Chinese herbal medicine was developed in the 3rd Century BC. Since then it has continued to form a large part of the healthcare system in the East, with Western medicine being introduced to work alongside it as an integrated system. In the West, many acupuncturists combine acupuncture treatment with Chinese herbal medicine. Chinese herbal medicine practitioners are professionally trained in order to be able to prescribe safely and effectively.
Chinese herbal medicine works on the same premise as acupuncture. Herbs are prescribed, usually in combination with acupuncture, to help restore the balance of Yin and Yang. An imbalance in a bodily system can result in symptoms of poor health. Your practitioner is trained to be able to identify patterns of signs and symptoms and hence prescribe herbal medicine correctly. Chinese herbal medicine works to restore internal equilibrium. Unlike many pharmaceuticals, it works to heal a whole person and not just an isolated symptom. When prescribed in combinations the different aspects of each herb combined create a mutual synergy, often balancing the medicinal properties inherent in each. Chinese herbs are far less likely to have side effects than pharmaceuticals.
