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The Basics of Chinese Herbal Medicine

By Dr. Xiaomei Cai

Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine consists of 5,767 substances derived from plant, animal, and mineral sources. The use of these substances can be traced back to 1,000 BC. Over the past 3000 years, an incredibly rich and powerful system medical system has been created. During this time, classical herbal formulas that are effective for many health concerns have been developed. The herbs are available in the form of herbal teas, liquid extracts, tablets, capsules, granules, lotions, creams, salves, or poultices.

What is a Chinese Herbal Formula?

Individual substances are rarely prescribed alone in Traditional Chinese Medicine. A carefully balanced recipe of several different herbs is specifically
tailored for each person's entire health condition. Each herb is chosen for its own specific functions. In addition, herbs can enhance the strengths and reduce the side effects of each other. The combination of substances in a formula creates a new therapeutic agent that can treat much more effectively and completely that a single substance.

What is the difference between Western Herbs and Chinese Herbs?

Western Herbal Medicine tends to use one or two herbs to treat  a specific symptom. A Chinese Herbal formula has as many as 20 different herbs. The herbs are selected to work synergistically to treat the whole person. In Chinese medicine, due to our diagnostic system, we are able to assess a persons whole constitution (the health of their whole body) and treat the root (or cause) of a health concern along with a branch (or the symptoms) of a health concern. It is in this way that we are able to treat a person's whole body and mind, rather than just a symptom.

Safety of Chinese Herbs

One of the most appealing qualities of Chinese Herbal Medicine is the low risk of adverse reaction or side effects. Herbal medicine uses all the constituents of the plant, including the cellulose. The herb is completely balanced, and therefore has minimal side effects. The most commonly reported adverse reaction is minor gastrointestinal discomfort. Modifying the herbal formula
or adding herbs to strengthen the digestive system can remedy this.

The safety and effectiveness of the herbs concern us the most. At the Art of Wellness, we choose the best quality herbs we can find in the United States and in China.
We make sure that the herbs received from us are customized to fit the individual need. We prepare the herbal formula based on ancient and / or our family formulas, which have been used for hundreds of years , and have been taken by millions of  people. We do not use endangered species (plant or animal), and promote wildlife conservation through one use of surrogate natural substances.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: www.acufinder.com