chinese herbal medicine
The history of Chinese Herbal formulas begins with the Han Dynasty (202BCE to 220CE). Most of what we now regard as essential Chinese culture developed and was formally recorded during this period. Many of the herbal formulas that were devised during this time are still highly respected by Chinese medical scholars and are commonly used in clinical practice to this day. The earliest records of prepared herbal formulations are more than 2000 years old.
Since the early nineteenth century, attempts have been made to understand the properties of traditional Chinese medicinal substances through scientific research. The vast majority of this work has been conducted within the last eighty years, primarily in China, Korea, Japan, Russia and Germany.
Today, Chinese pharmaceutical factories are able to produce granulated dried extracts (i.e. decoctions with the water removed), essential oil fractions, and concentrated pills and capsules, in addition to the traditional pills made from powdered herbs. With the growing world demand for prepared Chinese herbal products, Chinese factories had to respond to the increasingly stringent international standards for product quality and product labelling.
Chinese Herbal Medicine is considered an essential part of Oriental Medicine and works in conjunction with acupuncture for a wide range of imbalances and dysfunctions of the body and mind.