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One of the strengths of TCM is its scientific application of herbal medicine. Chinese Herbology has a 3,000+ year documented history of clinical effectiveness and fits into the TCM paradigm of helping the body to find its own balance as it returns to health. The practitioner’s thorough understanding of the actions of the individual herbs allows the practitioner to blend a formula to fit the specific need of the individual client. Some of the traditional formulas have been used for over 2,000 years.
When a client is interested in an herbal consultation or if they come in for a treatment, I often refer to the diagnostic philosophy of the ‘Eight-Principles.’ This diagnostic process evaluates the whole being (client) from the perspective of the following “partnerships”. The pairs are Interior-Exterior, Hot-Cold, Excess-Deficient, Yin-Yang. Please note that these pairs are ‘relative’ not ‘absolute’, for example a person can always feel hot everywhere, except that they may experience a chill up and down their spine from time to time- thus the person has a hot tendency but there is an aspect of cold as well. Nothing in the universe is ‘ALL’ of any one thing. After making the diagnosis an herbal formulae may be prescribed. This blend prescribed will focus on restoring the balance that is showing as a disease; the herbs cool what is hot, tonify what is deficient, etc. etc. An additional benefit of using Chinese herbs is that the few side effects that have been identified over the past 2000 years of research are now balanced, or neutralized by other herbs in the formula.
TCM has a very well-deserved reputation of being able to work with many common complaints and disorders. For example, all phases of “women’s health,” whether that is regulating the monthly cycle or easing the transition through menopause, headaches, chronic neck and shoulder pain, digestive disorders, and many other diseases too numerous to list. The World Health Organization recognizes over 40 disorders that Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can help.
In closing, I would like to share one very important piece of information about the herbal formulas that I use. The manufacturing companies I use (Evergreen Herbs and Goldenflower Chinese Herbs) process their herbs to meet or exceed pharmaceutical GMP guidelines. The herbs are carefully identified, processed and assessed for purity and potency through every step of the manufacturing process and each formula is randomly checked after processing. I am absolutely confident in the source and purity of these herbs.
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