Chinese Herbs
Chinese herbal medicine is one of the great herbal traditions of the world, with a recorded history of more than two thousand years. In today’s China, herbal medicine continues to be used widely and practiced alongside western medicine in state hospitals throughout the country in the treatment of a wide range of conditions.

The Chinese material medica contains several hundred commonly used ingredients, including roots, stems, flowers, leaves and barks, together with some non-plant materials. Each prescription is matched to each specific patient’s pattern of illness and personal characteristics.

Chinese herbal medicine may be administered in a variety of ways. Most commonly it is prescribed either as a tea, to be made up from raw herbs or from concentrated powders, or as a ready-made formula in tablet form. External preparations are also used, including creams, ointments and washes for skin conditions, and compresses for traumatised tissue. Chinese herbal teas tend to be bitter, but most people get accustomed to them quickly.

© The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine