100% certified organic herbal supplements

You are here: Herbal Info > Herbal Therapy

Herbal Therapy

chinese herbal soup
chinese herb store picture
chinese herb picture
chinese herb capsule picture

Herbalism is a traditional medicinal practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. It is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, and herbal medicine. The scope of herbal medicine is sometimes extended to include fungal and bee products, as well as minerals, shells and certain animal parts.

The first Chinese herbal book, the Shennong Bencao Jing 神農本草經, complied during the Han Dynasty but dating back to a much earlier date, possibly 2700 B.C., lists 365 medicinal plants and their uses including ma- Huang, the shrub that introduced the drug ephedrine to modern medicine.

The Chinese pharmacopeia lists over 6,000 different medicinal substances in terms of their properties and the disharmonies that they were helpful with. There are about 600 different herbs in common use today.

Herbs are classified in two major dimensions. The first dimension refers to the temperature characteristics of the herb, namely hot, warm, cold, neutral, and aromatic. The second dimension refers to the taste property of the herb, namely sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, and salty.

The various combinations of temperature and taste give the herb its properties that can influence the yin and yang energy patterns of the body. For example, sour, bitter and salty tastes are related to yin, whereas acrid, sweet are attributed to yang. There are herbs that will warm, herbs that will cool, herbs that will tonify, and herbs that will move stagnation and so on. It is also important to understand that herbs do not possess one quality. They are always a combination of properties and temperatures and may reach one to as many as twelve organ systems.

Herbal Formulas

The unique characteristic of Chinese herbal medicine is to apply the combination of herbs to restore the harmony of body and mind. Herbal formulas can be delivered in all manners of preparation. Pre-made formulas are available as pills, tablets, capsules, powders, alcohol-extracts, water extracts and etc. Most of these formulas are very convenient as they do not necessitate patient preparation and are easily taken.


Follow: Fong Organic Herbs At Twitter Fong Organic Herbs At Facebook Fong Organic Herbs Blog