The Unity of Chinese Herbs

When I first started Chinese Herbology i had to learn EACH herb by:

-Identifying it

-Knowing the pharmaceutical effect

-Knowing the organs it treats and targets

-Knowing the toxicology and safety

-Indications of disease

-The Dosages

But then things got complicated.

At University we started to learn formulas, meaning we went from understanding each herb and their property to then having to memorise between 6-20 herbs per formula with specific doses and effects.

Something I learnt very early on when studying Chinese Medicine is that prescribing singular herbs is like choosing 1 acupuncture point to treat a person’s condition.

It won’t really do the job.

So when you assess and diagnose a patient - you prescribe them a FORMULA.

Chinese Herbal Medicine is superior in that sense, due to the fact that they are tried, true and tested formulas based on thousands of years of experience and refinement.

The legends of Chinese Herbal Medicine found that COMBINED herbs have a synergetic effect on its counterparts. They additionally established that formulas are attributed to the specific individual’s pattern and root cause.

I believe this is why modern research find it harder to establish an official therapeutic link. Controlled trials cannot account for individual differences such as diagnosis and bodily patterns.

Singular herbs that had an effect taken on its own could have a completely different effect on the body when combined with other herbs 😯 and that effect being much stronger and antidotal.

We are ONE of the only Traditional Medicines that uses formulas in herbalism. 😍 (I’m pretty sure Ayurvedic is the other).

Until next time,

Dr. Alana Green (Chinese Medicine