Chinese herbs

What is Chinese herbs？

For centuries, China and other Asian countries have embraced herbal therapy. Now, the West is catching on to the timelessness of this ancient medicine and has started to incorporate Chinese herbs in the treatment of a wide range of health concerns.

Chinese herbal medicine has thousands of years of data to back it up. “Throughout history, Chinese emperors worked to preserve and multiply the knowledge of the previous ages. That means today we have almost 2,000 years of clearly written records about how herbs and herb combinations work in different people.”

Chinese herbal prescriptions are uniquely put together with different formulas and single herbs by skilled practitioners and are made to tailor to the client’s specific ailments. Typically, this means rather than many generic drugs/supplements which are made in a one size fits all fashion, Chinese herbal formulas can target multiple signs and symptoms as well as negating possible side effects.

The synergistic effects of each of the single herbs in a particular formula are greater than the sum of their value, which allows formulas to treat multiple ailments that may seem unrelated.

Chinese medicines are substances used for the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of diseases and for rehabilitation and health care under the guidance of Chinese medicine theory. Chinese medicines are mainly derived from natural medicines and their processed products, including plant medicines, animal medicines, mineral medicines and some chemical and biological products. Since most Chinese medicines are botanicals, there is a saying that “herbs are the basis of all medicines”.

What are the benefits of Chinese herbs?

Herbs are widely used in Chinese medicine theory and their therapeutic range covers many diseases and symptoms. The following are the common therapeutic ranges of Chinese herbs:

Regulating the body ‘s qi and blood: Herbs can regulate the body’s qi and blood, promote qi and blood circulation, relieve qi stagnation, and blood stasis, and improve the overall health of the body.
Regulating the digestive system: herbs can help regulate the function of the digestive system, relieve indigestion, gastrointestinal discomfort, stomach pain, diarrhea, and other symptoms, and promote appetite and digestion and absorption.
Regulating the respiratory system: herbs have a regulatory effect on respiratory diseases such as colds, coughs, asthma, bronchitis, etc. They can relieve symptoms, clear away heat and toxins, moisturize the lungs and stop coughs.
Regulation of cardiovascular system: some herbs can regulate the function of cardiovascular system, reduce blood pressure, blood fat, improve blood circulation of the heart and prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Regulate endocrine system: herbs can regulate the balance of the endocrine system and relieve problems caused by endocrine disorders such as irregular menstruation, menopausal syndrome, and diabetes.
Enhance immunity: Herbs can enhance the body’s immune function, increase resistance, and prevent infectious diseases.
Dispel dampness and detoxification: herbs help expel dampness and toxins from the body, promote metabolism, and improve damp-heat constitution.
Regulating mood and mental state: some herbs have the effect of regulating mood, relieving anxiety, improving sleep quality, and helping to improve mental health.
Supports fertility and regulates the menstrual cycle.
Virtually no side effects

Overall, the therapeutic scope of herbs is very broad and can cover all systems and aspects of the human body. However, for serious illnesses or emergencies, it is recommended to use herbs under medical supervision.

Risks

Although Chinese medicines have a long history and rich experience in treating diseases and healthcare, there are still certain risks involved in their use. It is therefore recommended that before using Chinese medicines, one should, as far as possible, do so under the guidance of a doctor and pay close attention to the dosage, quality, and safety of the medicines.

Drug interactions: Some Chinese medicines may interact with other medicines, affecting their efficacy and even leading to adverse reactions. Especially for those who are taking other medications, they need to choose Chinese medicines carefully and use them under the guidance of a doctor.
Allergic reactions: Individuals may be allergic to certain Chinese medicine ingredients, resulting in allergic reactions such as itchy skin, hives and breathing difficulties. Therefore, care should be taken to check the allergy history before using Chinese medicines and use them under the guidance of a doctor.
Inconsistent quality and standard: Due to the imperfect regulation of the Chinese medicine market, there exist some Chinese medicine products with inconsistent quality and standard, which may have problems such as poor quality of herbs, increasing the risk when using Chinese medicines.

Due to the inconvenience and high demand of decoction of Chinese herbal medicines, and the difficulty for general patients to master the technique of decoction, a new type of Chinese medicine granules for dispensing has been developed, which aims at making Chinese medicine tablets or specific prescriptions in GMP Chinese medicine factory with the production process of granules, so as to make them instantly consumed with boiled water, thus realizing the quickness and convenience, and making the Chinese medicine tablets or specific prescriptions to provide a more stable and safer medicinal effect. Clinique Yuanqi uses a scientific brand of Chinese medicine from Taiwan.

Possible scenarios

Sweating, vomiting, and discharging is a common treatment in Chinese medicine, often referred to as “sweating, vomiting and discharging”. These three actions refer to sweating, vomiting, and discharging (feces) respectively. This treatment method is mainly used for the purpose of clearing heat and removing toxins, evacuating cold, regulating qi and blood, and eliminating illnesses and evils from the body.

Sweating: Sweating is to stimulate the sweat glands on the surface of the body to excrete sweat by applying hot substances externally or taking medicines to detoxify the surface of the body, dispel cold, eliminate diseases and evils, and promote blood circulation. Sweating can be realized through medicines such as Mulberry Leaf Soup, Ephedra Soup, or hot spring baths.
Vomiting: Vomiting is achieved by stimulating the vomiting center, prompting the patient to vomit harmful substances or disease evils in the body, to clear the stomach and lower the rebelliousness and detoxify the surface. Vomiting is usually used to treat digestive diseases, food poisoning and other conditions.
Hypodermis: Hypodermis is the process of inducing defecation through medication or other methods to remove the accumulated poisonous evils and dampness-heat in the body and to restore the normal peristaltic and excretory functions of the intestinal tract. Lower excretion can be used to treat phlegm-dampness, dampness-heat, and other diseases.

Often used to treat diseases such as external wind-cold, wind-heat cold, gastrointestinal discomfort, and damp-heat conditions, sweating, vomiting, and lower excretion have a long history and wide application in TCM theory. However, these treatments need to be carried out under the guidance of a professional TCM practitioner, with individualized blending and administration according to the patient’s specific condition to ensure therapeutic effect and safety.