are strong medicine. Patients should ask about where the practitioner trained, how long the training was, how long he or she has been in practice, and what experience the practitioner has had in treating the patient’s specific ailment.

Chinese herbal medicine may be part of the testing done where acupuncture is a licensed and regulated healthcare profession. Ask your practitioner if your state requires a license to practice; about half the states do. In states that do not currently require licensing, patients should ask their practitioner if they are certified by the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). NCCAOM has created a certification process for Chinese herbal medicine. Practitioners who have passed that certification are entitled to add the abbreviation Dipl.C.H. (Diplomat of Chinese Herbs) after their names.