THE FOUNDATIONS
Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine
History
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an ancient form of health care that dates back over 2,500 years, some suggest up to 7000 years. If you see TCHM on my site this refers to Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine as TCM also encompasses Acupuncture, Qi Gong & Food therapy.
The Huang Di Nei Jing is thought to be one of the earliest medical texts ever recorded with most principles still outlining our profession today. TCM practitioners look to treat the root cause of disease, we believe all disease is due to disharmony and by bringing the body back into balance health can be restored. We diagnose our patients through multiple means, pulse diagnosis, tongue & ear diagnosis and a holistic health consultation all of these methods help us understand where your symptoms may be coming from, what imbalances are present and how we can correct them.
Chinese Medicine Foundations
Whether its a custom formula of herbal medicine, lifestyle advice or simply gaining the understanding of how to live in harmony with our inner cycles and the environment around us, no other alternative brings such a holistic view of the human body, whether it’s cause of disease, prevention of disease or maintenance of health. Thousands of years of data and research goes into today’s herbal medicine treatments, a treatment custom made for you with 8-20 herbal ingredients.
Millions of TCM prescriptions are given out around the world every year.
During Covid19 it was estimated almost 686 million people in China used Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine.
“The study of Chinese medicine is the law of opposites, yin & yang, the natural state of the universe, the foundation of all things, the mother of all changes, the body is just a scale needing balance.”
Herb Quality
As you begin your herbal journey it is important to have context about what you are consuming & how it came to be in your cup.
If you know me well, you know I put purity above all else.
I do my best to source the most sustainable plants available as many are now cites
(endangered) listed, we need to be conscious of the plants we consume as an effort to preserve
them for future generations.
I source from the highest grade herbs from trusted suppliers & dispensary’s and use organic where
ever possible.
Herb Sourcing
For example Hong Jing Tian’s main role is to heal altitude sickness, calm anxiety and nourish the cardiovascular system, conveniently, this Tibetan herbal medicine is only found at extreme altitudes, mother earth always has the antidote but this antidote isn’t always a simple task to harvest.
Many herbs today are cultivated to save over clearing of many wild locations but many are still wild harvested either sustainably or not. One thing that hasn’t changed is the shamanic traditions of growing and harvesting these herbs over 600 in our Materia Medica each with their own sacred ritual. One of my favorites, Sheng Di Huang a member of the Foxglove family has to be harvested according to the Lunar cycle, when the flowers turn a particular colour.
The Process
Seed planting > Nurturing the plants (some can only be sustainably harvested every 3-6 years) > Individual harvesting by growers > Sacred drying process’s often passed down by generations > Traditional “Pao Zhi” which means traditional preparation, some are raw, some are stir fried in vinegar to help them enter the deeper levels of the body, some in ginger to aid their digestion etc > Inspection > Distribution > Inspection in arrival country > Arrival at commercial dispensary (where you will buy your herbs from) > Checked for 400 + contaminants > custom blended for you by talented Traditional Chinese Pharmacists > Shipped to your door.
“This is how Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine differs from any vitamin, supplement or food you’re consuming, this sacred medicine is custom made for you.”