Chinese herbal formulas

Chinese herbal medicine is the biggest branch of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The origin of Chinese Herbal Formulas is found in the high mountains of China where every plant, animal, and mineral was tested as medicine in the search for the fountain of youth.

While they didn’t find that, they discovered that herbs possessed properties that were useful in the treatment of many afflictions and diseases. These Chinese herbal formulas are selected by a concept called the principle of Ying/Yang, and by the body of knowledge called the five energies.

The five energies concept

The five energies are Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood.

Each energy is related to a Yin and a Yang organ and paired to a specific emotion, color, taste, season, climate, and body function. For instance, the liver is a Yin organ with Wood energy, sour flavor, related to the nervous system, color green, opens the eyes, emotion/anger, season/spring, climate/windy, and its related Yang organ is the gallbladder.

Traditional Chinese Medicine also takes into count the mental state and emotions (anger, fear, stress) and the external factors like the weather (winds, heat, humidity), to make a more broad diagnosis of the treatment required by the patient.

Differential diagnosis & The eight indicators

The patient’s symptoms are then analyzed with a list called the eight indicators, to form a differential diagnosis of the stage of the disease. And later apply corrective measures to bring balance and cure the patient. Herbal compounds have an affinity for specific organs that need balance. In Chinese medicine, the disease is believed to be an imbalance in the human energy system, and this system is a mirror/reflection of the universe around us.

Chinese Herbal Formulas “Patents"

The other option is to buy “patent formulas” for the condition that you suffer, there are hundreds of patent herbal formulas and they can be bought in any Chinatown around the globe or online. You usually take 8 pills (wan) three times a day with warm water on an empty stomach for as long as you need it, a bottle will last just eight days, so you will need three bottles for a basic treatment.

The only caveat is that they are less powerful than the pharmacy-prepared herbs. Chinese herbs are a safe way of stimulating your own body’s healing mechanisms. They are safer than any drug or treatment you can buy in the west that usually masks symptoms without attending to their causes.

Chinese Pharmacy

Usually, when you have a “small problem” with your health you visit a Chinese Doctor or herbalist and he prescribes a herbal treatment to aid you, whatever this might be. Pain, inflammation, cold, etc…

The herbalist will mix the different herbs in the formula and give to you instructions on how to prepare and consume the formula which is usually a herbal tea.

Read more about in the post: traditional Chinese medicine.

Chinese herbal medicine is fun and lets you be your doctor in your own kitchen. The next time you visit Chinatown venture into this world, it is amazing!

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