DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

Chinese herbs can be good for your skin:

According to TCM, white skin with pink cheeks (peaches and cream) is a sign of good health, healthy energy flow and blood circulation. Some healthy people, of course, are born with dark skin and healthy people do tan.

Proper flow of energy and blood not only supports organs but also nourishes the muscles and skin. Insufficient or blocked internal energy can directly cause dark skin.

Many Chinese people offer congratulations on good health when they first see someone, saying qi se hao, (”energy color good”), meaning your complexion is good, you have good color.

TCM says you can improve your color by eating certain herbs and foods and applying acupressure. This will increase blood circulation and energy. Poor color resulting from liver disease, diabetes, wasting and malnutrition requires a doctor’s care.

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Five Taste Fruit has powerful tonic quality

“(NaturalNews) The very name of Schizandrae, Wu Wei Zi, reveals the qualities of this amazing herb. In the Chinese language, Wu Wei Zi means “Five Taste Fruit.” When consumed, you can literally taste all five flavors at once (sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty). This relates to the essence of all five of the elemental energies (wood, fire, earth, metal and water), and therefore addresses the five major organ systems of the body. Schizandra also develops the primary energies of life by addressing all three of “The Three Treasures”, (http://plantcures.com/big3.html) . This is of course of great benefit to the body of anyone who consumes it.”

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Sound advice about taking any kind of herbal supplement. Check with your physician and use only as directed:

Moulton said it is important to know what you’re taking, to understand the full effect and what the possible downsides are. He emphasized the importance of knowledge and forethought when making decisions about herbal remedies.

People taking prescription medications should talk to their doctors before taking herbs or even certain vitamins but even those who rarely take a pill should seek advice before turning to herbs.

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Chinese medicine can alleviate your headache.

“More than 45 million people in the United States experience chronic, recurring headaches, and, of these, 28 million also suffer migraines. Approximately 4 percent of adults experience headaches almost daily.”

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An interesting article about traditional Tibetan medicine:

“Tibetan medicine plays an important role in the Tibetan’s daily life. It’s regarded as a holistic system, which addresses the needs of the body, mind and spirit.

Tonzhub says although Tibetan medicine is based on a different pathology compared with other medical theories, its unique characteristics makes it an inseparable part in today’s medical world.

Tonzhub said, “Traditional Tibetan medicine is purely natural and unpolluted. It has unique curative effect. I believe Tibetan medicine will play a bigger role in China and the world in the 21 century.”

Traditional Tibetan Medicine has some similarities with both traditional Indian and Chinese medicine. Meanwhile, it has a genesis, history, and development of its own, which is rooted in the Tibetan landscape, the indigenous culture, and the spirit of the Tibetan people.

These Tangkas record the development of the Tibetan medicine for the past 1000 or so years. Even today, they are still of great research value in our modern economic and social life.

One of the unique features of Traditional Tibetan Medicine is that although it is generally practiced alongside Buddhism, it contains a comprehensive philosophy, cosmology with spiritual practices. In addition, Tibetan medicine encompasses a wealth of knowledge on anatomy and physiology, embryology and pathology. The science of Traditional Tibetan Medicine includes diversified herbal pharmacy, as well as external therapies which are little-known in the western world. “

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A recent study indicates Chinese herbs are better at relieving menstrual pain than Western drugs:

“Chinese herbal medicine appears to be more effective at relieving menstrual cramps and pain than pharmaceutical drugs, acupuncture or heat compression therapy, according to a new study conducted by Australian researchers and published in the journal Cochrane Library.

“All available measures of effectiveness confirmed the overall superiority of Chinese herbal medicine to placebo, no treatment, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, oral contraceptive pills, acupuncture and heat compression,” said lead researcher Xiaoshu Zhu, from the Center for Complementary Medicine Research at the University of Western Sydney.

Researchers conducted an analysis of data from 39 different randomized, controlled trials that involved a total of 3,475 women. Women in these trials were given traditional Chinese herbs including cinnamon bark (rougui), Chinese angelica root (danggui), fennel fruit (huixiang), licorice root (gancao), Szechuan lovage root (chuanxiong), Chinese motherwort (yimucao), nut-grass rhizome (xiangfu), red peony root (chishao) and white peony root (baishao). The treatments were carried out in a traditional way to regulate energy (qi) and blood, warm the body and improve liver and kidney functioning.

The researchers found that Chinese herbal treatments led to a significant reduction in the symptoms of menstrual cramps, and that the degree of pain reduction was higher than that from other treatments. In one study, 53 percent of women receiving Chinese herbal treatment reported decreased pain, in comparison with only 26 percent of the women receiving a placebo treatment.”

DAAN has put together some more information about herbs for menstrual pain here. Also visit our product pages for some good products for women’s health.

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A research institute in Shanghai is developing drugs based on traditional Chinese medicine:

“Next month, the Shanghai Innovative Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a research and development institution for the modernization of traditional medicine, will apply to conduct clinical trials in Finland for its new antidepressant medicine extracted from herbs.

If the drug is approved, the center will be among a handful of companies that are launching therapeutic drugs derived from TCM onto the global market. “After seven years of study, we have extracted a single active ingredient from ginseng herbs. The pre-clinical trial has showed that this drug is safe and effective,” says Jiang Hongquan, an official with the center.

“The efficacy of this drug is very close to Eli Lilly’s Prozac, or fluoxetine, but the cost is much lower,” notes Jiang, adding that the active ingredient, extracted from ginseng herbs, is a brand-new ingredient that had not been previously identified. The development is a breakthrough for herbal medicine innovation and modernization, according to Jiang, who says that the center is also considering applying to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical trial approval. Meanwhile, given the renewed global interest in TCM-derived drugs, the new medicine remains a closely guarded business secret.

The Shanghai Innovative Research Center is not alone in its effort to introduce Chinese herbal medicines into the mainstream market. Other companies have been doing the same thing for years, including Hutchison MediPharma (the R&D subsidiary of London AIM-listed Hutchison China MediTech), and Tasly Pharmaceutical Co., one of China’s largest TCM manufacturers.”

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Some good information about herbal remedies for early menopause:

“Herbal Remedies for Early Menopause

Magnesium: Often found in calcium supplements, magnesium is a very important calcium helper — and also appears to help fight the crashing fatigue that often comes at the beginning of premature or early menopause by boosting energy levels.

A hot flash can make you perspire - in some cases profusely - and may bring on headaches, dizziness and an increased heart rate (though it´s nothing to be overly concerned with - it´s usually just your heart trying to cope with the increase in blood flow). An effective method for dealing with hot flashes (or hot flushes depending on what part of the world you live in) is to help control your temperature by wearing several layers of clothing. When you get hot, you can always take some layers off.

Vitamin A or Beta Carotene: If you´re suffering from vaginal dryness — or if you´ve noticed a change in your skin texture, a drying or loss of elasticity, Vitamin A or beta carotene can help. Vitamin A (which is what beta carotene converts to in your body) helps maintain tissues, skin, and mucous membranes — which can help fight back against vaginal dryness and skin changes that often come with low estrogen levels.

The most powerful feature of Traditional Chinese Medicine is that it allows you to easily combine multiple ingredients to form a recipe to suit the specific need of individual. The list below are to give you an idea of why you can get the herbal remedy best for you from here with us.

Safe and Side Effect Free: All these herbs have been being used in China for thousands of years, and have been proven to be safe. In fact most Chinese herbs are tonics without side effects. “

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Chinese athletes, who usually use Chinese herbal treatments, are avoiding it before the Olympics, worried about possible positive drug tests:

“Deer penis, turtle blood and angelica root potions have joined steroids and amphetamines on the list of banned drugs for Chinese Olympians.

While China’s top athletes have long sought a competitive edge by ingesting traditional concoctions, those customs are fading amid stricter doping rules and concern that drug scandals will embarrass the host nation during the Summer Olympics in Beijing. The nation’s sports stars are replacing millennia-old elixirs with vitamins, protein shakes and Western remedies.

Traditional Chinese medicines may contain banned substances such as the stimulant ephedrine or interact with each other to trigger positive doping tests, said Ai Hua, a doctor for China’s gymnastics and weightlifting teams during the 2004 games.

“Some teams were still taking Chinese traditional medicines at the Athens Olympics,'’ Ai said. “But now, with the fear of doping at the Beijing games, everyone’s avoiding herbal concoctions.'’”

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Bilberry and lycium, commonly used herbs in Chinese medicine for eyesight, could help your eyesight:

“ANTHOCYANIDINS found in bilberry fruits may be useful for people with vision problems. It is believed that British Royal Air Force pilots flying night missions during World War II ate bilberry jam to improve their vision and relieve tired eyes. The jam was made from ripe bilberries which are deep-blue red in colour.

Anthocyanidin, which belongs to the class of flavonoids, is a pigment commonly found in fruits and vegetables. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) is one of the richest sources. However, in recent years, hot and dry weather has reduced the harvest of bilberry. This makes the fruits even more precious.

Anthocyanidins help protect the retina, the nerve layer that lines the back of the eye and sends nerve impulses to the visual areas of the brain.

Studies conducted in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s suggest that the anthocyanidins in bilberry fruit preparations improve symptoms of a variety of visual disturbances including near-sightedness, cataracts, and macular degeneration.

Benefits of Bilberry:
- Improves capillary strength and flexibility

- Increases capillary blood flow in the eyes

- Increases the generation of enzymes responsible for energy production in the eyes

Eyebright is a European wild plant. It is traditionally used to treat eye irritation. The whole herb is used medicinally. Eyebright is used primarily as a topical compress of eye inflammation. It is beneficial for reducing redness and swelling. Nowadays, you can find eyebright as a supplement, normally in combination with bilberry for synergistic effects.

Other eye herbs worth mentioning are lycium (kei chi in Chinese) and lutein. Lycium is known to be a rich source of antioxidants, specifically zeaxanthin. Zeaxanthin is well-absorbed from lycium. Zeaxanthin absorbs blue light and therefore, like the pigment lutein, is thought to be beneficial to the human eye.”

DAAN carries a number of products for your eyes.

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