What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Traditional Chinese Medicine, commonly abbreviated TCM, is a range of traditional medical practises originating in China. The methods range from eating the correct things and herbal remedies to acupuncture and various types of massage, including Shitatsu and Tui na. The meditative practice Qigong and the martial art Tai chi chuan (which is often carried out for health reasons rather than for protection) are also closely associated with traditional Chinese medicine.
Ying and Yang, Wu Xing (Aka the five phases in English), the merididians and the Zang fu organ hypothesis are all important parts of TCM. Traditional Chinese medicine derives a lot of its basic philosophy from the same general ideas that inform Taoist and Buddhist thought.
One of the most important sources of about traditional Chinese medicine is a 2000 year old book calledShen Nong’s Herbal Classic“. This is the oldest preserved book on Chinese herbal remedies and classifies 365 species of roots, woods, grasses, animals and furs into three different categories:
- The first category contains herbs that are chiefly responsible for maintaining and restoring body balance. If you belive what is written in the book will these herbal supplements be effective against a long row of different illnesses and have few if any side effects.
- The second category is comprised of tonics and booster, and the reader is warned against prolonged consumption of these products.
- The third chapter contains info on disease specific treatments. The herb used in the third chapter should only be used in small doses and can have severe side effects.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is today, more than 2000 years after the book waas written still the primary type of internal medicine used by a large part of the Chinese people. Different treatments can contain anything from 1 to 25 different herbs that together give the concoctions the desired properties.
Although most westerners have come in contact with Chinese herbs, thai chi and acupuncture, the abovementioned Zang Fu organ hypothesis is much less known outside China. Zang Fu is built around a belief system on how the organs in the body work and how they interact with eachother. The Zang Fu theori and the theory of Jing andjang are closely linked together and some organs are linked to Jing and Jang.
Heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen and pericardium are all zang (i.e. yin) organs, while the large and small intestine, gall bladder, stomach, urinary bladder and gall bladder are considered fu (i.e. yang) organs. The San Jiao organ is also on the fu list, but this is said to be a primarily energetic organ and does not have a physical component.
Every organ corresponds to another organ, there are however two exceptions from the San Jiao, pericardium. In this practice the fu and zang organs are paired up with eachother and assigned on of the WU Xing phases. The lung and large intestine to metal, heart and the small intestine is assigned to fire,liver and gallbladder to wood, spleen and stomach to earth,and kidney and urinary bladder to water.
