Herbal Treatments

There are some important differences between Chinese herbal medicine and prescription or over the counter western drugs. Since many people in the U.S. are unfamiliar with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it is important to point out some of the basic general differences between Chinese herbal medicine and Western drugs:

No Side Effects- Unlike Western drugs, Chinese herbal treatments are taken in a whole food form. For example, when reduced to their active chemical compounds, Chinese herbal treatments will also cause side effects. This is one reason why practitioners that utilize TCM continue to use whole food forms of treatment. decocted from whole, stems, and leaves and capsules are filled with crushed whole food material. Western medicine is made by locating active chemical compounds and creating medicines from these compounds. When reduced to its chemical fundamentals, pharmaceuticals have side effects. Side effects are inevitable with pharmaceuticals.  When used appropriately, Chinese herbal treatments will cause no side effects as long as they are used in their whole food form.

    Occasionally, Chinese herbal treatments will produce what may seem like a side effect. For certain kinds of health conditions, it is necessary to treat with formulas that work by clearing things inside the body. For example, when treating certain skin conditions, the symptoms may become worse before improving because internal impurities are being eliminated. Diarrhea is another way that toxins may be cleared from the body. These are not side effects because they are necessary to the healing process.

Formulas Rather Than Single Herbs- Many people familiar with Western herbal medicine think of herbs as they do Western pharmaceuticals- a single herb is good to treat a single disease. For instance, Echinacea is good for colds. In TCM, single herbs are rarely used. Formulas may contain as few as two and as many as 15 or more different herbs. In combinations, the individual herbs have different roles. Some may augment or limit the potency of others. Some may concentrate on one specific area of the body whereas others work on a different area. Through thousands of years of practice and research, TCM practitioners have found formulas to be the most effective, most powerful, and safest way of using herbs.

The purpose of treatment is not to control symptoms, but to restore balance to the body.