Interest in Chinese herbs

[Joe1363]

Hello, I've reading a few books about Chinese herbs and herbal formulas and am interested in trying some, but not quite sure what. The book The Warrior as Healer by Thomas Richard Joiner has a few that interest me. Some formulas that cought my interest are Tai Chi tea(shi quan da bu tang), golden relics pills(jin gu jia wan), An Mien Pien, and Fang sou yi. I was wondering if any one has any experience with any of these, or if anyone know of any other things that could be useful. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

[herb ox]

Howdy Joe1363!

I see the wonders of Chinese herbs have caught your eye. Welcome to the forum!

The formulas you are interested are mostly tonic formulas that treat deficiencies. Shi quan da bu wan is a formula used commonly for treating qi deficiency with "cold" (not a cold, but rather symptoms like pain, atrophy, weakness of the lower extremities...). Whether this formula would be good for you depends on your current state. Jin gu tonifies the kidneys (if I understand the name right - good formula for low back pain, weak knees and legs, along with urinary issues). An Mien Pian will give you a good night's sleep if you take it for awhile.

It would be best to consult a qualified herbalist to see which formula is best suited for your constitution and condition, as an incompatibility can cause all kind of unpleasant side effects. Perhaps you could tell us a bit about yourself - maybe some of the more experienced board members can make a suggestion.

cheers

herb ox

[Joe1363]

Thank you for the welcome.
I don't really have any deficiencies, I suppose I am looking for something general for health, if there really is anything. I was under the impression that some of these formulas might be, to some extent. In the book I mentioned shi quan da bu tang is said to be "especially useful for promoting endurance and speeding recovery after a strenuous training session." What I understood about jin gu jia wan was that it promotes flexibiity. Do these formulas not do the things I mentioned? Or is better to not try things I am not sure of.
Fang sou yi is described as a hand/surface conditioning formula. It seems interesting, but I don't know anything about it.
What can I try in order to pursue this interest? Any suggestion?

[Doc Stier]

Hi Joe:

Aside from reading books on the subject, or actually enrolling in an Accredited College of TCM, there are independent home study courses and other resources available on-line which would probably satisfy your curiosity and answer all of your questions regarding Chineses herbal medicine. Here are a few links for your consideration:

http://www.rmhiherbal.org/

http://www.chinesemedicinesampler.com/herbmedtheory.html

http://tcm.health-info.org/Herbology.Materia.Medica/HerbsWebPage.htm

http://www.chineseherbacademy.org/

I hope these prove informative and helpful. Good luck!

Doc Stier, OMD

[JayB]

I am a licensed acupuncturist an herbalist in LA, and I would advise anyone who is interested in taking herbs to consult with a licensed professional first.
A lot of what is sold on the mass market and in China towns is low quality. This would mean the difference between eating organic beef and vegetables or McDonalds. So you need to find a good source for herbs first.
You can run into a lot of trouble if you try to self diagnose or get a friends recommendation on something that worked for them. No two people are the same and herbal formulas can be modified in many different ways.
Herbs can make a tremendous difference if you take the right ones, they can also have a very negative impact if you take the wrong ones. Don't think that because they are natural that they are always safe. Herbal medicine can take years, and even decades to master. Trying to teach yourself herbal medicine from a book is kind of like trying to learn martial arts from a book without any prior training.
Be careful, and good health to you.

[bodhitree]

Chinese Medicine School in CA (http://www.southbaylo.edu/home/index.htm)


Classes in three languages

[Henry123]

Hello, I've reading a few books about Chinese herbs and herbal formulas and am interested in trying some, but not quite sure what. The book The Warrior as Healer by Thomas Richard Joiner has a few that interest me. Some formulas that cought my interest are Tai Chi tea(shi quan da bu tang), golden relics pills(jin gu jia wan), An Mien Pien, and Fang sou yi. I was wondering if any one has any experience with any of these, or if anyone know of any other things that could be useful. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

If your learning Chinese herbs its good to find a book that has the Chinese Character name of the herbs so you can request it if you go to a Chinese herbalist. The English spelling and pronounciation of the herbs are almost useless because of dialect & langauage difference (Cantonese, Mandarin etc) differences. In most cases a Chinese herbalists wouldnt know what you are talking about.
Also make sure the book has the latin (aka vernacular) name of the herbs.
[So in summary 3 things: various common names, Chinese Character names, Latin name.]

Right now if your just beggining in Chinese herbalism. I would stick to food tonics and those sort of friendly herbs.
(Keep in mind some Chinese herbs are very toxic and deadly and should only be used by experience Chinese herbalists who knows the dosage rate or how to process those types of toxic herbs.)

I would highly recomend you find a book that also gives the theory of Chinese medicine. It would give you a good start.