Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine

Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine

An ancient and highly sophisticated method of formulating and prescribing herbs so that each herb in the formulation balances out the effects of the others, and produces profound, synergistic effects within the formula itself. Learn about it’s power and potential to radically improve your health here.

The Chinese materia medica, or it’s catalogue of herbal products and formulas, contains over 10,000 different herbs. Although only a few hundred are commonly used, the sheer volume of knowledge speaks to the incredible age and depth of the Chinese herbal tradition. Many of these herbs have been used for centuries, if not millennia, and consequently have a very, very long history of human use and effective medical application. 

One of the best things about TCM herbals is the unique, and comprehensive system of blending and combining different herbs in order to fit with, and match a particular diagnosis or condition. There are often multiple formulas that will be appropriate for a particular need. For example, the treatment of PMS symptoms requires the differentiation of a given case in order to understand what type of PMS or what category it fits into.

Some might be more related to either a blood deficiency, or blood stagnation, while others might be related to an excess of psychological stress, which can in turn be differentiated into stresses related to anger, grief, or worry. Some cases might be differentiated from others based upon hormonal imbalances leading to a patient that runs cold, which would have to be treated differently from a patient who runs hot, and is prone to inflammation or infection. You might have 10 patients presenting with PMS, and need to prescribe 10 different formulas based on the specifics of each case. 

What this means for you, is that whatever health concern, or aspiration brings you in for treatment, there is a formula in the Chinese tradition that is not only specific to your problem or interest, but is specific to your personal needs. This grants TCM formulas a level of precision that is sometimes lacking in other approaches which treat every headache, anxiety, UTI, or what have you, with essentially the same product for basically every patient. With TCM, you’ll be treated in a way that is specific to you, and is based upon hundreds and hundreds of years of medical insight and experience.

Are There Side Effects With Chinese Herbal Medicine? 

In the past, some herbs were used which had some degree of toxicity, or with which there were legitimate ethical concerns, such as rhinoceros horn.

These days, the industry has matured greatly, and health Canada is extremely diligent about ensuring that only safe products come to market, and essentially rules out herbs with potentially harmful effects or that would be likely to interact with commonly prescribed drugs. So while care and attention must still be paid to any risks in prescribing a formula to a patient, in general, modern practice precludes formulas that have serious side effects. 

I rely for the most part on herbals from Golden Flower, a company that does an excellent job of safety testing and screening for quality, they are also careful to keep their products free of common allergens, and screen for unwanted pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticide residues and microbial activity.

Clean, unadulterated herbal formulas are essential to ensuring that good healing effects are achieved. While these herbs are generally a little more expensive than formulas from other brands, Golden Flower’s pricing remains reasonable and the cleanliness and potency of their formulations are well worth the money. They’re also easy to take, as the tablets are small, and dosage is uniform across most formulas. They’re effective and user friendly.

How long will I have to take them for?

There is no certain answer to this question. It’s a bit like the question “How long is a piece of string?” It depends upon what the patient wants to achieve, how long standing their health concern is, whether their current situation is contributing to, or exacerbating their problem, and whether or not whether there are other complicating factors or not.

Some patients might only need a short application, such as 2-3 weeks, while others might require herbal treatment for months at a time. I personally like to take herbs proactively as a way to actively promote certain aspects of my health, so I am generally taking one or two of Golden Flower’s formulas at any given time. We can select a formula, a strategy and a time-frame for your specific needs, and introduce you to the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine formulas, so you too can see why they have been used for such a long time, and trusted for the treatment of so many conditions.