A group of local business people from Santa Barbara, California, visit a herbalist in Beijing to learn more about the philosophy and practice of Chinese medicine:

"Visiting members of the Santa Barbara Region Chamber of Commerce watched in amazement as pharmacy assistants dug deep into drawers to dispense all manner of roots, herbs, seeds, fruit and plants -- not to mention the antler powder, buffalo horn, snake slough and earthworm.

Piles of what looked like debris from a morning's vigorous gardening apparently contained the answer to all sorts of ailments, from heart pains, stroke and depression, to premature ejaculation, impotence and forgetfulness.

Chamber members had earlier been given an insight into the rationale behind this system of ancient remedies when they attended a lecture in an adjacent part of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Opened in 1955, the academy, located just off Tiananmen Square near the heart of Beijing, is described as a national institute for research and clinical medicine, medical training and education, in traditional Chinese medicine.

Professor Zheren Nie stressed the importance of keeping balance within the body -- the balance of yin and yang -- and explained how certain natural medicines, along with things such as massage, acupuncture and acupressure, can help achieve and maintain that equilibrium.

He spoke of organ function and blood circulation, the 12 meridians that connect the organs and channel the vital essence "qi" through the body, the role of emotions and stress, and the significance of the environment around us and what we eat.

"Eating is a good thing, but it must be reasonable," he said, adding that optimism and a happy disposition will also help keep disease at bay."