Chinese & Western Herbal Medicine

Overview

Herbal medicine is the oldest known form of medicine and is defined as the study and use of plant material as food and medicine for healing and health promotion. Ancient traditional medical systems, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), developed systematic uses for herbal therapies over thousands of years. While Western herbal medicine has a tradition, it has been significantly influenced and validated by the development of scientific technology and medical research. In the past 150 years the biologically active compounds found in plants have been utilized to synthesize many pharmaceutical drugs; however these active compounds can function effectively (and often more safely) when used as teas, tablets, essential oils, ointments or extracts.

Examples of Chinese herbs include ginkgo, ginseng, kava kava, echinacea, saw palmetto, and yohimbe. Western herbs include Goldenseal, grapeseed, milk thistle, St. John's Wort, garlic and ginger.

Philosophy

Practitioners using Chinese and Western herbs generally approach patients with the expectation that herbs help stimulate the body's own healing mechanisms to regulate the function of the organ systems and bring the body back into a state of balance. Herbal medicine has less to do with stopping the mechanisms of the body in the treatment of medical conditions, than it does with supporting these mechanisms and helping the body to strengthen and heal itself.

Herbal medicines act on human physiology to influence bodily activity and enhance or inhibit organ function. They and are prescribed with the aim of correcting imbalances and resolving patterns of dysfunction. For example, bitter substances found in certain herbs stimulate the production and release of digestive juices, thereby improving digestive function. Herbalists generally use whole plant extracts containing multiple constituents on the basis that these ingredients collectively reduce the side effects of any individual constituent and provide synergistic actions as well. Using several herbs together is sometimes preferable and can achieve enhanced synergistic activity, enhanced efficacy, and reduced toxicity.

Conditions Commonly Treated

Chinese and Western herbs have applications throughout the healthcare spectrum. Herbal medicine is useful in minor acute conditions such as colds and insomnia. Chronic conditions such as acne, asthma, chronic fatigue, eczema, psoriasis, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel diseases, male and female infertility, rheumatoid arthritis, female reproductive problems such as endometriosis, menopausal symptoms, premenstrual syndrome, and polycystic ovarian syndrome, respond well to herbal medicine treatment.

What To Expect During A Treatment

At Manakai O Malama, Chinese and Western herbs are generally administered by our MD, naturopathic doctor (ND), and oriental medicine/acupuncture staffs. Any regimen of herbs will be preceded by a complete assessment of a patient's current health and medical history. Particular care is also taken to ensure the safe interaction of any herb treatments with a patient's on-going modern medication regimen. Close attention is also paid to a patient's general well-being, sleep quality, diet, digestion and elimination, exercise habits and unusual bodily symptoms.