EnglishRead our weekly traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) columns in the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Someone not familiar with traditional Chinese medicine might be surprised by the lack of equipment in a TCM practitioner’s office. Stethoscopes, urine test strips, X-ray screens, lab tests or even thermometers aren’t traditionally used by TCM practitioners – although more are incorporating western diagnostic data into their patient-assessment procedures. In…
MoreAngelica root (Radix angelicae sinensis) is a well-known blood-tonifying herb that’s especially good for women. The Chinese name dang gui means “ought to return”. In ancient china, women used the herb to promote fertility because bearing offspring was considered an important duty. Occasionally, when their husbands were on long trips,…
MoreIn allergic rhinitis, the patient suffers from frequent attacks of sneezing, nasal discharge or blockage of the nasal passages. It may be seasonal or perennial. Seasonal rhinitis is often called hay fever. It’s prevalent in the teenage years, when up to 30 per cent of young people suffer symptoms in…
MoreSummer in Hong Kong poses a greater risk of dehydration, especially when people are outdoors. This can lead to a substantial amount of body fluid loss and possible symptoms of mild dehydration, such as increased thirst, decreased urine production, fatigue and a light headache. But there are some simple foods…
MoreThe reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidium) has recently become known as a medicinal fungus worldwide. Like other herbs, it goes by different names, in china, it’s called lingzhi. The word ling means spirit or mind, while zhi refers to mushrooms in general. Reishi is its name in Japan. It’s also sometimes…
MoreObesity rates have risen dramatically in developed countries over the years. It’s well-known that inappropriate high fat and unbalanced diets are partially responsible for the diseases that rank among the top killers – such as heart disease and certain cancers. In Chinese culture, food is taken seriously and is considered…
MoreAsian ginseng (panax ginseng), which includes Chinese and Korean varieties, has gained worldwide renown. Even its scientific name, panax, alludes to its curative effects. Panax derives from the Greek roots pan, meaning “all”, and akos, “cure”, referring to “cure all”, or “panacea”. According to Professor Shiu-Ying Hu, the earliest written…
MoreIn western medicine, the spleen – in the upper-left abdominal cavity between the stomach and diaphragm – usually doesn’t get much attention. This may be because we can live without it. In early life, the spleen forms blood. Later, it stores red blood cells and platelets. It also removes non-functional…
MoreIn western physiology, the kidneys are a vital excretory organ whose main function is to create urine to help the body get rid of toxins and excess water. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the kidneys also have control over the reproductive, endocrine and nervous systems, This is because the kidneys…
MoreIn traditional Chinese medicine, the meridian system is a network of channels and pathways for transporting and carrying chi and blood through the body. Chi is the vital life energy in the body, while blood flows around blood vessels, providing nutrition. Both chi and blood and body fluids are all…
MoreIn traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), all forms of life are regarded as being animated by an essential life force or vital energy called chi. Human chi is either inherited from parents or derived from substances in nature such as air, food and water. But chi has various definitions in Chinese…
MoreAs responses to external stimuli, emotions affect not only your psychological state, but your physiological functions, and can play a role in disease development. TCM regards emotions as manifestations of physiological functions in the organs, mainly the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidneys. Emotions are adjustments the body makes to…
MoreIn 576BC, when most of the world believed that diseases were caused by evil spirits, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, Yi He, suggested that an imbalance of six factors (yin, yang, wind, rain, night and day) could explain how ailments occurred. From this, physicians developed six key climatic influences: wind,…
MoreMore than 1,500 years ago, the meadow regions of the Tibetan Himalayan mountains were covered with a variety of grasses and flowering plants. Grazing cattle and sheep were drawn to an unusual mushroom-like grass. Over time, the herdsmen noticed a marked difference in the strength and agility of their herds.…
MoreSars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) infected 1,755 people in Hong Kong in 2003, killing 299. But its impact didn’t end there: the severe inflammation caused by the virus resulted in fibrosis or scarring of the lung tissues of some patients, and 158 patients have been diagnosed with a serious bone…
MoreAccording to western medicine, colds are generally caused by rhinoviruses, and flu is the result of influenza viruses. Chinese medicine, rather tan taking a microscopic approach, adopts a holistic concept to explain the onset of colds or flu. It says such illnesses are caused by unfavourable influences from climatic and…
MoreLast week, we talked about the characteristics of the five elements – wood, fire, water, earth and metal. This week, we look at the rules that govern the relationship between the five elements and the way they can be used to diagnose an ailment. The general rules that govern the…
MoreAccording to ancient Chinese philosophy, harmony surrounds the human body and the ever-changing universe. They noticed how the seasons change cyclically. They saw how their crops germinated and grew. They saw how landscapes varied. Such observations were integrated into the holistic ancient Chinese philosophy such as yin-yang, and led to…
MoreCould the tail of a turkey be good for your health? Or is this just another name for a fancy cocktail? It’s actually the common name for a particular mushroom. It’s called turkey tail because of its fan shape, with shades of brown, white, and grey on its upper surface.…
MoreYin and yang represent two opposite yet complementary aspects of objects. Because the relationship between yin and yang is always opposite, interdependent and interactive, it keeps them operating in a dynamic balance. The ancient Chinese incorporated the yin-yang concept into medical practice by using it as a tool for comparative…
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