According to TCHM philosophy, Chinese herbs are prescribed to normalize imbalanced energy (“qi”) in the body. Whether or not the philosophy is believed, studies have shown Chinese herbal medicines to be successful in treating a range of disorders, particularly gynaecological and gastrointestinal disorders. 

This system of herbal medicine differs in several significant ways from European herbal medicine. While traditional Chinese herbal medicine makes almost exclusive use of herbal combinations, Western herbal tradition focuses on “simples,” or herbs taken by themselves. More importantly, TCHM formulas aren’t designed to treat symptoms of a specific illness, but instead are tailored specifically to the individual according to the complex principles of traditional Chinese medicine. For this reason, TCHM is potentially a deeply holistic healing approach.

A national survey showed that about one in five Americans use TCHM. TCHM is widely used in Asian countries, both in its traditional holistic form and in a simplified disease-oriented version.

The substances TCHM practitioners most commonly use come from different leaves, roots, stems, flowers, and seeds of plants such as cinnamon bark, ginger, ginseng, licorice, and rhubarb. Ginseng is the most broadly used substance for the broadest set of treatments.

TCHM draws from 11,500+ substances that are mainly plant-based, but do include preparations from animal and mineral sources. If you are opposed to the use of animal products in your treatment, please let your practitioner know.

Chinese herbal formulas supplement acupuncture and can be used to treat virtually any condition. Some of the most common uses in Asia include acute illness (flu, common cold, bug bites) to chronic diseases (such as allergies, gynecological disorders, autoimmune diseases, viral diseases, and degenerative diseases due to aging). Herbal medicine can also help maintain or create balance and health before disease sets in.

For a full list of conditions that could benefit from Chinese herbal medicine, click here.

(Below is a deeply simplified explanation; consider this a small taste!)

According to the principles of all Chinese medicine, health exists when the body is balanced and its energy is freely flowing. 

• “energy” refers to Qi (life energy that is said to animate the body). 
• “balance” refers to the relative factors of yin and yang  (the classic Taoist opposing forces of the universe).

In an ideal state, yin and yang in all their forms are perfectly balanced in every part of the body. However, external or internal factors can upset this balance, leading to disease. Chinese medical diagnosis and treatment involves identifying the factors that are out of balance and attempting to bring them back into harmony. 

Diagnosis according to TCHM differs greatly from Western diagnosis. To understand this, consider 2 hypothetical patients who both present the  single Western diagnosis of migraine headaches. In TCHM:

• Patient 1 might be diagnosed with “dryness in the liver & ascending Qi,” while
• Patient 2 might be diagnosed with “exogenous wind-cold.”

Based on these differing diagnoses, entirely different remedies might be applied. In other words, there is no such thing as a TCHM remedy for migraines per se; rather, treatment must be individualized to the imbalance determined by traditional theory.