The Origins of Chinese Herbal Knowledge

Where does the ancient herbal knowledge come from in China?

It does not come from laboratory testing because none existed then.

It does not come from transcendental meditation as suggested by storytellers.

It does not come from the scholars whose expertise was literature, not herbs.

How ancient and who were the discoverers?

The Chinese herbal knowledge comprises bits and pieces of information accumulated over 4000 years. This knowledge relates to the discoveries of medicinal herbs by ordinary people, mostly illiterate peasants, who were experimenting with the plants in surrounding areas for healing effects.

Who did the documentation?

Since the majority of the peasantry was illiterate, the elite scholars took on the task of documenting this herbal knowledge. Some of them were commissioned by the Emperors to do the job. Besides interviewing, investigating, and confirming the peasants' discoveries, the scholars also tried to explain the empirical evidence using their philosophies about nature, life, health, and disease. Consequently, they have added a body of classical theories on top of a simple folk medicine based only on experimentation with plants. Compared with the folk medicines of other cultures, Chinese medicine is most heavily documented. It is also characterized by highly literary and metaphysical contents. Some examples of classical texts are:

"Historical Record", Si Ma Qian.

"Book of Interior" or "Nei Jing", author unknown.

"Book on Medical Perplexities", Bian Que.

"Shang Han Lun", Zhang Zhong Jing.

"Book on Pulse", Wang Shu He.

What is the best reference for using Chinese herbs?

The best source of reference for Chinese herbs should be the herbal dictionary, not hearsay nor rumors, as most people like to depend on for generations. When you browse an herbal dictionary, you will find that there are around 1000 herbs being documented. It's a surprisingly small number given the long history of Chinese herbs. Furthermore, only half of the documented herbs are considered commonly used, that is, easily available in a Chinese herb store. Nevertheless, 500 herbs are more than enough for everyday use.

Naturally, there exist many more herbs outside the dictionary. If you use an undocumented herb, you must understand that you do so at your own risk, because you know that you'll be one of the few to experiment with some unconfirmed product of nature. If you die from this kind of experimentation, the herb you've tried will definitely be banned from the dictionary. Only the newspapers will document your brave sacrifice. There have been reports of fatality in the past about people experimenting with wild mushrooms in my locality. So be careful and stick with the documented herbs in the dictionary.

Suppose you chance upon a miracle herb, the herb you've discovered won't go into the dictionary right away, pending verification and confirmation by the herbal profession. When the herb finally appears in the dictionary several years or decades from now, your name as a discoverer will not appear there because it's not the custom to give credit to the discoverer.

What are the strong points about Chinese herbal knowledge?

• Over 4000 years of history

• Herbs are based on empirical evidence, that is, actual experimentation with plants by millions of ordinary people through generations.

• Natural healing method, gentle effects.

• Inexpensive and practical for everyday use.

• Emphasis on prevention as much as cure.

• Well documented by ancient scholars.

• Supplemented by classical theories and explanations.

What are the weak points about Chinese herbal knowledge?

• Most weak points involve inaccurate rumors being circulated.

• People like rumors for fun. Few bother to check for accuracy or reliable sources.

• The classical theories are hard to understand, resulting in different interpretations and a cloud of myth.

• People like myths, and business thrives on them.

• It's hard to separate the herbal knowledge from the classical theories. The former is straightforward and empirical as described in the dictionaries. The latter is abstract thinking subject to different interpretations as described in textbooks.

• Most herbs are not tested in the laboratory, giving an "unscientific" impression. Lab testing is something nice to have in this modern age, but not necessary if the herbs have already worked so well through so many generations. After all, Chinese medicine is a folk medicine naturally developed in an ancient culture through thousands of years of experimentation.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com John_Fung