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Understanding
Chinese Herbology -
Gena Fleming
For
westerners, the preparation of a Chinese herbal tea requires
ressolve and dedication. The patient may be given several paper bags, each containing a variety of roots, stems and leaves sufficient for about a two-day supply of tea. To begin, the contents of the first bag is emptied into a nonmetal pot and covered with water. The water is brought to a boil, then the heat is reduced and the mixture is simmered for about 20 minutes. The herbal decoction is strained and set aside. Then more water is added to the herbs and the process is repeated. This tea is then strained and added to the first brew.
The tea is drunk hot. It is usually a strong, murky brew that leaves no doubt as to the earthiness of its origins or the authority of its action. For those who persevere, the rewards can be astonishing. This individualized decoction is designed to cure specifically what ails them. They begin to feel differently, the way their body functions begins to change. This tea, after all, is brewed from assorted life forms, not chemical agents. The disease is not attacked. The patient is transformed.
Syndrome
Differentiation. Patients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) frequently ask what herbs can be used to treat western diseases. But TCM does not treat according to a standardized protocol for a given disease. Whatever the diagnosis, the TCM practitioner also arrives at a syndrome differentiation, based on the inner landscape or individual constitution underlying the disease. After extensive questioning and examination, including tongue and pulse diagnosis, the practitioner discerns an underlying pattern of disharmony, or syndrome differentiation. The syndromes go by names such as “Liver Qi Stagnation”, Kidney Yin Deficiency with Deficient Fire”, “Heart Spleen Disharmony”, etc. which do not correspond neatly to western concepts of health or disease but denote common patterns of disharmony for the inner landscape. Herbal formulations are selected with both the diagnosis and syndrome differentiation in mind.
Chinese Herbs and Herbology. Chinese herbology does not refer to the use of herbs from China, but rather the use of any plant, animal or mineral substance, from any locale, according the principles of Chinese herbology. Thousands of years of recorded clinical experience have resulted in extensive knowledge about each herb. This knowledge includes taste and properties, which organs and meridians the herb goes to, and very specific actions for each herb. These actions are known through empirical observations of their effects in humans. They may best described in terms of energetic properties of the herb, rather than biochemical actions.
Herbs in
Formulations. Chinese herbology excels in the creation of herbal formulas specifically designed to address individualized patterns of disharmony. The use of herbs in formulas contrasts markedly with the active ingredient approach of western drugs, as well as the use of single herbs in western herbology. Unlike western herbology, Chinese herbology seldom uses single herbs in isolation. In fact, using a strong medicinal herb by itself, without other herbs in a formula to qualify its effects, is considered virtually synonymous with malpractice. Exceptions are milder herbs which are used alone as beverage teas, and those plants which are considered both as food and medicine. Another exception are the ginsengs, which are frequently taken alone.
Many formulas used today are based on traditional formulas developed over a thousand years ago. These traditional formulas are modified to more closely meet the individual’s symptoms. Modern clinical experience and findings based on western medical research may also influence which herbs are added to a formula.
The creation of a Chinese formula is not unlike the planning of a therapeutic meal. Certainly a pot roast with vegetables is more warming and suitable to winter time, while a salad and baked chicken has a lighter effect. But they are both complete and balanced meals. We would not just throw down some flour mixed with water, an onion, or a pile of pickles on a plate and serve it to our family. Although all of these are food items and can be nourishing as an ingredient in a properly prepared recipe, we would not expect them by themselves to be easily assimilated or beneficial. We also would not want everything in the meal to be composed only of protein, only fat or carbohydrates. The balancing effect of a well orchestrated meal does not render it indistinguishable from other balanced meals, but rather contributes to the special character and uniqueness.
Similarly, although Chinese herbal formulas are designed with very specific medicinal effects in mind, the herbs which address the primary symptoms are used in combination with other herbs that balance the formula and mitigate adverse effects. For example, a person with edema might be given a formula with herbs that are diuretic, but also some herbs that should protect vital fluids so it is not too drying, and some herbs to help support kidney function so the edema is less likely to be generated by the body in the first place. Occasionally, severe conditions may require formulas that are more dramatic in their effect, that can not be adjusted sufficiently for long term use and still retain their effectiveness. Such formulas are given only for short term use, or their use may need to be periodic for chronic disease.
Functional Change. Western medicine and TCM are very different medical perspectives, and each has their own respective strengths and weaknesses. Chinese herbal formulations can make substantive changes in the functional capacity of organs and genuinely transform a person’s health. Western drugs excel when functional changes are no longer feasible, or when an infectious agent genuinely threatens to overwhelm the organism. For example, a person with type 1 diabetes must have insulin injections because the pancreatic cells which produce this hormone have been destroyed. Antibiotics are necessary to treat virulent infections where the person’s underlying constitution is no match to throw it off alone.
But true functional change is a possibility much more often than we tend to realize, especially if problems are addressed in their early stages. For this reason, while Chinese herbs may need to be taken for an extended period of time, they are not generally intended to be taken forever. After a while, the person’s organic function is expected to be sufficiently transformed and should be able to maintain without further assistance from the herbs. This is true for a wide range of gynecologic, respiratory, nervous and digestive problems.
Therapeutic
Effects. While herbal formulations do not always work as quickly as western drugs, their effects are generally more fundamentally transformative. In other words, although herbs may need to be taken for an extended period of time, the goal is to eventually effect a functional change which the body can maintain itself. Conversely, taking western medication for chronic conditions can foster dependence on them, and rebound effects are likely to occur when the drugs are discontinued.
Unlike western drugs, which are targeting a single effect with an isolated compound, formulations are valued for their multiplicity of effects. Drugs are used primarily to control symptoms or attack disease. This is not the goal of Chinese medicine. The primary focus of TCM is not on the disease, but on the person who is host to the disease.
For this reason, side effects are not acceptable in Chinese herbology. This does not mean that herbs used in TCM have no toxic effects, or that it is impossible to have an adverse effect from a Chinese herbal formula. If an adverse effect is experienced, even a mild one such as headache or nausea, it means the formula is not right for the individual and they should stop taking it immediately. The practitioner may want to change the formula, or simply adjust it for the desired effect to be achieved.
Chinese herbs are supposed to bring one into a state of more healthful balance. They are not waging war inside the body with the idea that a certain number of adverse consequences are necessary to achieve a higher good. The goal is rather to bring the entire organism into a functional equilibrium, orchestrating communication between all the organs, fluids, energies and emotions. You know you have the right formula when your entire system begins to function more effectively and harmoniously. This reflects a higher integrity of the organism, an increase in one’s ability to function as an integrated whole. Without resort to control of symptoms or killing disease, a form of victory is nonetheless achieved: the careful cultivation of biologic peace.
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