Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology
This multimedia reference presents Eastern herbal medicine and traditional theory for the general reader. It is a companion to our Western herbal medicine reference and to our acupuncture material, and it sits within our broader health and natural-medicine catalog. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the world's oldest continuously practiced medical traditions, with a documented history stretching back more than two thousand years.
The Theoretical Framework
Traditional Chinese Medicine rests on a distinctive view of the body as an integrated whole in dynamic balance. Central concepts include qi (often translated as vital energy), the complementary forces of yin and yang, and the system of channels or meridians through which qi is understood to flow. Health, in this framework, is the harmonious balance of these forces; illness reflects imbalance or blockage.
Diagnosis in TCM
Traditional practitioners draw on four classic methods of examination: looking (including careful inspection of the tongue), listening and smelling, asking detailed questions about symptoms and history, and palpation — most famously the reading of the pulse. From these observations a practitioner forms a pattern diagnosis that guides the choice of treatment.
Chinese Herbal Pharmacology
The Chinese materia medica is vast, encompassing hundreds of plant, mineral and other substances. Each is traditionally classified by properties such as temperature (warming or cooling), taste, and the organ systems it is thought to influence. Rather than single remedies, TCM characteristically uses carefully balanced formulas that combine several substances to complement and moderate one another.
Acupuncture & Related Practices
Alongside herbal medicine, TCM encompasses acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, dietary therapy and movement practices such as tai chi and qigong. These are understood as different means toward the same end: restoring the smooth, balanced flow of qi.
A Modern Perspective
Today many people use elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine alongside conventional care, and researchers continue to study specific practices and botanicals. For evidence-based summaries of what is and is not well supported, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health offers a helpful overview of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the World Health Organization provides background on traditional and complementary medicine worldwide.
Explore More
For Western plant medicine, see our herbal medicine reference; for free reading on natural health, visit the health article index.