Chinese Herbal Medicine – A Holistic Approach
Chinese herbal remedies are part of the oldest science in the world. Some Americans find that they can throw away their prescription medicines and all the negative side effects, in exchange for natural medicines. For instance, did you know that Chinese herbal medicine has been used to treat osteoarthritis, liver damage, depression, sore throats and emphysema, to name a few? The body is, after all, just a machine or a series of interconnected processes. Many things can disrupt that machine, but the Chinese believe it is an imbalance, either the absence or excess of a certain vitamin or nutrient.
To treat emphysema, Chinese herbal doctors recommend first adjusting your diet to include raw foods and vegetable juices. Garlic, onions and a teaspoon of pure, cold-pressed olive oil and apple juice should be taken every day to add essential fatty acids to the diet, thus eliminating toxic waste. Several times a week, patients should include chili peppers, ginger, horseradish and other spicy foods that keep mucus away. Also, avoid gassy foods like cabbage, greasy goods, salt and mucus-encouraging items (dairy, wheat, tobacco, processed junk). Chinese herbal supplements used to treat emphysema include: vitamin B6 (to remove cadmium), coenzymes (to improve lung oxygenization), vitamin E (carries oxygen), vitamin C (heals inflammation) and vitamin A (repairs lung tissue). Specialists also recommend rubbing your chest with diluted essential oils like cedarwood, eucalyptus, peppermint or pine to assist in breathing. Home made teas made of boiling water and a few teaspoons of mullein or licorice before meals can work wonders. It’s important to see a specialist, as every individual’s treatment is unique.
“I think acceptance by the mainstream medicine is getting better and better,”said Che Chun Tao, professor and director of the School of Chinese Medicine at Chinese University. “I can tell you, before 1997 there were no doctors in hospitals who were willing to touch any herbal materials in clinical trials, but now there’s quite a number of clinical trials going on and there’s better acceptance from medical doctors. I believe a combination of traditional Chinese medicine together with western medicine is needed for treating serious diseases and it’s important to offer a choice for patients and the general public,” he said. Currently, clinical trials for Chinese herbal extracts are being tested all around the world to cure some of the world’s most serious diseases.
“It’s always worth looking at the unusual,” says Rebecca Wood, the chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust. “We shouldn’t assume we’ve got all the answers here. Just because something is traditional doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have active compounds in it.” She notes that 18 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s each year – a number that is expected to double by 2025, putting an enormous burden on the health system. Chinese herbal medicine is currently being studied to cure malaria (using wormwood), cancer (toad venom), chronic heart failure (hawthorn), diabetes (angelica) and strokes (red sage).
By Holistic Health Editor
