What are Chinese Herbs?

Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbs

Like herbs used in any culture, Chinese herbs are derived from many natural sources: grass, trees, plants, flowers, even some stones, minerals, etc. The difference between the way in which herbs are used in Chinese culture and the way they are used in western culture is their long history, specific formula, and the essential herbal processing found only in Chinese herbs. Many formulas are the result of generations of practice in China. Even in this era of modern medicine, they are still found to be effective, a worthy treasure for the Chinese as well as all people throughout the world.

The most essential feature of the use of Chinese herbs is that it combines multiple herbs to create a unique formula that will suit the precise need and treat the distinct symptoms of a specific individual. There are thousands of herbal formulas available in TCM textbooks as well as in literature. Hundreds of these formulas focus on infertility.

TCM recognizes that there is a balance relating to the natural world and the human body. Problems or disorders appear when these balances are broken. Chinese herbs are often used to entirely and systematically adjust the variety of imbalances that may occur. They may be used for different symptoms caused without affecting the normal function of the body. A special feature of TCM is that one formula may be used for different disorders and one disorder may be required different formula in practice.

TCM tends to pay more attention to obvious symptoms than it does to the entity of pathology by observing and inspecting the abnormal changes of common conditions, such as a whole breath, pulse, energy, sleep, sweat, appetite, urine, stool, tongue and tongue coating color, and evidence of heat, cold, wet, and dry, etc. Chinese herbs in the hands of a skilled TCM practitioner can be used to treat not only common disorders but refractory diseases even though the causes and mechanism of the diseases are still unknown. This important feature puts TCM in an advantageous position of fighting refractory or chronic diseases where treatment in western medicine has traditionally been limited and deficient.