History of Chinese Herbal Medicine
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The system of herbal medicine that developed in China differs in many significant ways from European herbal medicine. The most obvious difference is that Western herbal tradition focuses on herbs “simple,” or herbs taken by themselves.
In contrast, traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCHM by its initials) makes almost exclusive use of herbal combinations. More importantly, these formulas are not designed to treat the symptoms of a specific disease, instead, are made specifically for the individual in accordance with the complex principles of traditional Chinese medicine. For this reason, TCHM is potentially a deeply holistic approach. On the other hand, is more difficult to use and to study than its Western counterpart.The TCHM is widely used in Asian countries, both in its traditional holistic form as a simple version geared to the disease. There has been little evidence of TCHM properly designed, but the evidence base remains highly inadequate. In addition to questions related to the effectiveness, remain serious security concerns to be addressed.
History of Chinese Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal medicine have a long historical tradition, while not as ancient as popularly believed. The old herbalist in China focused on potions whose function was part medicinal and magical part, and lacked a substantial theoretical basis. Sometime between the second century A.C. and the second century AD, the theoretical foundations of traditional Chinese medicine were exposed, but the focus was more on acupuncture than in hierbas.1 only until about the twelfth century AD C. profound Chinese medical principles were applied in its entirety as part of an herbal treatment, establishing a method that can be called TCHM. This was later refined and elaborated during various periods of active theorizing in the fourteenth century until the nineteenth century. Western concepts of illness came on the scene in the twentieth century, leading to subsequent changes.
In China today, the TCHM is used along with conventional pharmaceutical treatment. There have been several attempts to bring to TCHM a scientific assessment, but most Chinese studies published on the subject lack the current scientific standards. (For example, generally lack a placebo group.)
In the vicinity of Japan, a variation of the TCHM system known as Kampo has become popular, and the Japanese Health Ministry has approved many Kampo remedies for medical use. The scientific basis for these remedies remains incomplete, but a number of moderately good quality studies have been reported.
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