The three pillars of oriental medicine are acupuncture, herbs and foods. There are thousands of herbal substances that are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) medicine and often with surprising uses. The herbs and foods are grouped and classified according to their "properties." Herbs and foods are categorized by temperature, taste and the meridian or organ they affect. Everything edible can be categorized this way. Foods are additionally categorized by season.
Think back to your beginning chemistry class. All reactions either absorb heat or give it off. When the body metabolizes herbs or foods it is either warmed or cooled. Depending on the patient's condition, they might require a hot, warm, cool or cold herb to correct it. This is why the information from the tongue and pulse are so important for a correct diagnosis.
The five tastes are sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent and bland. Each taste relates to one of the five elements and has a specific action and direction. For example, pungent herbs move upward and outward. Salty herbs move downward.
There is a recommended dietary regimen based on foods that are related to a particular five-element season. Foods are chosen depending on which organs are dominant during that season, and prepare the next organ for the next season.
There are many herbs that act as effective antibiotics, antivirals or antifungals. By comparison, western medicine is just beginning to develop antiviral medications. Herbs are heavily studied by western style research in China to understand their therapeutic properties. Many patented drugs are developed from herbs but the herbs have higher safety and fewer side effects than the isolated compounds.
An herbal formula can be traditional, modified or individually made. One of the best features of herbal medicine is that a formula can be tailored to the patient's needs. Instead of taking three or four different medications, one formula can be made to address several concurrent conditions.
Think back to your beginning chemistry class. All reactions either absorb heat or give it off. When the body metabolizes herbs or foods it is either warmed or cooled. Depending on the patient's condition, they might require a hot, warm, cool or cold herb to correct it. This is why the information from the tongue and pulse are so important for a correct diagnosis.
The five tastes are sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent and bland. Each taste relates to one of the five elements and has a specific action and direction. For example, pungent herbs move upward and outward. Salty herbs move downward.
There is a recommended dietary regimen based on foods that are related to a particular five-element season. Foods are chosen depending on which organs are dominant during that season, and prepare the next organ for the next season.
There are many herbs that act as effective antibiotics, antivirals or antifungals. By comparison, western medicine is just beginning to develop antiviral medications. Herbs are heavily studied by western style research in China to understand their therapeutic properties. Many patented drugs are developed from herbs but the herbs have higher safety and fewer side effects than the isolated compounds.
An herbal formula can be traditional, modified or individually made. One of the best features of herbal medicine is that a formula can be tailored to the patient's needs. Instead of taking three or four different medications, one formula can be made to address several concurrent conditions.
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