| Furthermore, there are five categories within the superior class of chinese herbs, and some herbs may fit more than one category. These categories include:
• Qi tonics: Herbs that increase physiological energy production and are used to treat the depletion of qi. Examples include Asian ginseng, dang shen, eleuthero, ginseng, licorice, and prince seng.
• Blood (xue) tonics: Herbs that nourish the blood and are especially useful for women. Examples include he shou wu, lycium, processed rehmannia, and dang gui. |
| Chinese herbs that have been identified as adaptogens are all considered superior herbs (see chapter 7 for additional discussions on safety).
When looking at therapeutic treatment for patients, the best outcome may be the result of a form of complementary medicine in which both pharmaceutical drugs and medicinal herbs are used, if necessary, to complement each other and best meet the needs of the individual being treated. |
| There are some exceptions to the general rule of foul-tasting chinese herbs. In fact, some herbs (see chapter 12, "Adaptogens as Food") are cooked in rice porridge or soups as nourishing tonic remedies.
Standardized Herbal Products
Standardized herbal products frequently are recommended in the literature, especially by authors who are not herbalists. The idea that each dose of an herb has the exact same levels of active constituents is an attractive concept and a comfortable one for practitioners used to dealing with pharmaceutical products. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
See book keywords and concepts |
 Some of the chinese herbs most readily found in U.S. herb and natural food stores include astragalus, Chinese ginseng, ginkgo biloba, gotu kola, licorice root, dong quai, ginger, and schizandra.
Every Native American nation has its own herbal medicine tradition based on the plants growing in the geographic area where it lives. Common among all Native American cultures is the spirituality attached to the gathering and use of herbs, and many peoples use the same herbs both medicinally and ceremonially. |
Amarjit S. Basra
See book keywords and concepts |
 Huperzia serrata, one of the most commonly used chinese herbs for the treatment of contusion, strain, and swelling. Pharmacological studies indicated that it has a highly selective and long-lasting inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase (AchE) in the brain, and is capable of enhancing learning ability and memories in rat and mouse experimental models.7 It is known that AchE inhibitors can be used to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). |
Michael Friedman, ND
See book keywords and concepts |
 In those cases, it appears that chinese herbs provide better results than using drugs alone. Only a small number of individuals fail to respond to the Oriental therapies.
There is a clear pattern of herb selection for treatment of thyroid diseases. When thyroid nodules or swellings are present, phlegm-resolving herbs are used. Other herbs are selected for treatment of specific syndromes or symptoms. Hyperthyroid cases are treated with yin nourishing and/or fire purging herbs while hypothyroid cases are treated with qi and yang tonifying herbs. |
| Western drugs used in conjunction with chinese herbs help to resolve symptoms during the treatment period and appear to enhance the overall effects of the therapy towards attaining a cure or major resolution of the disease. Acupuncture and moxibustion also improve the effects of Chinese herb therapy, though their impact on total duration of treatment has not been ascertained. From a single study with moxibustion, it appears this technique can provide rapid relief for hypothyroid cases. |
| Treatment of hypothyroidism with chinese herbs. Journal of Guiyang Traditional Chinese Medicine College 1990;1.
23. Hu Guosheng, et al. A clinical study of treating Hashimoto's thyroiditis by moxibustion. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine [English] 1987;7(2).
24. Hsu Hong-yen. Chinese herb therapy for hyperthyroidism. Bulletin of the Oriental Healing Arts Institute 1983;8(3).
25. Kikutani Toyohiko. Clinical research on hyperthyroidism. Bulletin of the Oriental Healing Arts Institute 1984;9(6).
26. Abe Hiroko and Kodashima Shukuo. |
| Animal experiments of chinese herbs in treating hypothyroid model rat. Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine 1991;11(2).
50. Kuang Ankun, et al. Effect of traditional Chinese medicine on primary hypothyroidism in relation to nuclear T3 receptors in lymphocytes. Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine 1988;8(11).
51. Chen Zhichai and Xu Ziyin. Clinical observation on Fuzhen Xiaoyin formula applied to treat 38 cases of autoimmune thyroiditis. Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine 1992;12(10). |
| Treating Cancer with chinese herbs. Long Beach, CA: Oriental Healing Arts Institute, 1990.
Kikutani Toyohiko. Combined Use of Western Therapies and Chinese Medicine. Long Beach, CA: Oriental Healing Arts Institute, 1987.
Shang Xianmin, et al. Practical Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology Clinical Experiences. Beijing, China: New World Press, 1990.
Shao Nianfang, compiler. The Treatment of Knotty Diseases with Chinese Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Jinan, China: Shandong Science and Technology Press, 1990.
Zhang Ren and Dong Zhi Lin. |
| Among the group treated with chinese herbs, 55% of those with hyperthyroid conditions and 93% of those with hypothyroid conditions had normal thyroid levels following treatment. There was no significant difference between this outcome and the results of using Western medicine in the control group.
It is not evident from these two studies that the addition of qi and blood regulating herbs enhanced the outcome of treatment compared to relying primarily on qi and yang tonic herbs alone. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
See book keywords and concepts |
| The following chinese herbs support sinus health:
• Magnolia flower (Magnolia liliflora, also known as xho yi hua) has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine to open nasal passages and relieve headaches associated with sinus problems.
• Scutellaria (Scutellaria baicalensis) root contains powerful flavonoids and antioxidants that enhance the immune system. It inhibits the contraction of tissues in allergic reactions.
• Trichosanth (Trichosanthes kirilowii) has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine to benefit the respiratory system. |
| Polygala root and sour jujube seed are powerful chinese herbs known to soothe and calm the spirit.
Q For some individuals, St. John's wort is good for depression and nerve pain.
Q Siberian ginseng helps the body cope with stress.
þ Skullcap is good for nervous disorders. It also relieves headaches and aids sleep.
Q Valerian keeps the nervous system from being overwhelmed. It also is a powerful sleep aid when taken at bedtime and helps to ease stress-related headaches.
Q Wild oat is said to restore balance to the nervous system. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 Amazon herbs, Western herbs, chinese herbs and even medicinal mushrooms from Japan.
NutrientReference.com is a reference database of healing nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and phytonutrients like anthocyanins or saponins. Using this online reference site, you can find out which nutrients help certain health conditions, or even which foods contain specific nutrients.
SupplementReference.com is the smallest of these sites, listing dietary supplements like psyllium, glucosamine and others that don't quite qualify as individual nutrients. |
Mike Adams
See book keywords and concepts |
 Most women experience a great deal of success in treating menstrual disorders with chinese herbs and acupuncture.
In terms of acupuncture and acupressure, there are specific points that tend to be very helpful for menstrual pain. Those are known as the spleen meridian points, spleen 6, spleen 8, and spleen 10. But this isn't a self-treatment issue. You do need to see a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in order to have these points treated correctly with acupressure or acupuncture. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 Whether it's chinese herbs or rainforest botanicals, I prefer to taste the medicine I'm taking. But you may not want to (most westerners, who eat far too much sugar, find these herbs to be extremely bitter). And that's the whole point of the capsules. You can take these herbs and benefit from them without having to taste them if you don't want to.
There are two other major advantages worth noting. The liquid forms of these herbs are far more potent than the powders, and they're much easier to assimilate. |
Mike Adams
See book keywords and concepts |
| Visiting a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctor is also highly recommended for liver issues. chinese herbs are very good at improving liver function and reducing stagnation. Plus, a good TCM doctor will address your spleen, lungs, heart and other body systems at the same time.
Digestion and elimination
Along with the liver, another crucial organ system is your digestive system. And as you might have suspected, most people simply don't have fully-functioning digestive systems or elimination systems. |
| The liver is one of the key organs recognized by Chinese medicine as being important for detoxification and the flow of energy throughout the body, and many chinese herbs can promote and support healthy liver function. In fact, in almost every system of medicine, except Western medicine, you find herbs and plants to support the liver. |
Lesley Tierra
See book keywords and concepts |
 Because deficiencies in the body need to be handled from a building rather than eliminative approach, chinese herbs with their thousands of years of use and understanding are perfect for this. Since more and more Western herbalists are beginning to understand this, chinese herbs are becoming increasingly easy to find in herbal stores throughout the United States, and even in other Western countries. Many are even being grown here, and some day soon we should have readily available organically grown chinese herbs. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
See book keywords and concepts |
| Oriental herbs are a recent addition to the American herb scene, with the influx of several popular chinese herbs. The Chinese are today's foremost herbalists, drawing on thousands of years of experience in compounding and processing roots and herbs. In the Asian tradition, herbs are used to bring the whole body into balance and harmony. They are taken daily as a preventive measure, rather than as a treatment once illness has occurred. In the Orient, medicinal herbs often find their way into foods as seasoning and ingredients. |
Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Any diabetic who chooses to try traditional chinese herbs needs two doctors, though: one skilled in traditional Chinese medicine and the other up-to-date on endocrinology, especially diabetes treatment. It might be challenging to organize their close collaboration, but it is essential.
BITTER MELON
Bitter melon, or Momordica charantia, is a plant in the cucumber/squash family that is used as a vegetable as well as a medicine in much of China.244 It does not increase insulin production, but it seems to improve sugar uptake by the cells. |
| CHINESE HERBAL FORMULAS
There are a number of chinese herbs that are traditionally prescribed in complex formulas. Several herbs are included to help potentiate and balance the main ingredient or ingredients. An objective analysis of available research evidence by the Cochrane Library found that several of these have been reported to lower blood sugar in controlled trials, but that the quality of the studies is fairly questionable overall.243 The reviewers suggest that herbal medicines such as holy basil or Bushen Jiang-tang Tang merit further study. We can't disagree. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
See book keywords and concepts |
| Chinese herbs are very powerful and should be used under the advice of a healer trained in traditional Chinese medicine. There are more than 5,000 herbs in the Chinese pharmacopeia, many of them unknown to Western practitioners. Along with commonly known herbals, such as astragalus (which enhances immune function) and reishi (the mushroom of immortality), traditional Chinese remedies that have been becoming more widely available in the United States include cordyceps and velvet antler (also sometimes called antler velvet). |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 Mike: It's worth mentioning, too, that in the world of chinese herbs that people may not know, the Tamiflu anti-viral drug is, of course, sourced from the star anise Chinese herb.
Wolfe: That's amazing.
Mike: Did you know that when they manufactured that, there's a stage at which it is highly explosive?
Wolfe: No, I didn't know that. I'm not surprised.
Mike: I was reading this in Fortune magazine. I kid you not. At some point this stuff is like plastic explosives. It can go up in flames if they don't handle it very carefully, so that's a lesson when you try to extract chemicals from nature. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 REPPED: You may be surprised to learn that as much as prescription drugs are now being shown to be dangerous for human health, there's also a big problem in the way people turn to alternative medicines such as chinese herbs, Western herbs, nutritional supplements and superfood supplements. And that problem is not in those remedies themselves, but rather in the way people use them to address their health challenges.
But to fully explain that problem, let's take a closer look at how people view prescription drugs. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 The FDA has well proven it's going to defend the financial interests of the pharmaceutical industry at all costs, it's going to discredit supplements and herbs (and especially chinese herbs) at every opportunity and it's going to completely ignore any standards of safety for prescription drugs.
For example, the FDA panel voted to put Vioxx back on the market, even though this drug – according to the FDA's own drug researcher, Dr. David Graham – has caused 144,000 heart attacks, and at least 40 percent of those were fatal. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 Deadly, dangerous chinese herbs may have possibly killed someone somewhere! Drug companies need billions of dollars in drug profits to find the cure for cancer! Evidence-based medicine is credible! These are the type of headlines constructed by news repeaters.
Fictitious disease - A fabricated disease invented for the sole purpose of creating a new market for patented drugs. ADHD is the prime example of a fictitious disease, and the psychiatric community is now well-practiced at labeling human behaviors "brain chemistry imbalances that need to be treated with chemicals. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 The Western herbs are much more written about. chinese herbs sometimes can't even be pronounced, let alone understood. So we've tried to take the mystery out of it by using names like Blood Sugar Balance, Clear Lungs, Sinus Clear -- things that people can understand. By doing that, we've had a lot of success because one thing I think people do understand is that the Chinese knew what they were doing and still know what they're doing when it comes to herbal medicine. The question is: How do you understand it yourself and use it to your benefit?
Mike: Good point. |
Joseph E. Mario
See book keywords and concepts |
 Dean Black, Essentials of Chinese Herbs; courtesy of Sunrider Company.
'CHINESE ACUPRF.SSURE/RF.Fl.EXOLOGY/Kinesiology (milder than acupuncture) using the 14 hand or foot energy channels to the glands by massage and direct pressure rubbing on the 360 pressure points; including Shiatsu massage from the Orient. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
| Mike: A lot of people are used to seeing Western herbs in this kind of packaging or going to a health food store and finding Western herbs, but even though traditional chinese herbs are more common now, people still tend to associate them with Chinese herbal medicine shops. You are Westernizing the packaging and the naming of traditional Chinese medicine. I think that's innovative.
St. Clair: Well, we've actually been doing this now for about 12 years, and, initially, some of our formulas were used just in practitioners' offices and not in health food stores. |
Email this page to a friend
