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Herbal medicine in Chinese medicine involves the administration of formulas composed of plant parts, minerals, and animal parts. The prescription is generally a decoction, but it can also be found in the form of pills, powders, creams, tinctures, ointments, or dressings.
The various basic products, whether plant, animal, or mineral, are listed according to their natures and functions.
Their nature distinguishes their flavor, their heat, the corresponding meridian vessel, and their toxicity.
Their function corresponds to the notions of Chinese medicine: dispersing heat, strengthening blood, tonifying yin, etc. Some of these functions overlap with Western medicine: vermifuge, diuretic, etc.
A single element is rarely used alone. The combination of different elements is called a formula or prescription. These formulas are not made randomly. Most of these compositions were established centuries ago based on fundamental symptoms. The principle of these compositions is that the different elements enhance the desired effect of each and mutually cancel out the undesirable effects.
The Chinese mainly prefer herbal medicine to acupuncture. Moreover, some university programs are oriented either towards acupuncture or towards herbal medicine. Combining both therapies can greatly increase the speed of improvement, but unfortunately, this is not commonly implemented.
