Whenever Chinese Medicine is mention,  Acupuncture is usually the first thing we think of, but a major part of Chinese Medicine is actually the use of Chinese Herbals.

As with every tradition, the use of herbs as medicine predates all other therapies. just as human beings turned to nature for food and shelter, our ancestors also turned to nature for medicine. Even though our focus has changed through time, statistics are showing a return to this original instinct to look to nature for answers.

Of course, every country in the world has a herbal tradition. What makes the Chinese Herbology so unique is the fact that it was actually documented very early on, studied, and expanded upon by each generation, evolving itself into probably the most complex and detailed pharmacopoeia in the world. this is different than the other traditions that were largely based on oral traditions and lost through time.

Even the Western Medicine has its roots in herbology. Western pharmaceuticals developed directly from herbology. Around the 18th century western pharmacists recognized the fact that a natural substance can contain many ingredients-not all of which were responsible for its medicinal effect. Advances in chemistry and biology enabled "drugs" to be standardized. This method has become the entire focus of Western medicine. Researchers determine the "active ingedient" thought to have the primary healing property for a given condition and isolate it. once isolated, these active ingredients are concentrated to increase the potency of the effects.

Over Two thousand years ago, Chinese medical scholars were also aware of active ingredients but by the late 3rd century the unpleasant, and often times, severe side effects were noted. As a result they continued focusing on the whole natural substance, which contain ingredients that are meant to interact synergistically with the body to negate unwated effects. Herbs are whole food, containing within them fiber, vitamins/minerals, enzymes, as well as other active ingredients. The human body knows how to assimilate these substances because everything that is needed to ensure proper digestion is included.

Today, many of our pharmaceuticals are actually derived from natural substances-they estimate over 25%. For example, aspirin comes from the herb willow bark. To make a drug, researchers first have to determine the active ingredient, which is salicylic acid within willow bark in the case of aspirin. Next, they extract it, synthetically duplicate it in a lab (so that they no longer have to be dependent on the natural source) and concentrate to its strongest potential. Of course this is why pharmaceuticals are often times faster acting and more potent than herbal remedies, however, again it is also why they have more side effects.

Most, if not all of the bad press herbs have received over the years is because companies have manipulated natural ingredients-concentrating active ingredients to make them more potent, or because they were not adhering to the traditional methods of preparation which maintain the integrity of the whole herb.

Today, many people want to start taking herbs, but they have the misconception that they are not safe. many are waiting for more conclusive research studies to continue to be published before they are willing to attempt to include Chinese Herbs into their regime. However, I want to emphasize that Chinese Herbal Medicine has been around for over four thousand years, passed down from generation to generation, tested, tried and true. With all of the recent drug recalls, the importance of time tested medication is becoming more evident to both the medical establishments as well as the consumers.