Chinese herbal medicine has been prescribed for everything from the simple common cold to digestive problems, discomfort, regulating the menstrual cycle, and skin difficulties, to name a few, for more than two thousand years in the treatment of numerous illnesses and diseases.
In contrast to western herbal medicine, which uses single herbs and supplements, Chinese herbal formulas are made up of multiple herbs. This makes Chinese herbal medicine unique. It is customary to start with a “emperor” herb or herbs that target the primary complaint or pattern, then move on to “minister” herbs that target secondary complaints while also helping the emperor, and finally “assistant” herbs that either lessen side effects or direct the herbs to specific body parts or channels for the best effect.
Expert practitioners create custom Chinese herbal prescriptions using various formulae and single herbs to treat the specific conditions of their patients. This typically indicates that Chinese herbal formulae can target many indications and symptoms as well as avoiding potential side effects, as opposed to many generic drugs/supplements that are made in a one size fits all approach.
Each individual herb in a given formula has synergistic effects that are greater than the value of the individual herbs, which enables a formula to heal several ailments that may initially appear unrelated.
Chinese medicine diagnoses skin problems like eczema more by how the symptoms manifest, including the color, shape, size, itching, and location of nodules as well as other symptoms related to health and lifestyle. This allows doctors to treat the client’s individual symptoms and not just the skin issue itself by customizing a herbal medication formula to appropriately address each one.
As previously described, Chinese herbal medicine is intended to treat the patient as a whole and targets not just the patient’s primary complaint but also tries to enhance the patient’s digestion, sleep, and mood. If the client’s digestion is in good shape, they will be better able to absorb the nutrients from their diet and have regular, well-formed bowel movements. An increase in energy will result if the client’s sleep quality improves and they are able to get 7-9 hours of deep, restorative sleep. This will also improve their mood and indicate that they are entering the rest and digest healing state.
Herbal remedies can help with insomnia and other sleeping problems, like restless sleep, frequent awakening, and difficulty falling asleep, to mention a few. In general, patients who received Chinese herbal medicine reported lower levels on the PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), AIS (Athens Insomnia Scale), and sleep onset latency (time from fully awake to fully asleep) compared with placebo, according to a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to assess the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine for patients with primary insomnia. The weighted mean difference of Chinese herbal medicine vs placebo was also associated with a reduction in the symptoms of primary.
Chinese medicine has a significant capacity for guiding the body into the parasympathetic healing condition of “rest and digest.” Acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment can both help the body tip into a state of rest and digestion, which enables better stress management, greater digestion, and more restful sleep, all of which lead to an uplifted mood and increased vitality.