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| Chinese Traditional Medicine |
Theoretical Framework of Traditional Chinese Medicine
 qi
(vital energy)
Traditional Chinese medicine is an important part of
the cultural heritage of the naton. Developed over the
couse of more than five thousand years, the system unique
because of its complete dialectical theoretical framework,
diagnostic methods, pharmacology, and special methods
of treatment including acupuncture and moxibustion,
deep breathing, and medical massage. (TOP)
Chinese medicine is based on the theories of yin
(negative) and yang (positive), and of the five
elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The yin
and yang theory holds that everything, or every
phenomenon in the universe, consists of two forces,
yin and yang that oppose each other and
at the same time complement each other. According to
this theory, the humanbody is also made up of yin
and yang elements. When there is a balance between
the two, there is no disease. If the balance in a person
is disturbed, he is sure to become ill. The theory of
the five elements assumes that the matial world is basically
made up of five elements metal, wood, water, fire, and
earth. Among these elements there exists an interdependence
and inter-restraint which determines their state of
constant changes. The human body is regarded as liver,
heart, spleen, lungs, and kidney correspond with the
five elements in the universe. For instance, the liver
is considered to have the quality of wood which can
be lit up by fire. Thus, a person with a liver disorder
can easily get angry. In this way, the development and
change of the physiological and pathological phenomena
in humans can be explained in terms of the developments
and changes in nature.
Guided by these two theories, doctors of traditional
Chinese medicine emphasize not only local treatment
but treament of the whole body, which is aimed at readjusting
its balance.Attention is also paid to the season of
the year, the environment, and living conditions of
thw patient. It is usually the case thar even if two
patients have the same symptoms and are diagnosed as
having the same disease, doctors of Chinese medicine
will prescribe different drugs for them because of the
differences in the internal and external conditions
of the patients. (TOP)
Another important theory in trditional Chinese medicine
is the theory of jing and luo which is
the basis of such therapeutic treatments as acupuncture
and moxibustion. According to the theory, the internal
organs and the limbs of the human body are related and
linked by channels through which blood and qi
(vital energy) criculate. The main channels that run
longitudinallu are called jing while the branches
that run latitudinally are called luo. If there
is a blockage in either jing or luo, the
blood and vital energy can not pass through. In time
it affects a person's health. To clear the blockage
and ensure the free flow of blood and vital energy is
the first and fundamental step in curing a disease.
Books on traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology
have played an important role in developing the science.
Some medical books have enjoyed great influence. The
Yellow Emperor's Canon of Medicine, written by unknown
medical scholars during the Warring States Period (475-221
BC), was the first complete summary of ancient Chinese
medicine. It explains human anatomy, physiology, pulse,
diagnosis, and treatment. Shen Nong's Canon of Herbs,
written in the firest and second centuries, is the earliest
extant book on Chinese pharmacology. It summarizes the
experience of ancient Chinese in useing medicinal substances.
Golden Prescriptions for Emergencies and Supplementary
Golden Prescriptions, by Sun Simiao (581-682), contain
the medical achievements made before Sun and his own
contributions. The Compendim of Materia Medica,
written by the world famous pharmacologist and physician
Li Shizhen (1518-1593) was a major pharmacopoeia of
the sixteenth century. It details more than eighteen
hundred drugs and includes eleven hundred illustrations
and eleven thousand prescriptins. These and many other
medical books have helped to enrich and to develop traditional
Chinese medicine.
Diagnosis and Pharmacology
In traditional Chinese medicine, doctors use four basic
diagnostic methods: observing, listenin and smelling,
inquiring, and palpating. To diagnose a disease, a Chinese
physician observes the patient's facial expression,
skin colour and sensation, tongue coating, and nutrition;
listens to te patient's voice, moans, breathing and
cough, and smells his body odour; inquires about the
disease condition and history, and feels his pulse so
as to find out the disease condition and history, and
feels hie pulse. Of the four methods, pulse-feeling
or palpation is the most important. The doctor uses
three fingers to feel the pulse so as to find out the
quality, power, rate, and rhythm of the patient's pulse.
A good doctor can distinguish more than twenty types
of pulse. Through palpation he can diagnose what the
disease is. These four methods are believed to have
been systemized by Bian Que, a physician who lived in
the Warring States Period.
In addition to the four fundamental methods of diagnosis,
such laboratory examinations as testing the urine were
used in ancient times. The Secret Prescriptions Revealed
by a Provincial Governor records the testing of
the urine of a jaundice patient. In the tests, small
pieces of silk were used. Then the shades of colour
of those pieces of silk were compared to find out whether
the patient was improving.
Doctors of Chinese medicine adopt various methods to
treat diseases. One of them is utilizing medicinal herbs,
animals, and minerals. The legend about Shen Nong (God
of Husbandry) tasting a hundred kinds of herbs shows
that the ancient Chinese used natural substances to
cure diseases. Shen Nong's Canon of Herbs, compiled
in the first and second centuries, records more than
three hundred natural drugs including herbs, fruit,
cereals, insects, anmals, fish,and metals. Li Shizhen
(1518-1593), the most outstanding pharmacologist and
physician in the sixteenth century, conducted investigations
and researched the effects of different kinds of drugs.
In order to learn more about the numerous medicinal
herbs, he went into the mountains and wilds and talked
with farmers, woodcutters, herb collectors, and hunters.
He even planted some herbs himself and tased them to
see their effects. On the basis of his investigation
and research, he completed his great work on pharmacology,
Compendium of Materia Medica, in 1578. The book
contains about one million nine hundred thousand characters
and lists more than eighteen hundred kinds of drugs.
It has played an important role in traditional Chinese
medicine. (TOP)
Since the estaablishment of New China, the Chinese
government has made great efforts to promote the development
of natural medicines, which are bellieved to have minor
or no side-effects. In 1983, the State Council organized
professional investigative groups with twenty thousand
members from all over the country to carry out a nation-wide
investigation of the varieties of medicines. Their research
reveals that of the thirty thousand plants that exist
in China, one third havemedicinal value. On the basis
of the results of the investigation, experts have written
several books including Resources of Traditional
Chinese Medicine, Divisions of Traditional Medicine
in China, and A Collection of Maps of Traditional
Chinese Medicine. All this work enriches man's knowledge
in using natural medicine agatinst disease.
There are various drug forms in Chinese medicine. In
ancient times people just chewed medicinal herbs and
swallowed them. With the discovery of fire, the decoction
form was used. Beause boiling can sterilize the herbs
and enables the effective ingredients to dissolve, decoction
is still the most common drug form used today. Tincture
was also popular in ancient times. Oracle bone inscriptions
indicate thata wine was used with drugs as long ago
as the Shang Dynasty (c.16th-11th century BC). Doctors
of Chinese medicine believe that wine can enhance the
therapeutic effecet and preserve the property of drugs.
Dispersion, mentioned in many classical medical books,
is another drug form. Medical substances are ground
into powder and the patient takes the powder or applies
it to the affected area. Ointment has been used for
a long time. Some ointments are used for relieving pain;
some for reducing the inflammation of boils; some for
the healing of a wound. Drugs are also made into the
paste form has been very popular. Various drugs are
ground into power and then made into pills. Since New
China was founded, drug forms have been improved. They
are more convenient for patients to take. Many drugs
which used to be taken in the decoction form are made
into pills, powder, syrup, capsules, and even injections.
(TOP)
Acupuncture and Moxibustion
Acupuncture and moxibustion form an indispensable part
of Chinese medicine. They are used to treat not only
chronic diseases but also some acute ones. Acupuncture
is an ancient Chinese method of treating a disease or
relieving pain by inserting one or more metal needles
at a certain point or certain points of the human body.
According to ancient Chinese medical literature, the
first acupuncture needles were made of stone and called
bian stones. The bian stone (a sharp flat
stone) was used to cut sores and ulcers, and to prick
on a certain part of the body to treat diseases. With
the development of metallurgical techniques, metal needle
gradually took the place of bian stones. The
bronze needle excavated in Dalad, Inner Mongolia, in
1978, and the four gold needles and five silver needles
unearthed in Mancheng, Hebei Province, in 1968, show
that metal needles were already used two thousand years
ago. Ancient Chinese doctors used nine kinds of needles:
the round needle, the blunt needle, the three-edge needle,
the sword needle, the round sharp needle, the long needle,
the large needle, the filiform needle, and the arrowhead
needle.
The acupuncture therapy is based on the jing
and luo theory. According to this theory, the
human body has a network of jing and luo
running through it. The "line" that runs longitudinally
is jing (channel) and any of the branches that
diverge from jing is luo (collateral).
Qi (vital energy) circulates through jing
(channels) and luo (collaterals). Stimulating
certain points along the channels and collaterals by
inserting needles can cure a disorder of the circulation
of qi. (TOP)
In order to get the desired effect, an acupuncturist
should pay great attention to the basic techniques including
the way the needles is inserted: rapidly or slowly,
perpendicularly or in a tilted manner, the depth of
the insertion, the length of time the needle shold be
left in the body, and the number of needles required
for the treatment.
Since the founding of New China great progress has
been made in the research of acupuncture and new techniques
have been invented. One of them is the electrical stimulation,
in which a weak electric current is connected to the
needle. Another is the point laser stimulation, in which
a laser is concentrated on certain points. This therapy
can increase the patient's immunity. The point magnetic
therapy combines acupuncture and magnetic treatment.
It is used to cure sprains and bruises, rheumatic arthritis
and high blood pressure. Ear acupuncture has been very
popular in recent years. More than two hundred points
have been found on the ears and forty of them have turned
out to be very effective.
Moxibustion, which is also based on the jing
and luo theory, is widely used in China. The
therapy was discovered by ancient people when they sat
around a fire. They found that the heat not only kept
them warm but also relieved certain physical paints.
At first they used such things as branches and grass
to treat diseases. Then they started to use moxa leaves
together with other substances for the same purpose.
Today, in the treatment moxa leaves are ignited over
certain points on the skin's surface. According to Li
Shizhen's Materia Medica, "Artemisia chinensis
(moxa) has the effect of warming the spleen and stomach
and dispelling cold and damp." Modern science has
proved that moxa leaves contain volatile oil and burning
them can eliminate pathogenic strain.
Chinese Herbs
Ginseng
Chinese traditional medicine stresses preventive measures
against diseases. For centuries, taking tonics in winter
has been considered as effective means of making up
for deficiencies of the internal organs and of enhancing
one's vitality.
Ginseng is considered best for people with such symptoms
as dizziness, palpitation, forgetfulness, weariness,
night sweat, or kidney pain.
Legend has it that in ancient times, ginseng was a
fairy in the likeness of a male infant. It was said
that he who was lucky enough to catch and eat it could
ascend to heaven and live forever, but the fairy had
to be caught in complete darkness.
At that time, there was a tyrant who had just lost
a war and was in a rage, especially against a capable
general who had advised against the invasion. He jailed
tha general and announced that he would be set free
only if his son could produce the fairy. Meanwhile,
the father faced starvation, as the tyrant never gave
his victims any food.
The young man went to the place where he had often
seen the fairy dancing in the grass. Sure enough, the
fairy appeared, but as the young man drew near, it vanished.
But the youth had a plan. He put a leather bag over
the spot where theh little fairy usually emerged from
the earth, and then he sat beside it, holding his breath.
When he felt something inside the bag, he quickly closed
its mouth. The fairy was caught.
The fairy begged for mercy. The young man was moved
but explained that the life of his father was at stake.
"Set me free, good hearts are always rewarded,"
the fairy assured him. (TOP)
The young men opened the bag and set the fairy free.
The fairy thanked him and them told him to return and
dig in the place where he had caught it, after his father's
corpse was returned to him. As soon as the general's
body was sent home (he had starved to death), the young
man did as the fairy had directed, and found a root
that looked exactly like the infant fairy. He tasted
it, felt vigorous and lost his hunger. He put some in
his father's mouth and he came back to life. The young
man named the root "ginseng".
There are two main kinds of ginseng: wild ginseng and
cultivated ginseng. Wild ginseng grows mainly in ancient
forests in the mountains of Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces.
It is rare and extremely hard to find, very nourshing,
and powerful. Consult a physician, preferably a doctor
of traditional Chinese medicine, before taking it. However,
a small daily dosage of less than three grams either
steamed or boiled will not hurt anyone.
The ways of taking ginseng are as follows:
Soup: Three or five grams of thinly sliced ginseng
are soaked in a glass of water for a few hours and then
steamed. Various herbal medicines can be added during
steaming for different diseases, but again it is advisable
to consult a physician.
Ginseng Tea: Soak ginseng in water and drink
the resulting tea before breakfast and before going
to bed.
Ginseng Powder: Grind the ginseng into powder
form.
Ginseng Wine: Put the whole root into liquor
and close the bottle tightly. After two hours, a small
cup may be taken every day.
Ginseng Chicken: Boil the chicken with three
to five grams of ginseng in a pot. After a few minutes,
turn down heat and simmer until the chicken is well
done. The juice is used by those who have lost much
blood in surgery or childbirth. (TOP)
Danggui (Medicinal Herb Angelica)
Angelica (danggui) is a herb often included in a prescription
when using Chinese traditional medicines.
Taking three years to mature, the herb produces a large,
fleshy root having a slight bittersweet taste. It has
a mildly supportive function in treating abnormal menstruation,
rheumatism, ulcers, bruises, fractures and strains.
Angelica is grown widely in China's Gansu, Sichuan,
Yunnan, Shanxi, Guizhou and Hubei provinces. But that
raised in Gansu's Minxian County (thus mingui) is famous
for its top quality. This County's angelica makes up
80 percent of China's export of the herb each year.
The fine quality of mingui angelica owes a great deal
to Minxian county's particular natural conditions and
the local people's experience in cultivating it. The
county lies among deep valleys and mountains ranging
up to 3,600 metres. It gets 700 mm of rainy seasons.
Though winters are cold, the freezing period is short.
The soil is sandy loam, fertile and soft.
These conditions are highly favorable for growing angelica.
Long tradition has endowed the local peasants with sophisticated
techqiques of cultivating it. Every family has a small
plot. A county angelica research institute helps improve
quality.
The use of angelica in the treatment of diseases can
be traced back to the Han Dynasty 2,000 years ago. Nowadays,
analysis shows that it contains volatile oil, sugar
and vitamins.
To build up health, the Chinese people like to steep
it in white wines or use it in cooking chicken and mutton.
New products containing angelica have appeared such
as cigarettes and wines. The Fuci Pharmaceutical Plant
in Lanzhou makes angelica tablets which are in great
demand at home and abroad. In 1981 the plant began turning
out drinks containing angelica.
(TOP)
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