Chinese Herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
TCM is a holistic health system developed over 2,500 years ago that integrates nutrition, herbs, acupuncture, and bodywork. Using Chinese Herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses not on symptoms, but rather why those symptoms are occurring using an energetic model as a guide. This helps assess balances and imbalances as well as harmonies and disharmonies among our interconnected body systems in relation to our environment.
Yin & Yang
Harmony between dual opposites (excess or deficient, hot or cold, dry or moist) but balanced interdependent forces are called yin and yang. in and yang together, are like two halves to a puzzle to create wholeness. Each has a dominating force with a little of its counterpart within it. It is the ebb and flow that creates harmony.
Yin is related to water, cool, dark, and anatomical structures (organs, blood, fluids). It is nurturing.
Yang is related to the sun’s heat, warmth, dry, light, and the body’s energy (chi). It is protective.
Chinese Element Herbs
By Nature’s Sunshine Products
Wood
Organs: Gall Bladder & Liver
Stressed Wood: Chinese Liver Balance
Anger, irritable, hostile, frustration, aggression, congestion, stagnation, high BP, and tantrums.
Weak Wood: Chinese Blood Stimulator
Nourishes blood, depressed, defeated, resentment, hostile, bitter, enhances circulation, cardio-tonic, lowers BP, and PMS issues.
Fire
Organs: Heart & Small Intestine
Stressed Fire: Chinese Stress Relief
Pacify the Spirit, hysteria, fright, anxiety, ADHD, weepy, pent up emotions, fear of public speaking, and skin eruptions.
Weak Fire: Chinese Nervous Fatigue
Nurture the heart, bored, cold emotions, burned-out, confusion, vulnerable, extreme fatigue, cardio stress, broken heart, nightmares, and leg pain.
Earth
Organs: Stomach, Spleen & Pancreas
Stressed Earth: Chinese Anti-Gas
Clears congestion, over-sympathetic, worry, need approval of others, protective, gas, bloating, belching, and nausea (motion).
Weak Earth: Chinese Spleen Activator
Warm center, complaining, despair, hopeless, feel neglected, unable to change, IBS, nausea, “wasting” away, malabsorption, and anemia.
Metal
Organs: Lungs & Colon
Stressed Metal: Chinese Breathe Activator
Ventilate lungs, grief, loss, sadness, hurt feelings, smothered, dogmatic, sore throat, decongestant, cough, and thick mucus.
Weak Metal: Chinese Lung Support
Support weak, hardened emotions, insensitive, defensive, rebellious, disharmony within, fever, shortness of breath, body aches, and expectorant.
Water
Organs: Head & Adrenals
Stressed Water: Chinese Kidney Activator
Relieve moisture, fear, scared, timid, indecisive, lack willpower, not follow through, edema, burning urine, kidney stones, arthritis, gout, and cystitis.
Weak Water: Chinese KB-C
Build bones, brittle bones, unable to compromise, deep-seated guilt, unstable, urinary and kidney weakness, diabetes, graying hair, dizzy, and back pain.
Energy
Organs: Head & Adrenals
Stressed Energy: Chinese Mood Elevator
Sagging chi; calms the spirit. Feel like a victim, defeated, don’t care, lack courage, increase vitality, restless, insomnia, and melancholy.
Weak Energy: Chinese Trigger Immune
Generate pulse. Struggle for power and position, misguided will, feels life must have burdens, immunity, respond to stress, and fatigue.
Balance Energy: Chinese VS-C
Builds chi, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, cold/flu, cold sores, shingle, Epstein-Barr, flare-ups of physical and emotional issues, mental chatter, and feel attacked.
Heat & Dryness
Stressed Heat: Chinese IF-C
Clear heat. Inflammation, excessive heat/fire, rage, anger, fear, pain, hot flashes, headache, hemorrhoids, and fast talker.
Weak Dryness: Chinese HY-C
Mineral absorption. Can’t get into a flow, drained, rigid, increases moisture to combat dryness (skin, coughs), blood sugar & glandular balance.
“TCM sees health as adjusting energy. As the energy is balanced or regulated, the biochemistry and structure of the body are rebalanced. So the focus is not on chemistry or structure, it is on energy.”
– Steven Horne, Master Herbalist
