Chinese herbal medicine has been used since the 3rd century BC and as such has been tested and developed continually since that date. One of the oldest surviving texts books, the Shan Han Lun by Zhang Zhong Jing (150-219) remains one of the texts of greatest clinical relevance to the majority of Chinese practitioners who still use many of the formulas laid down 1800 years ago. A later text relied upon by practitioners, the Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica) by Li Shi Zhen (1518-1593), is considered one of the key achievements of ancient Chinese civilisation for its wealth of information on medicine and natural science.
This tradition of research and development has continued with modern medical diagnostic techniques and knowledge and Chinese herbal medicine still forms a major part of healthcare provision in China, where it is used alongside Western medicine in state hospitals.
Chinese herbal medicine involves the use of natural plants and minerals. Practitioners mainly prescribe a combination of herbs choosing from hundreds of classical formulas that have been developed through over two millennia of clinical practice. Chinese herbal medicine is a science and only qualified TCM practitioners will have the necessary skill to make safe prescription.
Herbs come in three different forms:
Loose herbs: different parts of the plant such as the root, leaf, fruit, bark etc. are decocted (boiled with water) to extract the pharmacological active ingredients.
Granules: dried concentrated preparation of herbs that are dissolved in hot water.
Capsules: dried concentrated preparation of herbs put into capsules (taste-free)
In our clinic, only high standard GMP (Good Manufacture Practice) manufactured herbs are used. These herbs are authenticated and tested for pesticide residues and heavy metal contamination in accordance with EU regulations.