Real Definition

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Real definition of Chinese herbal medicine sleep aids
   What is the real definition today of Alternative Medicine?  
 
   25 years ago it was TM.
    20 years ago it was Chiropractors.
    15 years ago Ayurvedic Medicine and Yoga.
      10 years ago it was Acupuncture.
        5 years ago it was Chinese herbal medicine and Homeopathy and now?  The best      definition may just be all of the above plus: Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Spiritual Healing, Qi Gong and Tai Chi, massage, raw food diets and just about anything else you can imagine.

Today the different possible ways to find health and wellness are as creative and as they are unconventional. The U.S. Government funded National Institute of Health is spending millions of dollars every year funding studies on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, so they must believe the tides are shifting from our “conventional medicine”.  
 
Why are the tides changing you ask? Alternative medicines focus on the whole person not just the disease symptoms. People are becoming mistrustful of  pharmaceutical companies as reports surface on the inherent dangers and adverse effects of  prescription drugs along with the increased cost.  Thirty years since the war on cancer was declared, no cure is in site.  People are turning their hope for cures and better health to Alternative Medicines where practitioners spend time with their patients and often include help with the emotional trauma of their disease. Something our conventional medicine can no longer afford to offer in a medical system based on insurance reimbursements and medicare funding.
 
As this tide changes we also find a return to our roots. Quite literally roots, barks, berries, leaves and all parts of nature are part of the new "alternative" health trends. We can now find just about any plant/herb in a bottle and on a store shelf.   Health food stores are popping up even in rural America. Costco sells row upon row of health supplements and vitamins. Herbal medicine is come back in vogue and is the trend rather than the exception.
 
This new definition of what is alternative is changing as we speak. Although we may not have a clear definition of Alternative Medicine it is becoming anything but alternative.

New Cancer Treatments Possible Via A Very Special Mushroom

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Cordyceps Sinensis Pacherbs.comA while back I wrote about a type of mushroom called Cordyceps used in Chinese medicine which sells for $100.00 an ounce or even more. (Click here for that article) Here’s one reason this herb/fungus is such a prized possession. The very prestigious, University of Nottingham just published the findings from researchers there who have discovered how this mushrooms works within our bodies.  
This incredible discovery on the active ingredient called cordycepin and it’s pathways, is the first step in learning how cordycepin can treat many diseases including cancer.   Although this mushroom has been actively studied since the 1950’s, researches never figured out exactly how cordycepin worked on cells. Dr Cornelia de Moor of The University of Nottingham said “With this knowledge, it will be possible to predict what types of cancers might be sensitive and what other cancer drugs it may effectively combine with.”

Professor Janet Allen, BBSRC Director of Research said, “The knowledge generated by this research demonstrates the mechanisms of drug action and could have an impact on one of the most important challenges to health.”

Chinese medicine has held cordyceps in high regard for hundreds, even thousands of years. For more information on cordyceps click here.  It’s always wonderful to learn how modern medicine is finding new information on ancient Chinese herbs.
This research was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and was carried out at The University of Nottingham.

Use it, Don’t Lose it! Tai Chi benefits Parkinson’s

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Chinese Medicine and Tai Chi go hand in hand. Both can help you get a good nights sleep.The Struthers Parkinson’s Center in Minneapolis teaches a form of Tai Chi and both The Cleveland Clinic and the Stanford School of Medicine recommend Tai Chi for Parkinson’s sufferers.  This healing art, or should I say Chinese medicine, developed over a 1000 years ago are a series of slow, flowing movements that can help maintain flexibility, balance and coordination.
I enjoy it because Tai Chi requires you to combine mental poise and concentration into movement.  Tai Chi movements rotate the human body nearly all possible ways the body can move.  In fact, it is one of the most coordination enhancing exercises.  “Use it or Lose it”, that’s the way it goes. What better way prevent the debilitating loss of movement from a gradually progressive disease such as Parkinson’s.  Tai Chi helps can benefit not only Parkinson’s sufferers but people dealing with high blood pressure and stress related diseases.
A while back I wrote about the benefits of Tai Chi for with those with tinnitus and dizziness disorders.   Doctors are not yet informed on all the benefits of Tai Chi but give it another decade or so and I’m convinced we’ll see doctors write prescribing that say “ Start a Tai Chi Class ASAP & practice on your own daily”.   But can we afford to wait that long for our medical practitioners to wake up and smell the roses? In the meantime millions of people lose out on the benefits of this ancient Chinese medicine practice.
Additionally, Tai Chi has been a proven benefit in University studies for reducing falls. This would be a huge cost saving to Medicare  since the 6th leading cause of death of seniors in the U.S. are complication of falling. The most astonishing part of this equation is there is really no downside.
From all the research that has been done, Tai Chi has no negative side effects. Tai Chi classes are not a deductible medical expense, yet.  Even though any rational person could make the argument for its’ cost savings effects for health insurance companies. But don’t let that stop you.
With the beginning of a new year, it’s time the West gain an insight into Chinese medicine and as a society we begin incorporating self-healing techniques into our daily lives.  A Tai Chi class is the right place to start.

Indigestion, Need Some Relief?

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Chinese herb mint bo he for heartburnOver indulgence and holidays seems to go hand in hand. Rich, tempting food seems to be everywhere, leaving us with heartburn and indigestion. For thousands of years people have turned to natural plants to relieve their suffering from acid reflux, heartburn and indigestion. Many found Chinese herbs, fruits and roots were the answer to what ailed them. Here are a four herbal remedies from the history books that helped back then and still help today with the age old problem of indigestion.
 
1. Hawthorne Berry (Shan Zha) not a strawberry or raspberry but a sour fruit (I call it an herb) that works great after the overindulgence of meats and greasy foods. If you’re prone to familiar heartburn, abdominal distension and acid regurgitation this herb is for you. Shan Zha has also an abundance of data as a cardio-tonic. Similar to many Chinese herbs it has the ability to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and even widens the coronary arteries. If you’re a buffet gourmet this is your herb.  Shan Zha can be found dried at most Asian markets or online. Boil it and drink as a tea.

2. Massa Fermentata (shen qu)   Also known as medicated leaven, massa is not just one herb, but actually a mixture of fermented wheat flour, bran and a few other herbs. In traditional Chinese medicine, massa’s main function is to eliminate indigestion, and harmonize the stomach and stop diarrhea. Dried massa is available in Asian markets, often referred to as “medicinal fermented mass,” which usually contains orange peels and different herbs. As of this writing, there are no known drug interactions or side-effects associated with massa.

(In 1997, a professor of School of Agriculture of Tokyo University of Japan,  Akira Endo discovered that monacolin K, a by product during the fermentation process of shen qu,  can inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol in human body and can promote circulation.)

3. Licorice Root (Gan Cao) has a long and lustrous history in Chinese medicine. As one of the most widely used herbs, licorice has a host of benefits. It’s ability to  increase production of mucin provides proven benefits to the mucous membrane lining of the digestive tract and its flavonoids also protect against stomach acid.  Licorice flavonoids have anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic and anti-acid effects along with many other actions.  Use raw, boil and drink as a tea, or purchase in capsules. Be aware that capsule products won’t be the same strength as raw herbs unless you take large handfuls at a time.
 
4.  Mint – Peppermint is well known as a breath freshener but its actions go much deeper.  The active component, menthol oil, activates our saliva glands as well as glands that secrete digestive enzymes. Mint  helps to balance intestinal flora by eliminating the harmful bacteria, parasites and viruses present in the gut, the main causes of bad breath and acid reflux.  Buy it fresh and let it seep in hot water a few minutes and drink, you can strain out leaves. Don’t boil it for any length of time, you will likely cook out the beneficial menthol oils.

When you’re looking for natural remedies for indigestion you can always try the “old stand bys”:  eat small meals, chew your food thoroughly to activate those digestive enzymes, eat fresh not processed foods and don’t grab food in a rush. That’s all good advice but when it doesn’t work, get yourself some of the Chinese herbs listed above, all guaranteed to work.
References
  • Lu HY, et al. New usages of jian pi wan. Journal of New TCM 1992;24(11):44-45.
  • Wang GJ. Treating 33 cases of duodenal stasis with jian pi wan. National Journal of Medicine Forum 1995;10(5):41.
  • Xiong ZF. Treating 300 cases of child diarrhea with modified jian pi wan. Journal of Chengdu College TMC 1986;(3):29-30.
  • Yu WP. Comparative experimental research in jian pi fang and vitamin E’s effect on fruit fly life span. Jiangsu Journal of TCM 1991;12(8):33-34.
  • http://www.www.alternativehealing.org/shen_qu.htm

New Years Reflections and Resolutions

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New year with Chinese herbsIt is nearly the end of another year and always a time for reflection.  If you are like me you give yourself an annual report card on your year.  Or you just skip the judgment phase and simply create some New Years Resolutions of things to change.   My report card for the year would say something like “valiant effort, but balance needs improvement”.  The “balance” I promised myself each day didn’t quite materialize the way I had hoped, so my New Years Resolution is to change that and find more balance. What is this balance I'm referring to?

Balance is a state of equilibrium between opposing forces. I’m referring to the opposing forces of yin and yang. 

The historian in me enjoys looking back on not just this past year but on 2200 years of history, particularly in relation to Chinese medicine . Since the first organized body of Chinese medicine literature dates back to 200 BC, that’s where I started.  In an ancient Chinese text called the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic of Medicine,  I find the same principals of balance as I use for my annual  report card. These are the foundation from which Chinese medicine in the ancient world and Oriental Medicine in the modern world are based.  Amazing that  2200 years later we are still trying to master the same principals of balance.  (Guess I shouldn’t be too hard on myself, I haven’t been at it all that long.)

In 2010 I’m striving for a better balance between my yin energy and my yang energy- balance between work and play and a balance between rest and activity. For 2200 years (probably more) people have sought such a balance. For the balance we look for in this New Year I quote Sir Winston Churchill, “Now is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Best wishes for a “Balanced Year”.

Herb Safety – It Pays To Do Your Homework

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Know your supplier and your Chinese herb manufacturer The recent news about urinary tract cancer linked to the ingestion of a Chinese herb called Mu tong  should spark awareness about herbal medicine suppliers.  Fortunately in the U.S. single herbs and formulas  containing Mu tong or Aristolochic Acid has been banned since 2000, they cannot be imported. 

But this is no excuse for you, the consumer  from doing due diligence on the supplier and manufacturer  of the over the counter herbal products you find at your local health food stores.

Now more ever it’s important to have as much information as you can gather on supplement manufacturers before you ingest their products. (We offer a free report, “What you need to know before you purchase Chinese herbs”. Just sign-in on our home page, provide your email address and we’re happy to email you a copy).

Unless you’re purchasing supplements from a reputable manufacturer, whether its vitamins, Western herbal supplements, or Chinese herbs the chances of you getting mostly fillers laced with soil contaminants is pretty common.   Check out consumerlab.com reports if you don’t want to take my word for it.

Regarding the Aristolochic acid in the news, this chemical is insoluble in water. Since traditional Chinese herbal preparation are cooked in water, the Chinese have avoided this toxicity issue throughout centuries of use.   This is exactly the reason you should know whether the herbs you’re purchasing are cooked (boiled or decocted) in water or are they ground into raw powdered substances and put into capsules. (i.e. Herbalife has many products which are raw ground powders)

 Our Chinese herb formulas are:
 
  •  Water boiled with strict temperature controls
  •  Cooked for precise amounts of time
  •  Cooked in specific amounts of water
  •  Raw material herbs are weighed before cooking so exact
  •  amount of  herbs to water ratio is controlled for potency

This is not a haphazard process but one of exact quality control throughout each and every step. Our manufacturer KPC ( Kaiser Pharmaceutical Company) verifies every specie of herb used in their pharmaceutical factory.  Thin layer chromatography is one such test to ensure the right specie of the plant. High performance liquid chromatography is another.  Diligence is the key to exceptional products and KPC performs these and other laboratory tests on all their raw ingredients. They have been cooking and bottling Chinese herbs for over 60 years.

As a consumer you’re spending a lot of hard earned  cash on your supplements not to mention the health expectation. Do your homework and know what you’re buying.  A licensed or certified herbalist is the best way  to make sure that the herbal medicine is appropriate for your situation and comes from a reputable source.
 
For more information on our manufacturer and the testing conducted throughout all the stages of raw herb from the field to the factory and eventually to our packets check out our FAQ  section and watch our factory video tour.

You Can’t Dismiss 2000 Years of History

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2000 years of chinese medicine history2000 years ago today, the year was AD 9. (on most calendars anyway)  No cell phones, no cars, no health insurance. Things were pretty different, or were they? People still talked without cell phones, traveled without cars and got sick without insurance. What hasn’t changed in 2000 years is herbal medicine. Specifically, Chinese herbal medicine is not much different than what we use today.
 
2000 years ago if you caught a flu (let’s say in China), you went to a local doctor and a cure was given in the form of bark, roots, stems and leaves. You took home a little bag, boiled your raw Chinese herbs in water and then drank the water. Many people around the world do the same thing today using the same herbal formulas used 2000 years ago.  But does the world remember this history? In Asia and the East the answer is a resounding yes. The West where “modern drugs” have a foothold the answer  is… the tide is turning. Finding herbal medicine, what’s often referred to as “Complementary and Alternative Medicine” (CAM) is getting easier.  
 
One group supporting complementary medicine that has grown exponentially in just the last 10 years is The Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine. This group includes traditional medical schools  across the country. Members include Stanford, Yale, Northwestern, Duke University and  from The Mayo Clinic in Minnesota across the country to the University of Hawaii. Forty four medical schools in the U.S. have recognized the value in integrating western medicine with other modalities including herbs, acupuncture and incorporating  the mind, body and spirit into modern medical practices.
 
Their mission is to advance the principles and practices of integrative health care within academic institutions.  They support  and mentor academic leaders, faculty, and students to advance integrative health care curricula, research and clinical care. They also disseminate information on rigorous scientific research, which includes research on Chinese herbal compounds. (connect here to a research study done on  Chinese herbal medicines for people with impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting blood glucose)
 
As is often said, history repeats itself.  I think we’re returning to our roots. (no pun intended) Funny how the more things change the more they stay the same and Chinese herbal medicine is proving just that,  even after 2000 years.
In case your interested The Consortium’s website is: http://www.imconsortium.org/

Chinese herbs for asthma, have you heard of this?

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Chinese herbs for AsthmaYes, Chinese herbs for asthma sufferers. This comes straight from the horses mouth,  the American Academy of  Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  Stated in September 2005,  “This is the first well-controlled study in which an anti-asthma Chinese herbal medicine has been found to be as effective as a corticosteroid drug. Additional clinical studies of ASHMI in the USA are planned.” 
That was four years ago and I couldn’t find any published results since then of  additional studies in the U.S. Not sure why. This study was published by the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. A fine institution like Mt Sinai telling us Chinese herbs are AS effective as a corticosteroid drug would certainly interest a large segment of the population who suffer with asthma.
It’s a real shame that we don’t have more research studies on Chinese herbs in the U.S. but if these kinds of results  were repeated the drug companies might have some competition selling some very profitable drugs. Corticosteroid treatment for asthma has become the norm and some of those drugs rank in the top 10 most popular prescriptions on the market.
If you choose to read the published report you’ll see that neither the patients or medical staff involved in this study were informed to which group was getting the herbs or the prednisone tablets for their asthma. Double blind studies such as this are conducted everyday in China and Taiwan but the English speaking world is rarely provided with such documentation.  Do  me a favor, if you find any follow up studies on asthma and Chinese herbs, drop a line or a comment below, so we can all be privy to the most recent medical research.   Also leave a comment on how you feel about the amount of research being done in the USA on natural alternatives for diseases such as asthma. ?

I Was Only Making Dinner

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Herb in PacketsI was making dinner tonight, nothing special, chicken, rice pilaf and salad. I’ve love the Near East brand of Rice Pilaf and have used it for years. So what’s so special to make me write about this.   Well, Near East is a well known, multi-million dollar company who has done their share of research on packaging their products. A small cardboard box holds the rice and a FOIL PACKET holds the herbs and spices, the secret ingredients that give the rice that great flavor.    

I poured my rice into my boiling water and then tried to rip open the foil packet even knowing in advance I’m going to have to get the knife or scissor to open it. It’s not a paper packet it’s a foil packet that holds the herbs and spices.   So I asked myself, why did this company decided to put their herbs and spices into a separate foil packet even though you mix the two together? Clearly the answer is the same reason that I have chosen to package my Chinese herb products into foil packets. 

Because freshness matters. Foil packets preserve freshness and flavor.  Foil packets are air tight and moisture tight and this matters when your dealing with natural herbs and spices.

Freshness makes the difference in potent herbs or stale herbs and spices. When your product is natural herbs, the  fresher the better.  This is the very reason packet technology is being used to package Chinese herbs throughout  Asia.  Foil packets don’t breath. Once the herbs are inside and sealed they are as fresh as the day they were dried. Foil packets provide a level of potency unmatched by any other type of packaging of Chinese herbs.

So thank you Near East for reminding us all, something simple like a foil packet can make the difference between a good product and a great, fresh, potent product. 

(Pac Herbs is the only company who has Chinese herbs packaged in stay fresh, individual PACKETS.)

American are spending more on CAM – Complementary & Alternative Medicine

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CAMAs patient awareness of health and disease prevention has grown, so too has their interest in alternatives to traditional therapeutic disease-based options. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) defines Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as "a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not currently part of conventional medicine."   This may soon change with new health care legislation on the horizon.

Over the past 10 years, the therapeutic options afforded by CAM  have blossomed into a $45 billion industry. Of this, $12 billion has been spent on CAM health practitioners including chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists. The remaining $33 billion is spent on stress reduction techniques including yoga and massage as well as on dietary supplements, primarily fish oil, glucosamine and echinacea.

In general, approximately 11 percent of out-of-pocket spending on health care in the United States is spent on CAM modalities, a number that has opened the eyes of many non-believers.

Patients are often reluctant to discuss the use of CAM with their physicians for fear of being rebuked or dismissed. Many physicians view alternative-based therapies as "quackery" and adopt an attitude of "semi-indulgent contempt," as described by one physician. Further complicating matters is the relative lack of practitioner knowledge and training on CAM modalities. Nudged forward by patient demand, this view is clearly changing and now more than 70 medical schools and 45 medical centers, including The Mayo Clinic and The Cleveland Clinic, have adopted integrative and alternative medical centers.

Flower Medicine on the Forefront of Liver Cancer Treatment

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Ye Ju Hua Wild Chrysanthemum Flower Chinese HerbNatural products like Chinese herbs have become increasingly important for new pharmaceutical discoveries. Chinese Herbs and other phyto-medicinals  are being widely studied particularly for cancer treatments. Currently more than 60% of cancer drugs are of plant origin.  New research on the Chinese herb called Ye Ju Hua or Wild Chrysanthemum flower shows anticancer activities and could be a valuable resource in the fight against cancer.

The flowers of Chrysanthemum indicum (Chrysanthemi Indici Flos), is a traditional Chinese herb widely used throughout China and Asia which this study suggests could be a promising novel treatment for liver and other cancers. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is known as a common and aggressive malignant cancer worldwide.  In China, HCC accounts for 90% of primary liver cancer, which is the second most common cause of death. Chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of cancer, but it is limited to a significant extent by its toxicities and side effects. One possible way to increase the potency of anticancer drugs and to decrease side effects is to develop traditional medicines, especially from medicinal plants.
 

Chrysanthemum   has a long history of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat vertigo, hypertensive symptoms and several infectious diseases such as pneumonia, colitis, stomatitis and carbuncles.   A series of recent studies have demonstrated that Chrysanthemum possesses antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulator, and neuroprotective effects.  Recently, much attention has been devoted to the anticancer activity of Chrysanthemum on human cancer cells, however, its anticancer mechanism of action is still not clear and needs further investigation. The inhibition of tumor cell growth without toxicity in normal cells has attracted considerable attention in cancer therapy.  

Clinical studies have shown Chrysanthemum  can be used in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents and other Chinese herbs.  One study  found that patients with metastatic breast cancer postoperatively receiving Chrysanthemum as one of the main components, in combination with other traditional Chinese medicines, had a 5-year overall survival rate of 70% and a complete response rate of 60%, and in combination with chemotherapeutic agents, had a 5-year overall survival rate of 77% and a complete remission rate of 80%, without adverse effects.  Another study demonstrated that Chrysanthemum  in combination with traditional Chinese herbs, achieved a response rate of 67% in advanced stage esophageal carcinoma patients. 

Plant-pharmacology used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) continues to be an important source of discovery and development of novel therapeutic agents for cancer treatments.
 
Link to Study:
 
Zong-Fang Li, Zhi-Dong Wang, Shu Zhang, Xian-Ming Xia, Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China. Chen Huang, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases of the Education Ministry, School of Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an710061, Shaanxi Province, China
Supported by Grants From the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30672766 and Science and Technology Developing Foundation of Shaanxi Province, China, No. 2006 K16-G4 (1)
Published online: September 28, 2009
Peer reviewer: Dr. Yukihiro Shimizu, Kyoto Katsura Hospital, 17 Yamada-Hirao, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8256, Japan