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Chinese Herbal Medicine

Chinese Herbal Medicine or (Chinese Traditional Drug):  

Introduction

Unique medicines used in Chinese medicine to prevent and treat diseases

Chinese medicine is mainly composed of botanical medicine (root, stem, leaf, fruit), animal medicine (viscera, skin, bone, organ, etc.), and mineral medicine. Because botanicals account for the majority of traditional Chinese medicines, traditional Chinese medicines are also called Chinese herbal medicines. Traditional Chinese medicine is mainly composed of botanical and mineral medicines.

There are about 5,000 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines used in various parts of China, and there are countless prescriptions formed by combining various medicinal materials. After thousands of years of research, an independent science – Materia Medica has been formed. All medical colleges in China now offer courses on natural medicines, and the content described is commonly known as Chinese herbal medicine.

Summary of words:

The curative effect of Chinese herbal medicine is being paid more and more attention in today’s world. For example, Chinese acupuncture and the brewing of Chinese herbal medicine are all over the world, and the researchability of Chinese medicine gives us a lot of different plasticities. Generally, there are two methods of brewing Chinese medicine in our country. , one is to boil the recipes prescribed by Chinese medicine experts, and the other is the method of medicinal wine, and there are many types of research on these two methods in my country.

China is the birthplace of Chinese herbal medicine. There are about 12,000 kinds of medicinal plants in China, which are not available in other countries. We have a monopoly advantage in Chinese medicine resources. The in-depth exploration, research, and summary of Chinese herbal medicine and Chinese medicine by ancient sages have made Chinese herbal medicine the most widely recognized and applied.

Historical Origins

Chinese herbal medicine is a unique medicine used in Chinese medicine to prevent and treat diseases, and it is also an important symbol of Chinese medicine that distinguishes it from other medicines.

The Chinese people’s exploration of Chinese herbal medicine has gone through thousands of years of history. According to legend, Shennong tasted all kinds of herbs and pioneered medicine, and Shennong was honored as “the emperor of medicine”.

Traditional Chinese medicine is mainly composed of botanical medicines (roots, stems, leaves, fruits) and mineral medicines. Because botanicals account for the majority of traditional Chinese medicines, traditional Chinese medicines are also called Chinese herbal medicines. There are about 5,000 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines used in various places, and there are countless prescriptions formed by combining various medicinal materials. After thousands of years of research, an independent science – Materia Medica has been formed.

Medical Applications:

The application theory of traditional Chinese medicine is unique. Chinese medicine has four qi and five flavors. The four qi, also known as the four natures, refer to the medicinal properties of cold, hot, warm and cool. The five flavors refer to the pungent, sour, sweet, bitter, and salty properties of the medicine. The smell and taste of Chinese herbal medicines are different, and their curative effects are also different.

There are various forms of application of Chinese herbal medicine, such as decoction made from decoction of useful drugs and then removing residue and leaving juice ;
There are many famous medicines in Chinese herbal medicine, and the most famous botanical medicines are ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum , Polygonum multiflorum and wolfberry. Mineral medicines are most commonly used cinnabar, ocher, talc, and thenardite.

Processing of medicinal materials

Clean System

Remove weeds, sediment and non-medicinal parts. According to the requirements of different varieties, some need to be scraped off the outer skin, such as white peony ; some should be peeled off, such as Cork ; Incense, Salvia , Angelica , Qianhu, Shegan, Polygonum cuspidatum, etc.; some have to be stripped of the wood heart, such as Dan skin. Steaming, boiling, and blanching some medicinal materials containing starch or sugar and mucus are not easy to dry, and some also contain enzymes that decompose and transform some of their own components. Keep the medicinal properties from deteriorating.

Cut

Some rhizome medicinal materials, such as Salvia, Angelica dahurica , Qianhu, Achyranthes , Shegan, Polygonum cuspidatum, Pokeweed, Pueraria Root , Tufuling , Scrophulariaceae, etc., should be cut into slices, blocks or segments while they are fresh, and then dried; Fruit medicinal materials that are not easy to dry, such as papaya, lime, bergamot, etc., should be cut first and then dried; bark medicinal materials such as eucommia , magnolia, cinnamon, etc. should also be cut into pieces or slices after harvesting. Roll into rolls and then dry.

Dry

The purpose of drying is to facilitate long-term storage and use, and try to keep the appearance, smell and content of active ingredients of crude drugs unchanged during drying and processing.

Sun Dried

The herbs are dried using sunlight and flowing air outside. The sun-drying method is generally suitable for medicinal materials that do not require a certain color and do not contain volatile oils, such as coix, burdock , astragalus , paeonol, and eucommia. The drying method is simple, but the methods of different medicinal materials are also different. When drying, the harvested medicinal materials are usually spread on the mat , and attention should be paid to preventing rain, dew, and strong wind from blowing away, and turning them frequently to promote early drying.

Drying

Use the oven or fire pit to bake at low temperature to dry the medicinal materials. The temperature should be controlled during drying. If the temperature is low, it will not be easy to dry. If the temperature is too high, the quality will be affected. For example, the temperature of roasting rhubarb should not exceed 60 °C. If the temperature is too high, the color of the body will be dark and the quality will be reduced. If it is too high, for example, the temperature of baking silver flower should be controlled at 38℃-42℃.

Usefulness

Like traditional Chinese medicine, it is of great help to health care functions, and medicinal wine is based on the Taoist theory of qi movement, which harmonizes the internal organs of the human body, clears the heart and eyesight, and makes the complexion more beautiful. For liver disease, anemia , and cardiovascular disease caused by deficiency of spleen and kidney, blood-qi disharmony, qi stagnation and blood stasis, and blood-qi deficiency , it can clear the pathways and harmonize blood vessels; for patients with neurological headaches and neurasthenia, it can nourish blood through the Bible.

Nourishes Qi and Ningshen; for anorexia, stomach problems, constipation, hemorrhoids and other gastrointestinal diseases , it can nourish the spleen and stomach, regulate qi and stomach, nourish blood, remove stasis and blood; Those with insufficient power can have black hair, periarthritis, migraine, and the effect of strengthening the righteousness and eliminating pathogenic factors. For medicinal herbs, we have a great help and difference, and in medicinal wine, Chinese herbal medicine has a very good effect on tonifying the kidney and aphrodisiac, and there are no side effects. It is a pure natural tonic.

Medicinal contraindications

The common people always feel that Chinese herbal medicines are safe and reliable, and they can be used without any scruples. In fact, the herbal medicines and medical books of all dynasties have clearly discussed the toxic and side effects of Chinese herbal medicines.

“Black List” of Chinese Herbs Injuring Liver. The common types of traditional Chinese medicines that can cause drug-induced liver disease are:

1. Causes general liver damage, such as long-term or excessive use of ginger pinellia, Puhuang , mulberry parasitic , Shancigu , etc., can cause liver discomfort, pain, abnormal liver function .
2. Causes toxic liver damage, such as excessive use of Fructus jasminoides , xanthate seed , castor bean , and tripterygium wilfordii decoction , can cause toxic hepatitis .
3. Hepatic jaundice, such as long-term use of rhubarb or intravenous infusion of Sijiqing injection, will interfere with bilirubin metabolism and lead to jaundice.
4. Induce liver tumors , such as Nepeta, calamus , star anise , prickly ash, bee-head tea, sensalis and other Chinese herbal medicines containing safrole; Qingmuxiang, Mutong, saltpeter, cinnabar and other containing nitro compounds , can induce liver cancer.

Specifically, the Chinese patent medicines that can cause liver damage include: Zhuanggujian Pills , Ganji San, Keyin Pills, Xiaoyin Pills (Pills), Shengshengping, Moisturizing Pills, Kunming Shanhaitang , Yinxie Powder, Liushen Pills, Shufeng Dingtong Pills , Shiduqing, Xiaoxuanning, Fangfengtongsheng Pills , Xuedu Pills, Dehumidification Pills, Dragon Snake Chasing Wind Capsules, Zhuanggu Jinjin Capsules , Yangxue Jinjin Capsules, Jiu Dispersion, Chasing Wind Tooth Gu Pills , Guxian Tablets, Jiakangning Capsules, Fukang Tablets, Huayu Pills, Yangxue Shengfa Capsules , Shouwu Tablets, Shuanghuanglian Oral Liquid, Yinqiao Tablets, Compound Ganluyin, Niuhuang Jiedu Tablets , Gegen Decoction, Maxing Shigan Soup , etc.

How to Avoid Chinese Herbs Injuring the Liver

Many of the above drugs are commonly used drugs in life, and ordinary people can use them normally at regular doses due to their normal liver function.

If you have abnormal symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, yellow urine, and yellow eyes after taking the above drugs for a few days or a week, you should go to a regular hospital to test your liver function in time. Once drug-induced liver damage is diagnosed, sufficient calories, water and vitamins should be added, or hepatoprotective drugs such as glycyrrhizic acid preparations, reduced glutathione, and silymarin should be used as appropriate.

Summary:

Chinese herbal medicine is part of a larger healing system called Traditional Chinese Medicine. Herbs are prescribed to restore energy balance to the opposing forces of energy – Yin and Yang – that run through invisible channels in the body.