History Of Herbal Medicine

Asian herbal medicine has been in practice for thousands of years. Many generations pass down recipes and cures within the family structure. This practice is used by mixing together certain herbs to obtain a remedy for an ailment. These remedies can range from poultices that may have only one ingredient to prepared drug mixtures that may have many uses.

When we think of herbology, many parts of the world have engaged in this type of healing, the Chinese, however, have made it a part of their culture. Each person who seeks advice from a healer will get a personalized mix of herbs intended to cure what ever their ailment may be. This preparation will be made at the time of the visit and may take up to an hour to mix.

When the practitioner makes a decoction, they may use many different parts of many different plants as each part does it own type of healing. There may also be animal or mineral types of ingredients included as these have healing properties as well. There are many ingredients that have been lost because of danger to the species of animals involved.

Origins of Asian Herbal Medicine

The first written manual for oriental herbal medicine dates back to the Han dynasty. There were over three hundred and fifty medications with over two hundred and fifty herbs listed. This manual when translated means Sennong Emporer’s Classic of Materia Medica. There are a plethora of remedies included in this tome. In the seventh century, and when the Tang dynasty was at it’s peak, the Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Herbs was written. The Compendium of Materia Medica was put together during the Ming dynasty.

Even today, many of these ancient forms of herbology are in use and put in to practice. Because the nature of alternative health cures, being that is not a traditional science, oriental herbal medicine is considered an alternative health practice. There are many Western cultures that have also used herbology to cure every day illness throughout history. These can still be seen today in the use of teas. There are many herbs that can aid in today’s more common ailments.

If we look at the past, in Western and Eastern cultures, we will see many parallels in the uses of certain types of herbs. These all share a common theme of a healthier life style.