The Art of Chinese Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal medicine is the art of combining herbs and minerals into a harmonious mix that is especially designed for the individual.
After your consultation, a herbal prescription is written and made up for you on the spot. Your prescription will reflect your unique state of health. We choose a selection of herbs that mirrors your inner terrain, and is designed to encourage your body back into a more balanced state.
Chinese herbal medicine is taken in the form of herbal powders, decoctions (a herbal mix that you boil into a tea at home) and pills. At your consultation, we will discuss which form will most benefit you.
How Chinese Herbal Medicine Works
Flavour Dynamics
‘Flavour dynamics’ refers to the way Chinese medicine uses the flavour of herbs to create change in the body. Flavours can have a very powerful effect on the body, as you will have noticed when you get hot and sweaty after a pungent curry, feel calm and mellow after a sweet hot chocolate, or feel clear-headed after a bitter coffee. Chinese herbal medicine harnesses the energy dynamics of flavour and uses them bring the body back into balance. For example:
Sweet herbs nourish the blood and calm the heart
Sour herbs encourage hydration of organs, muscles and tendons
Pungent herbs promote blood circulation and regulate sweating
Bitter herbs stimulate digestion; they encourage the elimination of what we can’t use and the absorption of what we can
Salty herbs soften hardness and replenish lost minerals
Thermal Dynamics
Chinese herbs have a temperature associated with them; they are either cold, cool, neutral, warm or hot. This refers to the effect they have on body temperature when we take them.
Healthy body temperature is around 36.5 – 37.5⁰C. Keeping core body temperature within this small range is vital to sustaining life; if we become just a few degrees too hot or cold we are in dangerous territory.
In a more subtle way, body temperature can be uneven throughout the body; when our feet are cold and our head and chest are too hot for instance, or when the body is constantly oscillating between too hot and too cold. This is a sign that Yin (water) and Yang (fire) aren’t distributing evenly through the body. This means the body isn’t functioning as well as it could, and that nourishment isn’t reaching all the nooks and crannies.
We use the thermal properties of herbs to regulate the balance between fire and water in the body and keep us healthy for years to come.
