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 The
use of herbs, along with acupuncture and acupressure, is a major
component of the system of traditional Chinese medicine or TCM.
Doctors of traditional Chinese
medicine usually practice under the title "licensed"
or "certified", acupuncturist; they prescribe herbal
combinations according to complex rules of diagnosis, which
are intended to help the body correct imbalances of energies.
In TCM, ailments are believed to be caused by disturbances in
the bodily flow of a type of energy called chi, or by a lack
of balance in the complementary states of yin (which is characterized
by darkness and quiet) and yang (which is characterized by light
and activity).
Chinese herbs, like other TCM remedies
(such as minerals and animal products, like hide and bone),
can be prepared in numerous ways: steeped in hot water to make
a tea or infusion; boiled to produce a stronger solution called
a decoction; used to make powders, pills or syrups that may
all be taken internally; and fashioned into plasters or poultices
that are applied to the skin. Treatments should be prescribed
and monitored by a trained practitioner, because some Chinese
herbs can be toxic in large doses; others, such as safflower
flowers should be used with caution during pregnancy. Complex
mixtures should be formulated only by a trained practitioner.
In recent years, Chinese herbal
medicine has been subjected to increasingly rigorous study. The
evidence indicates that although some remedies do not perform
as claimed, others are effective. In China today, herbal remedies
are often prescribed along with modern biomedical treatments.
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