One herb, two herbs, red herbs, blue herbs…. What’s the difference?

Posted by Cathy on
red herbs blue herbs all chinese herbs for PMS Relief & sleep When we speak about using plants as medicine there are two very different and distinct methods, Western herbalism and Chinese herbal medicine.   I find a lot of confusion between these two methods, so I've written a little background on each.
 
Western herbal medicine or folk herbalism primarily treats symptoms such as asthma symptoms or coughs, colds, headaches, constipation symptoms, PMS symptoms etc. All cultures across the globe have used indigenous plants for their own brand of folk medicine. However,  Western herbs in our modern day  fell from the lime light when prescription medicine started being heavily marketed in the 1950’s.   They seem to be making a comeback today, but  large clinical studies are scarce and very expensive and this makes it difficult to know what really works.  Good manufacturing standards, which are overseen by the FDA in the U.S. are getting stricter, but enforcement is lacking and herb quality control has no standardization. 
 
In comparison, Chinese herbal medicine is the worlds oldest documented medicine. Chinese medicine has been continually practiced for over 2000 years. The same herbs have been prescribed for centuries. However, the method of prescription is done on what’s called “pattern identification” rather than on just “ bodily symptoms”. Pattern identification can get complicated but in a nut shell, a patients pattern diagnosis is made up of a person’s overall body constitution, medical history, emotional temperament, signs and symptoms. Chinese herb formulas are prescribed according to each individuals set patterns and often customized to treat  both the  underlying root cause of disease and symptoms.

Chinese medicine including Acupuncture is gaining popularity in the West as  an effective alternative therapy. Unlike Western herbalism, China, Taiwan, Japan and other Asian countries have extensively researched and studied herbs in clinical trials. Today most of Asia depends on herbs for their primary medicine.   Good manufacturing standards in Taiwan, a large producer of Chinese herbs, are extremely controlled compared to the U.S. and both enforcement and quality control standards are similar to pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the U.S. The reason for these strict standards in Taiwan is because the herbs are covered as part of the Taiwanese  National Health Insurance program and heavily depended upon for all types of illness.  In fact, even a swine flu cure has been highly publicized in Asia using only cooked and processed Chinese herbs.
 
Hope this helps explain the differences, if you have any questions feel free to post below. 

New Years Reflections and Resolutions

Posted by Cathy on
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”.

5 Prevention Tips For PMS & Menstrual Cramps

Posted by Cathy on

Whether you’re a professional mother or a working professional, or both, each day you provide unending value, support, and energy to the world around you. In order for you to sustain those around you, you must first sustain yourself. Here’s a few tips to keep your menstrual cycle symptoms from interfering with your daily life every month. Remember, making even subtle changes to your routine can make an incredible difference in your quality of life.

1. Movement with Intention: Take a brisk 45 minute walk every day or break it up into smaller segments of 15 minutes in the morning, at lunch and after dinner. If you already spend a fair amount of time during the day walking, count your steps with an odometer. Approximately 2000 steps is equivalent to one mile. Most importantly, move with the sake of intention. If you’re experiencing a high amount of stress, set an intention at the beginning of the walk to release that stress with each step you take. If walking isn’t your style, but biking or running is, do that instead. Simply do what you enjoy on a regular basis. Stress is a key factor in PMS so set your intention to release it daily.

2. Raw Nutrition: Ideally you want all of your food sources to be fresh as opposed to processed. Processed foods are stripped of most of their nutritional value by the time they reach your plate and are essentially digested as empty calories. If this seems overwhelming, start simply by regularly incorporating one new vegetable into your diet each week. Food should be our first medicine and vegetable have all the nutrients your body craves. Feed your body well and it will BE well.

3. Daily Juice: Start your day with a tall glass of fresh vegetable juice instead of a tall latte. If vegetables sound daunting first thing in the morning, add small amounts of fruit and/or yogurt to create a more balanced flavor. For bonus points, try to use only fruits and vegetables that are in season or a macrobiotic diet. Our ancestors ate this way and it’s a sure fire way to super charge for body which translates to less PMS symptoms.

4. Indulge: Slip between the sheets for a good night’s rest 30 minutes earlier than usual. At the end of the week this equals an additional 3.5 hours of sleep. Lack of sleep is one of the highest risk factors for poor health and therefore one of the most valuable things you could choose to indulge in. Getting enough sleep allows your body run smoothly and efficiently. Many hormone functions are produced or are timed to release during sleep or right before sleep. So any shortage will affect your monthly cycle in the long run.

5. Consider Herbal Alternatives: Explore alternative therapies such as Chinese Herbs. Dang Gui, has been shown to help balance hormones naturally, effectively decreasing PMS symptoms such as mood swings, cramps, headaches, bloating, and breast tenderness. Dang Gui is known as the female Ginseng, therefore a very important herb. You can boil this herb raw and drink as a tea or purchase in tea bags or bulk. Either way drinking a cup of dang gui tea each day helps your body gradually balance out your hormones and alleviates both PMS during the month and reduces cramping during your cycle.

This post is proudly a part of Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday @ The Kathleen Show. For more information and to check out some other great health blogs click here.

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Ginger to Maintain Your Health

Posted by Cathy on

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Ginger is a common recommendation in my clinic. Ginger is wonderful for digestive disorders and it is anti-inflammatory. “Drink Ginger tea” is one of the most common suggestions I make.

Don’t underestimate ginger just because it isn’t the fancy favorite of TV Chefs. Ginger root is a common herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (the Chinese name is Sheng Jiang). Ginger is also used as a spice for cooking, particularly in Asian food.

Here are some great ideas from an article by Jennifer Dubowsky, L.Ac. originally posted Dec. 2008 about the benefits of ginger.

Ginger’s rhizome (the underground stem) is highly spicy and widely touted to aid digestion. That is why ginger tea is very popular. In addition to a lovely flavor, it is anti inflammatory and eases digestion. Consider drinking ginger tea after meals. Another benefit from ginger is its ability to combat nausea from various causes including morning sickness, motion sickness, chemotherapy,and food contamination. Many people use ginger to treat coughs, influenza, and colds. I also recommend it to my patients to improve fertility and ease PMS symptoms.

It is interesting to note, too, that ginger has been employed in Chinese herbal medicine for thousands of years due to its numerous beneficial properties. Called Sheng-jiang in the Chinese pharmacopoeia, ginger used alone as a single herb is considered to alleviate nausea, dispel pathogens by inducing sweating, expel cold, as well as stop coughing and reduce excess phlegm in the lungs. In Chinese herbal medicine, Sheng-jiang, or fresh ginger, is considered to have very different properties than Gan-jiang, or dried ginger. Gan-jiang is useful for “cold” pain of the stomach and abdomen, diarrhea due to “cold” in the abdomen, cough, and rheumatism, among other uses. Dried ginger has also been shown to inhibit vomiting.

A Japanese study brought ginger into the experimental lab. The study, led by Dr. Hiroshi Ochiai at the Department of Human Science, Faculty of Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan, was published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 2006:34(1):157-69, and reported in the Chinese Medical Times, concludes that they were able to inhibit the growth of influenza virus using ginger extract.
For more articles by  Jennifer Dubowsky, a licensed acupuncturist in downtown Chicago, check out:  http://acupuncturechicago.blogspot.com/

Stop Painful Menstrual Cramps with Chinese Herbs

Posted by Cathy on with 2 Comments

herbs for pmsLately this is my favorite topic and formula to make in my herb granule pharmacy .. because  the calls I receive go something like this.  “I took it once & I’m off the couch and back to normal”,  “I can’t believe those herbs work”,  “Why didn’t you tell me before”, “I didn’t take a single motrin this month”,  I could go on and on, but you get the idea.  So here’s some information about the herbs in the Pacific Herbs PMS Relief Herb Pack & some interesting information on well conducted research on menstrual pain. 

Don’t mask the pain with NSAID’s  try an approach that’s worked for centuries, Chinese Herbal Medicine.  An international nonprofit organization, known as the Cochrane Collaboration, studied the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine in relieving menstrual pain compared to western drugs.  Their conclusion:  “Chinese herbal medicine for primary dysmenorrhea roughly doubled pain relief and improvement in overall symptoms compared with conventional Western pharmaceuticals.”

Here are a few common Chinese herbs used for painful menstrual cramps, ( All our in our formula plus more)

1. Dong Gui (Chinese Angelica  or Angelica Sinensis) Also known as the “female ginseng,” it is commonly used to regulate the menstrual cycle and relieve menstrual cramps.  It also helps to relieve menopausal symptoms, reduce PMS and anemia and to re-establish a menstrual cycle after cessation of birth control pills.  It is commonly sold as a single herb tea, bagged or loose.  It is considered a king herb or premier herb in Chinese gynecological disease because of its ability to harmonize the blood in Chinese medicine.  Dong Gui is also considered antispasmodic.  The coumarin chemicals present in this herb may help dilate blood vessels and relax the smooth muscles of the uterus, thus relieving menstrual cramping.

2. Chuan Xiong (Chuanxiong  Rhizoma) This herb is also a key medicinal herb for treating pain.  It improves blood circulation and promotes the flow of “qi” or vital energy.  Chinese women, dating back to the Song Dynasty, used to take this Chinese herb in the form of soup.  The soup is called a Four Substance Decoction and includes three other herbs:  angelica, red peony and Chinese foxglove.  The soup and tea are still used today as a blood tonic to relieve PMS, stop menstrual pain and improve overall health, especially after giving birth.

3. Bai Shao (White Peony Root) White Peony Root nourishes the blood and improves circulation.  It is also used for a wide variety of gynecological problems.  The peony root is considered a   liver tonic in Chinese medicine.  By strengthening the liver, it helps to increase the efficiency of protein and fat metabolism, thus inhibiting the excessive synthesis of prostaglandins that may cause an over-active uterus and endometrial pain.

4. Yi Mu Cao (Chinese Motherwort) Leaves from this herb are used to treat menstrual problems.  They have been shown to improve blood circulation and clear blood clots that occur in menstrual disorders and after childbirth.  The leaves also promote diuresis and relieve edema.  Studies on the alkaloid leonurine showed that this substance stimulates the uterus of rabbits, cats, dogs and guinea pigs.2

5. Yan Hu Suo (Corydalis Rhizome) There are two main functions of this Chinese herb:  to strengthen blood circulation and to relieve pain.  In conjunction with chuan xiong it is known to help both body aches and headaches.  Corydalis is related to the opium poppy.  Although only 1% in strength compared to opium, it is a very effective pain reliever.  The active chemical constituent di- tetrahydropalmatine (THP) is a neuroactive alkaloid with analgesic action that relieves cramping pain. Formulas or groups of Chinese herbs are more beneficial than single herb remedies because the herbs work synergistically for conditions such as menstrual cramps.  The Cochran study also stated that:  “The herbal remedies were also significantly better at relieving painful cramps and other symptoms than acupuncture or a hot water bottle, with overall promising finding.  Chinese herbs overall, whether standardized or tailored, yielded better pain relief than conventional pharmaceutical therapies.” Chinese herbal medicine can be a bit intimidating when you don’t know anything about these herbs, and the five herbs above are only a few of the herbs beneficial for menstrual cramps in the Chinese herbal encyclopedias.  Asian pharmacies sell prescriptions of herbal teas and pills daily, and Asian cultures have used herbs successfully for hundreds of years. 

By replacing NSAIDs with Chinese herbs, women receive an additional benefit of avoiding the nasty NSAID3 side effects such as upset stomach, heartburn, ulcers and rashes, and liver damage, to name a few.  Women don’t need to suffer month after month.  You can use Chinese herb supplements to be pain free and PMS symptom free all month long.

Check the research for yourself: Primary source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Source; Zhu X, et al “Chinese herbal medicine for primary dysmenorrhoea” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007;3: CD005288.

  1. Chinese Medicine Program at the University of Western Sydney.1 (fourth issue for 2007 of The Cochrane Library)

2.  Yin, J. Modern Research and Clinical Application of Chinese  Materia Medica (2) pp 218-219 Beijing: Chinese  Medical Classic Press.

NSAID are Non-Sterodial Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.  Generics and name brands include:  ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, naproxen sodium, Aleve, aspirin, Bayer, Bufferin, acetaminophen, and Tylenol.