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Chinese herbology
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Chinese Herbology , is the common name for the subject of Chinese materia medica. It includes the basic theory of Chinese materia medica, "crude medicine," "prepared drug in pieces" and traditional Chinese patent medicines and simple preparations' source, collection and preparation, performance, efficacy, and clinical applications.
Role in Chinese medicine
Chinese materia medica , is also the medicine based on traditional Chinese medicine theory.
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Encyclopedia
Chinese Herbology , is the common name for the subject of Chinese materia medica. It includes the basic theory of Chinese materia medica, "crude medicine," "prepared drug in pieces" and traditional Chinese patent medicines and simple preparations' source, collection and preparation, performance, efficacy, and clinical applications.
Role in Chinese medicine
Chinese materia medica , is also the medicine based on traditional Chinese medicine theory. it includes Chinese crude medicine, prepared drug in pieces of Chinese materia medica, traditional Chinese patent medicines and simple preparations, etc.
Herbology is the Chinese art of combining medicinal herbs.
Herbology is one of the more important modalities utilized in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Each herbal medicine prescription is a cocktail of many herbs tailored to the individual patient. One batch of herbs is typically decocted twice over the course of one hour. The practitioner usually designs a remedy using one or two main ingredients that target the illness. Then the practitioner adds many other ingredients to adjust the formula to the patient's yin/yang conditions. Sometimes, ingredients are needed to cancel out toxicity or side-effects of the main ingredients. Some herbs require the use of other ingredients as catalyst or else the brew is ineffective. The latter steps require great experience and knowledge, and make the difference between a good Chinese herbal doctor and an amateur. Unlike western medications, the balance and interaction of all the ingredients are considered more important than the effect of individual ingredients. A key to success in TCM is the treatment of each patient as an individual.
Chinese herbology often incorporates ingredients from all parts of plants, the leaf, stem, flower, root, and also ingredients from animals and minerals. The use of parts of endangered species (such as seahorses, rhinoceros horns, and tiger bones) has created controversy and resulted in a black market of poachers who hunt restricted animals. Many herbal manufacturers have discontinued the use of any parts from endangered animals.
History of Chinese herbology
Chinese herbs have been used for centuries. The first herbalist in Chinese tradition is Shennong, a mythical personage, who is said to have tasted hundreds of herbs and imparted his knowledge of medicinal and poisonous plants to the agricultural people. The first Chinese manual on pharmacology, the Shennong Bencao Jing (Shennong Emperor's Classic of Materia Medica), lists some 365 medicines of which 252 of them are herbs, and dates back somewhere in the 1st century C.E. Han dynasty. Earlier literature included lists of prescriptions for specific ailments, exemplified by a manuscript "Recipes for 52 Ailments", found in the Mawangdui tomb, sealed in 168 B.C.E.
Succeeding generations augmented on this work, as in the Yaoxing Lun (???; also spelled Yao Xing Lun; literally "Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Herbs"), a 7th century Tang Dynasty Chinese treatise on herbal medicine.
Arguably the most important of these was the Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) compiled during the Ming dynasty by Li Shizhen, which is still used today for consultation and reference.
The history of this literature is presented in Paul U. Unschuld's "Medicine in China: a History of Pharmaceutics"; Univ. of Calif. Press, 1986.
Categorizing Chinese herbs
Chinese physicians used several different methods to classify traditional Chinese herbs:
- The Four Natures (?? or ??)
- The Five Tastes
- The Meridians
The earlier (Han through Tang eras) Ben Cao (Materia Medicae) began with a three-level categorization:
Low level -- drastic acting, toxic substances;
Middle level -- medicinal physiological effects;
High level -- health and spirit enhancement
During the neo-Confucian Song-Jin-Yuan era (10th to 12th Centuries), the theoretical framework from acupuncture theory (which was rooted in Confucian Han theory) was formally applied to herbal categorization (which was earlier more the domain of Daoist natural science). In particular, alignment with the Five Phases (Tastes) and the 12 channels (Meridians theory) came to be used after this period.
The Four Natures
This pertains to the degree of yin and yang, ranging from cold (extreme yin), cool, neutral to warm and hot (extreme yang). The patient's internal balance of yin and yang is taken into account when the herbs are selected. For example, medicinal herbs of "hot", yang nature are used when the person is suffering from internal cold that requires to be purged, or when the patient has a general cold constituency. Sometimes an ingredient is added to offset the extreme effect of one herb.
The Five Tastes
The five tastes are pungent, sweet, sour, bitter and salty, each of which their functions and characteristics. For example, pungent herbs are used to generate sweat and to direct and vitalize qi and the blood. Sweet-tasting herbs often tonify or harmonize bodily systems. Some sweet-tasting herbs also exhibit a bland taste, which helps drain dampness through diuresis. Sour taste most often is astringent or consolidates, while bitter taste dispels heat, purges the bowels and get rid of dampness by drying them out. Salty tastes soften hard masses as well as purge and open the bowels.
The Meridians
The Meridians refer to which organs the herb acts upon. For example, menthol is pungent, cool and is linked with the lungs and the liver. Since the lungs is the organ which protects the body from invasion from cold and influenza, menthol can help purge coldness in the lungs and invading heat toxins caused by hot "wind."
Chinese patent medicine
Chinese patent medicine (traditional Chinese: ???, Simplified Chinese: ???, pinyin: zhong chéng yào) is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. They are standardized herbal formulas. Several herbs and other ingredients are dried and ground. They are then mixed into a powder and formed into pills. The binder is traditionally honey. They are characteristically little round black pills.
Chinese patent medicines are easy and convenient. They are not easy to customize on a patient-by-patient basis, however. They are best used when a patient's condition is not severe and the medicine can be taken as a long-term treatment.
These medicines are not "patented" in the traditional sense of the word. No one has exclusive rights to the formula. Instead, "patent" refers to the standardization of the formula. All Chinese patent medicines of the same name will have the same proportions of ingredients.
Herbs in use
The use of Chinese herbs is a very popular tradition. “Many of the modern day drugs have been developed from these herbs such as the treatments for asthma and hay fever from Chinese ephedra, hepatitis remedies from schizandra fruits and licorice roots and a number of anticancer agents from trees and shrubs”. “There are several herbal drugs that invigorate the energy, nourish the blood, calm tension and regulate menstruation such as Bupleurum Sedative Pills and Women’s Precious Pills”. There are over three hundred herbs that are commonly being used today that have a history that goes back at least 2,000 years.
“The two most common way to using herbs are to make a strong tea that should be simmered for about an hour or possibly more, or to make large honey bound pills”.
Most Chinese herbs are usually used to help build and strengthen the body. The most commonly used herbs are Ginseng (??, renshen), wolfberry, Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis, ??, tang-kuei or danggui), astragalus (??, huangqi), atractylodes (??, baizhu), bupleurum (??, chaihu), cinnamon (cinnamon twigs (??, guizhi) and cinnamon bark (??, rougui)), coptis (??, huanglian), ginger (?, jiang), hoelen (??, fuling), licorice (??, gancao), ephedra sinica (??, ma-huang), peony (white: ??, baishao and reddish: ??, chihhao), rehmannia (??, dihuang), rhubarb (??, dahuang), and salvia (??, danshen). These are just a few of the herbs.
Ginseng
The use of ginseng is well over two thousand years old in Chinese medicine. Ginseng is known to help boost energy, reduce stress and increases endurance. Ginseng consists of ginsenosides. The amount of ginsenosides in ginseng depends on how the plant was cultivated and the age of the root. Wild ginseng is rare and commands for the highest prices on the market, but most ginseng on the market today is a reasonable price. Red Panax ginseng is the most popular form of ginseng and it is usually packaged as a liquid or tea. Ginseng comes in two kinds, red and white. The color of the ginseng depends on how it is processed. “White ginseng is unprocessed and dries naturally. Red ginseng is preserved with steam and is believed to be more effective”. Native Americans have used American ginseng for dry coughs, constipation and fevers. “Many women found relief from night sweats and hot flushes from the use of American ginseng”. “The use of ginseng is a safe way to boost energy, vitality and your overall health”.
Wolfberry
Wolfberry is grown in the Far East and is grown from shrubs with long vines. The shrubs are covered with small trumpet-shaped flowers, which turn into small, bright red berries. The berries are usually fresh and sometimes used when it is dried. “Goji Berry is mostly used to treat kidney, liver, eye, and skin problems, diabetes, tuberculosis, anxiety, and insomnia. It also helps to lower the blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They are known to improve the state of health, strengthen the immune system and increasing the longevity and vitality of the human kind”.
Dong quai
Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis or "female ginseng") is an “aromatic herb that grows in China, Japan and Korea. It is used to regulate the menstrual cycle and to treat menopausal symptoms caused by the hormonal changes”. Even though it is good for women, it also helps treat the heart, spleen, liver and kidneys that help both the men and women. The effect of the herb in treating menstrual cramps is explained by the compounds that help relax the muscle tissue and relieves pain. Dong Quai also stimulates the central nervous system, which can remedy menstrual weakness and headaches. “The use of this herb is mostly found in tea, herbal preparations, capsules and extracts. It usually comes in tablet, liquid extract and raw root forms. For the best use of the Dong Quai to provide long term relief from menopause syndromes is to take it regularly between 8 and 12 weeks and especially at the end of the treatment”. “Using Dong Quai regularly relieves menstrual cramps, prevents the symptoms of menopause and PMS, corrects hormone imbalance and acts as a general tonic for the female reproductive system”. “There isn’t a certain amount of dosage for Dong Quai but in Chinese medicine Dong Quai is made in a special way- it is boiled or soaked in wine, then the liquid is taken orally while the root is being removed”. “In the United States and Europe, Dong Quai is a very popular flavoring component in food products such as ice cream, candy, gelatins and puddings but in Asia it is most likely used to treat female troubles”.
Astralagus
Astragalus is a root used for immune deficiencies and allergies. “The Chinese use the dried sliced or powdered root to boost the immune system, to increase the body resistance to infections, healing allergies and to raise and renew vitality. Astragalus is usually mixed with other herbs to make tea such as ginseng and Codonopsis. Astragalus is known to help prevent diseases but not to cure them”.
Atractylodes
“Atractylodes are considered very important to the treatment of digestive disorders and problems of moisture accumulation. The herb helps move moisture from the digestive tract to the blood that reduces diarrhea, gas and bloating. Atractylodes is rarely if ever used by itself. It is usually included into tonic prescriptions”.
Bupleurum
“Bupleurum is useful for the treatment of liver diseases, skin ailments, arthritis, menopausal syndrome, withdrawal from corticosteroid use, nephritis, stress-induced ulcers, and mental disorders. Bupleurum is rich in saponins that reduce inflammation and regulates hormone levels. This specific herb isn’t to be used by itself, but combined with 4 to 12 other ingredients that is made into tea, pills or tablets.”
Cinnamon
“Cinnamon or mostly known as gui zhi and rou gui are twigs and bark from large tropical trees that warm the body, invigorate the circulation in the body, goes to all 12 channels (meridians) of the body, and harmonizes the energy of the upper and lower body”. Cinnamon also reduces allergy reactions. The herb is usually cooked together with other herbs to make tea that regulates the circulation of blood.
Coptis
Coptis is an underground stem that is one of the bitterest herbs used in Chinese medicine. “It is full of alkaloids that inhibit infections and calm nervous agitation”. Coptis is usually combined with other bitter-tasting herbs such as phellodendron, scutellaria and gardenia. This herb has many uses including the treatment of skin diseases, intestinal infections, hypertensions and insomnia. Since coptis is such a bitter tasting herb, it is often used to make pills or tablets.
Ginger
Ginger (Gan Jiang) is a herb and a spice that can be used for many uses even in Chinese cuisine. In this case, it is used in Chinese medicine. “Ginger is highly spicy and is beneficial to digestion, neutralizing poisons in food, ventilating the lungs, to warm the circulation to the limbs, diarrhea and heart conditions”. “Many herbalists use ginger to treat coughs and the common cold”. It is famous for treating nausea. Ginger is also used in making tea.
Hoelen
“Hoelen is a large fungus that grows on pine roots and is used alleviate irritation and transports moisture out of the digestive system into the blood stream and from the different body tissues to the bladder. When parts of the pine root is mixed with the herb, it is called fushen and produces a mild sedative action”.
Licorice
Licorice or gan cao are roots that have an extremely sweet taste but is a little bitter and is said to neutralize toxins, relieve inflammation, and enhance digestion. The use of licorice is to treat hepatitis, sore throat, and muscle spasms. When licorice is baked with honey it can also help in the treatment of hyperthyroidism and heart valve diseases. It is very often added to a Chinese formula to harmonize all of the herbs, as well as slow the speed that the formula is digested.
Ma-huang
Ma-huang (Ephedra) is another type of herb. “Ma-huang is a stem-like herb that stimulates perspiration, opens the breathing passages and invigorates the central nervous system”. “It is said that ma-huang has a metabolic enhancer that can burn more calories for those that are trying to lose weight”. However, this can have dangerous side effects. Ma-huang can be made into a tea or can be used in an extract form but powdered ma-huang is rarely if ever used. Because of the marketed, over the counter use of ephedra as diet or energy pills, it is now no longer legally available to Chinese herbalists. The use of Ma Huang in the formula 'Ma Huang Tang' is a well known formula used for colds (wind-cold).
Peony
Peony or is also known as bai shao(white) and chi shao (red) is a flower where the Chinese use the root of the peony to regulate the blood. “The root of the peony relaxes the blood vessels, reduces platelet sticking, nourishes the blood and promotes circulation to the skin and extremities”. “The roots of both wild and cultivated are used. The wild peonies “red peony” (chi shao) are a fibrous root that is used to stimulate blood circulation. The cultivated peony “white peony” (bai shao) is a dense root that nourishes the blood. Peony is often combined with tang-kuei or licorice”. In TCM, it is known as a liver blood tonic.
Rehmannia
“Rehmannia or di huang is a root where the dark, moist part of the herb is used to nourish the blood and the hormonal system. It is usually used in the treatment problems of aging because the herbs ability to restore the levels of several declining hormones. There are two forms of the herb that are currently used. One is designated sheng di huang or raw rehmannia is given to reduce inflammation. The other designated shoudihuang or cooked rehmannia is used as a nourishing tonic. Often the two forms are combined together in equal proportions to address inflammatory problems. This herb is mostly used in making decoctions or dried decoctions”. This herb is in a famous formula called Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (6 Ingredient Rhemannia) which treats Yin deficiency.
Rhubarb
“Rhubarb (dahuang) is a large root and was once one of the first herbs that was imported from China. Rhubarb is a reliable laxative and it enhances the appetite when it is taken before meals in very small amounts. It also promotes blood circulation and relieving pain in cases of injury or inflammation and inhibiting intestinal infections. Rhubarb can also reduce autoimmune reactions. The impact of the rhubarb depends on how it is prepared. If the rhubarb is cooked for a long time, the laxative actions are reduced but other actions are retained”.
Salvia
“Salvia (dan shen) are the deep roots of this Chinese sage plant. It is applied in the cases where the body tissues have been damaged by disease or injury. Salvia is given for post-stroke syndrome, traumatic injury, chronic inflammation and/or infection, and degenerative diseases. It is best known for its ability to promote circulation in the capillary beds or the microcirculation system. Also, salvia lowers blood pressure, helps reduce cholesterol and enhances functions of the liver. Salvia can be taken alone or consumed with other herbs, teas or pills”.
50 fundamental herbs
In Chinese herbology, there are 50 "fundamental herbs." These include:
- Agastache rugosa - huò xiang
- Alangium chinense - ba jiao feng
- Anemone chinensis (syn. Pulsatilla chinensis) - bái tóu weng
- Anisodus tanguticus - shan làng dàng
- Ardisia japonica - zi jin niú
- Aster tataricus - zi wan
- Astragalus propinquus (syn. Astragalus membranaceus) - huáng qí or bei qí
- Camellia sinensis - chá shù or chá yè
- Cannabis sativa - dà má
- Carthamus tinctorius - hóng hua
- Cinnamomum cassia - ròu gùi
- Cissampelos pareira - xí sheng téng or
- Coptis chinensis - duan è huáng lián
- Corydalis ambigua - yán hú suo
- Croton tiglium - ba dòu
- Daphne genkwa - yuán hua
- Datura metel - yáng jin hua
- Datura stramonium (syn. Datura tatula) - zi hua màn tuó luó
- Dendrobium nobile - shí hú or shí hú lán
- Dichroa febrifuga - cháng shan
- Ephedra sinica - cao má huáng
- Eucommia ulmoides - dù zhòng
- Euphorbia pekinensis - dà ji
- Flueggea suffruticosa (formerly Securinega suffruticosa) - yi yè qiu
- Forsythia suspensa - liánqiào
- Gentiana loureiroi - dì ding
- Gleditsia sinensis - zào jiá
- Glycyrrhiza uralensis - gan cao
- Hydnocarpus anthelminticus (syn. H. anthelminthica) - dà feng zi
- Ilex purpurea - dongqing
- Leonurus japonicus - yì mu cao
- Ligusticum wallichii - chuan xiong
- Lobelia chinensis - bàn bian lián
- Phellodendron amurense - huáng bai
- Platycladus orientalis (formerly Thuja orientalis) - cèbai
- Pseudolarix amabilis - jin qián song
- Psilopeganum sinense - shan má huáng
- Pueraria lobata - gé gen
- Rauwolfia serpentina - shégenmù, cóng shégenmù, or yìndù shé mù
- Rehmannia glutinosa - dìhuáng or gan dìhuáng
- Rheum officinale - yào yòng dà huáng
- Rhododendron tsinghaiense - Qing hai dù juan
- Saussurea costus - yún mù xiang
- Schisandra chinensis - wu wèi zi
- Scutellaria baicalensis - huáng qín
- Stemona tuberosa - bai bù
- Stephania tetrandra - fáng ji
- Styphnolobium japonicum (formerly Sophora japonica) - huái, huái shù, or huái hua
- Trichosanthes kirilowii - gua lóu
- Wikstroemia indica - liao ge wáng
Footnotes
General references
- Wong, Ming (1976). La Médecine chinoise par les plantes. Le Corps a Vivre series. Éditions Tchou.
See also
External links
- - A comprehensive listing of Chinese herbs grouped by their action
-
Educational resources
- - (Berkeley, CA, USA)
- - (Laurel, MD, USA)
- (Concord, CA, USA)
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