History of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine
As the name implies, Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) is derived from plants growing in the ground. However, nearly all medicine, from the beginning of time and in every culture and civilization, has been brewed, stewed and squeezed to make a potion from a plant growing in the ground.
Herbalists have added other ingredients, such as shells which provide minerals, in hopes of improving the medicine, said prayers over it to increase its power and now, scientists in laboratories spend hours and money to replicate what was once done by nature and the medicine man.
Written Tradition Helped Preserve Chinese Herbal Medicine
Some civilizations improved their methods of healing and their knowledge of the human body over the ages. Some didn’t. Survival of a civilization was, to some degree, dependent upon the extent to which medical knowledge was pursued and applied.
The success of the Chinese people is attributed to several aspects of their society. They have enjoyed a long and unbroken span of building upon what knowledge they had. What is more, they chronicled their findings from a very early time. Though they have suffered changes in government, their scientific knowledge and books were nearly always left unharmed, unchanged and improvements continued uninterrupted. They resisted influence from other civilizations and continued to rely upon their herbal medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Civilization
In western civilizations, we use established knowledge to develop new techniques and approaches to medicine. Quite the reverse is true in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine. What is important to remember is that it seems the older the remedy, the more it is used and revered. Though improvements and new techniques became available, they were always built on the old ones and, if in doubt, the ancient ways were preferable.
History of TCM is Uncertain
“Traditional Chinese Medicine has been around for thousands of years. Although the first recorded history of TCM dates back over 2,000 years, it is believed that the origins of TCM go back more than 5,000 years. Bear in mind that, apart from the recorded documents, much of what is said about the origins of Chinese medicine is more legend than history.” [1]
Much of the history of the evolution of TCM is unclear. Though many writings have been passed down, recent archaeological findings seem to provide not only confusion about the times of their origin, but also doubt as to the existence of some of the authors.
“During the Western Han Dynasty, in the time period between the Mawangdui medical corpus and the text of earliest traditional medical classics, especially the Nanjing, that is during the several decades between 168 B.C. and the first century B.C. as part of a more general process in Chinese thought, we can recognize a grand scale standardization and systematization of Chinese medical thought and terminology, the medical knowledge and experience of the preceding centuries was revised and shaped into a new integrated model.” [2]
Balance is the Key in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine
It is important to understand why TCHM has endured the passage of several thousand years. Though rich with formulas, it remains basic through the use of herbs. The application of TCHM starts with the assumption that the human body and nature are in tune with one another. When someone becomes ill, this balance is no longer in tune. The practitioner of TCHM then applies his formulae, to bring the body back in tune with nature.
“The symptoms are recognized as body language. The differentiation of body signs and symptoms, a practitioner of traditional Chinese Therapies can analyze the root cause of the condition. By harmonizing the body, mind and spirit, they are able to combat or prevent illness to improve the quality and duration of life.” [3]
Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine is gaining popularity in the western world for two reasons: In many cases, it works. And it is also far less expensive which makes it available to a much larger group of people.
Early Chinese Medicine Physicians
The list of honored physicians and medicine men goes on and on. The most renowned of the early medicine men was a gentleman named Bian Que from (today) Renqiu in Hebei province. It is thought he did his work circa 500 B.C. Historically he is the author of the “Huang Di Ba Shi Yi Nan Jing” or “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of the Difficulties”, a book devoted to Chinese Medical Practice and the bible for all of herbal medicine.
_ Some of the other distinguished physicians who contributed to and advanced TCHM are: _
Tsang-kung [Cang Gong], also of the early Han Dynasty, kept extensive clinical records enabling him and later others to diagnose from experience.
Hua Tuo, also named Yuan Hua of Hao County in Anwei province was the first famous Chinese surgeon. He is the first in the world to develop the use of anesthesia, and furthered the limited Chinese knowledge of anatomy.
“Zhang Zhongjing also named Zhang Ji is the most famous of China’s ancient herbal doctors. He is known for his book “Shang Han Za Bing Lun”or “Treatise on Cold Damage”. Not only did it contain over 100 effective formulas (many of them still used today), but the text implied a theoretical framework that led to hundreds of books analyzing, explaining, and reforming it.
Another section is best known for some of the formulas, such as one describing a gynecological remedy and formula which is today applied to infertility, disorders during pregnancy, prevention of miscarriage, and post-partum weakness. His work might have been lost had it not been for the efforts of Wang ShuHe.
When Zhang Zhongjing was 50 years old there was a grave plague in China during which two thirds of the population was infected. Zhongjing, very saddened by this, decided to whole heartedly research the problem. He later found a solution. After several decades Zhongjing finished his work “Shang Han Za Bing Lun” which became a cornerstone in Chinese medicine history.[4]
Wang Shuhe was the first to discover the importance of what the pulses could tell the physician about the particular illness of the patient. His theories are still widely used today.
Huang-fu Huangfu is the father of acupuncture and wrote extensively about it.
Tao Hongjing: His foremost contribution was the reorganization of the “Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing”(earliest Chinese herbal materia medica). From his own knowledge and experience he added 365 new herbs, which brought the total number of herbs to 730. He then divided the herbs into categories and “qualities” which he recorded in a book. The influence this classic had on later generation was immense. The earliest Tang dynasty herbal dictionary is entirely based on it.
The followers of these famous physicians, too numerous to mention, elaborated and specified as to individual illnesses but always in line with the teachings of their ancestors.
Through their efforts, acceptance of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine is now global. I hesitate to think of the many mistakes made along the way, but that is a part of the learning. What is remarkable is that everything man needs for good health is right at his fingertips whether by design or by accident.
Works Cited
- History of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- The Origins of Chinese Medicine by Imre Galambos 1996
- Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Health Information Organization
- TCMAHIO, USA Hunyuan Yaiji Academy
Last updated: March 5, 2009
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