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Chinese herbal medicine is one
of the important pillars for the practice of TCM. Herbs have
been used by many cultures around the world for thousands
of years. No other health system uses herbs as extensively
and exclusively as the Chinese medicine culture. There are
more than 400 commonly used products within the Chinese Materia
Medica arsenal. Many different products are used from stems,
roots, barks, flowers, twigs, fruits, sap of plants, animal
parts, shells, insects and minerals. No endangered, banned
or extinct products are used in this clinic.
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Chinese herbs attempt to bring the body back into homeostasis/
balance, depending on the condition or syndrome pattern. There
are over 16 individual single herb categories that the herbal
practice is based upon. Characteristics factors such as Thermal
dynamics (Warm or Cool), the organ channel association (Kidney
Liver etc), Flavour (Salty, Sour, Sweet etc) or Direction (rising,
down bearing etc) are important characteristics to decide which
herb will be better for the affective prescription. Within modern
times the importance of Pharmacological properties, have found
there way into practice also.
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Chinese Herbal medicine follows
the concepts and theological frame work of Chinese medicine
ethos. At the base of all these concepts is Yin Yang theory,
Zang Fu organ theory, pathogenic influences (evil) and the vital
substances (Qi Blood Jing and Body fluids). Practitioners consider
the bodies' excessiveness or deficiency of these concepts as
an important feature towards treatment.
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Therapeutic results bear
witness by the increased popularity through out the world. Chinese
Herbs have there fundamental theoretical & philosophical
frame work in the earliest documented medical records, the Huang
Di Nei Jing, a book which will be discussed in detail in the
historical section. Prior to the development of theories covered
in the Huang Di Nei Jing, Shamanistic Medicine was the primary
system used.
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There are many hundreds of different
formulas, which have been developed over the many thousands
of years, by herbal scholars and practitioners, which are still
in use today. Numerous schools of TCM have developed there own
unique formulas for there specific necessities. TCM Schools
such the Shang Han Lun, Wen Bing Xue, Pi Wei Lun, Jin Kui Yao
Lue.
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There are a variety of ways herbal
medicine can be administrated, some of these are raw form, which
herb materials need to be boiled then drank, powders/ granules
which are simply added to warm water then drank, Patent pills
which are small round pills, Liquids which are consumed as is,
or herbal plasters which are applied directly on the skin. There
is also other methods which can be used but are not commonly
used outside of China mainland, these include intravascular
administration and point injections.
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