Phytotherapy
Phytotherapy involves the study and use of extracts from plants as medicines or health supplements. Chinese medicine has used phytotherapy for many hundreds of years. The use of plants and herbs has been recorded as far back as 800 B.C. and it is thought to have been practiced long before then in traditional Chinese medicine.
Most treatments are comprised of four or more herbs. Various parts of the plants are used including roots, leaves, flowers and bark. Comparisons between pharmaceutical drug treatment and Chinese herbal treatments reveal some differences in the approach to treating illness. First, phytotherapy considers that the complex nature of the actual plant ingredients may work better together than the specifically isolated active ingredient found in Western medicine. Next, the combinations of herbs used may balance one another, or, in addition, they may reinforce one another due to synergystic effects. Finally, Chinese medicine seeks to treat the cause, rather than just the symptoms of the disease.
Chinese medicine uses phytotherapy to create balance in the body as a whole and to make certain that all the organs are functioning properly. Attention is paid to balancing the yang and yin energies in the body. This requires that all parts of the body are functioning harmoniously.
Using phytotherapy in the treatment of illness is a very complex and subtle process. Just because plants are 'natural' doesn't mean they are always safe. It takes great knowledge and skill to determine what is needed and it is important that the harvesting and processing of the plants be performed according to the established standards in order to insure a stable dosage of the active ingredients. Chinese medicine has been used to successfully treat many illnesses.
