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INTRODUCTION TO HERBOLOGY IN ALBUQUERQUE & SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
Since the dawn of creation, plants have been the primary source of medicine for the human race. Medicinal plants have been mentioned in the Bible, and in historical literature The focus of herbalism is to support the body's self healing ability. Herbs nourish us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Herbs are strong foods, so by eating them we enrich ourselves with a vast array of nutrients. The energetic classification of herbs is a science which has been refined over the last 3000 years. Today, we see further refinement due to the changing profile of disease.
 Finding healing powers in plants is an ancient idea. People in all continents have long used hundreds, if not thousands, of indigenous plants for treatment of various ailments dating back to prehistory.
The first generally accepted use of plants as healing agents were depicted in the cave paintings discovered in the Lascaux caves in France, which have been Radiocarbon dated to between 13,000 - 25,000 BCE. Over time and with trial and error, a small base of knowledge was acquired within early tribal communities. As this knowledge base expanded over the generations, tribal culture developed into specialized areas. These 'specialized jobs' became what are now known as healers or Shaman.
There are several types of herbal medicine systems that are used today; European, Native American, Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Western herbalism are the most prevalent systems. Despite differences in terminology and in the herbs used, there is a common thread that joins these systems: all of these systems treat the body as a 'whole', and they each utilize the energy of plants to 'work as needed' in synergy with the natural energy in each individual.
Plants that are used as medicines have been referred to as "herbs" for over 4000 years by European and the Mediterranean cultures, hence the word "herb", being a derivation of "herbe" and the Latin word, "herba". Originally, the term "herb" only applied to non-woody plants. Today, "herb" refers to any part of any plant used for flavoring or medicine. Although the term "herb" can also be equated with food spices, it is generally used in reference to any plant, or any part of a plant, having nutritional and / or medicinal value(s). Additionally, an "herb" may be a fruit, a bark, a flower, a leaf, or a root, as well as a non-woody plant or in Chinese Herbology even animal part or mineral.
Because there are many different herbal systems, there are also many different ways of classifying herbs. Some systems being used over the years tend to classify herbs by 'plant part'; by humoral theories; by botanical family; by color; or by morphology.
There are many ways to grow, gather, and harvest herbs. Herbs are considered the "best" by some practitioners when they are naturally grown in the wild, untouched by industrial pollutants. Some herbalist's recommend gathering only certain herbs (depending on the seasons, the weather, and the time of day) to achieve the highest level of medicinal qualities. And still others may disregard this practice, and will purposefully plant herbs 'out of season' so that they will be available for sale year round.
 Many believe that the energy with which the herbs are gathered is also very important, and should always be done with great spiritual awareness and prayerful thankfulness. And others feel that herbs should be handled with reverence and respect. In addition to growth and gathering techniques, harvesting practices vary as well. Recommendations may include taking the whole plant at once (buds, roots, seeds, leaves and blooms), or taking each part of the plant in a particular order, and only using younger, or older, plants.
There are also several ways to dispense herbs. The most common methods are herbal pastes, decoctions, hot or cold infusions, powders, pills (tablets, capsules), aromatics, tinctures or extracts (alcohol or glycerol bases), syrups, medicated oils, salves and ointments, lotions, teas, and whole herbs. Each type is good for specific ailments, and often may be used together (i.e. internally and externally for an external wound) to take full advantage of the healing attributes of each.
All these choices, like others, should be integrated with both your personal external needs and your internal ideals for the best possible results. An experienced herbalist can help you decide which system is right for you. Herbs are foods, and like any other food, herbs should be taken in moderation. Plants have an almost limitless ability to synthesize aromatic substances, most of which are phenols or their oxygen-substituted derivatives such as tannins.
Most are secondary metabolites, of which at least 12,000 have been isolated, a number estimated to be less than 10% of the total. In many cases, these substances (esp. alkaloids) serve as plant defense mechanisms against predation by microorganisms, insects, and herbivores.
 Many of the herbs and spices used by humans to season food yield useful medicinal compounds. The use of and search for drugs and dietary supplements derived from plants have accelerated in recent years. Pharmacologists, microbiologists, botanists, and natural-products chemists are combing the Earth for phytochemicals and leads that could be developed for treatment of various diseases.
In fact, many modern drugs have been derived from plants .The use of herbs to treat disease is almost universal among non-industrialized societies. A number of traditions came to dominate the practice of herbal medicine in the Western world at the end of the twentieth century:
- The Western, based on Greek and Roman sources,
- The Ayurvedic from India, and
- Chinese herbal medicine (Chinese herbology).
Many of the pharmaceuticals currently available to Western physicians have a long history of use as herbal remedies, including opium, aspirin, digitalis, and quinine.
All plants produce chemical compounds as part of their normal metabolic activities. These can be split into primary metabolites, such as sugars and fats, found in all plants, and secondary metabolites found in a smaller range of plants, some only in a particular genus or species .The autologous functions of secondary metabolites are varied, for example, as toxins to deter predation, or to attract insects for pollination. It is these secondary metabolites which can have therapeutic actions in humans and which can be refined to produce drugs. Some examples are quinine from the cinchona, morphine and codeine from the poppy, and digoxin from the foxglove. As of 2004, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine started to fund clinical trials into the effectiveness of herbal medicine.
Examples of some commonly used herbal medicines:
- Artichoke and several other plants reduced total serum cholesterol levels in preliminary studies.
- Black cohosh and other plants that contain phytoestrogens (plant molecules with estrogen activity) have some benefits for treatment of symptoms resulting from menopause.
- Echinacea extracts limit the length of colds in some clinical trials.
- Garlic lowers total cholesterol levels, mildly reduces blood pressure, reduces platelet aggregation, and has antibacterial properties.
- St John's wort, is more effective than a placebo for the treatment of mild to moderate depression in some clinical trials.
- Peppermint tea for problems with the digestive tract, including irritable bowel syndrome and nausea.
- Nigella sativa (Black cumin) is a generalist medicinal plant used for diverse ailments such as cough pulmonary infections, asthma, influenza, allergy, hypertension and stomach ache. The seeds are considered carminative, stimulant, diuretic and galactogogue. It is often taken with honey. Seed powder or oil is externally applied for eruptions of skin.
The legal status of herbal ingredients varies by country. For example, Ayurvedic herbal products may contain levels of heavy metals that are considered unsafe in the U.S., but heavy metals are considered therapeutic in Ayurvedic medicine.
CHINESE MEDICINE HISTORY
The history of Chinese Medicine dates back to the writings of the Yellow Emperors Inner Classic ( Huang Di Nei Jing). This work of art is a dialogue between the Yellow Emperor(2697-2597 B.C.) and his physician Qi Bo, in which they discuss the whole spectrum of ChineseMedicine- including topics such as Acupuncture, Yin-Yang, Five Elements pathology, diagnosis, and etiology of disease. The work was compiled around 305-204 B.C.The Inner Classic is the foundation for theory and philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
 Chinese Herbal Medicine is a compilation of experimentation and research dating back to a tribal chief named Shen Nong who resided in China along the great Yellow River Plateau (2700B.C.). He is famous for ingesting many substances to record first hand their effect. In all he recorded around 365 healing substances and wrote the first book on Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (The Classic of Materia Medica- Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing).The work was compiled around 206 B.C. The historical tradition continued with the work of a famous physician who lived around the third Century A.D. named Zhang Zhong Jing. He was one of the most celebrated Chinese physicians who compiled two classics- (Shang Han Lun-Discussion of Cold Induced disease) and (Jin Gui Yao Lun-Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber) These works are still referenced today for the diagnosis, treatment, and differentiation of yin-yang and 6 stages Chinese Medicine is a branch of the Taoist healing arts which include Acupuncture, Tai Qi Chuan, meditation, Chi Gong, astrology, I Ching, and Geomancy. Around 452 A.D. a Taoist named Tao Hong Jing contributed to Chinese Herbal Medicine by editing the original Classics of Materia Medica according to kingdom - plants, animal, etc. He also increased the total entries to 730 substances. In 1618 A.D. during the Tang Dynasty the government contributed by compiling the first official Materia Medica named Xin Xiu Ben Cao. This great work includes 844 illustrated pages.
During the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.), a physician named Tang Shen Wei increased the Materia Medica to 1746 substances. By 1590 A.D. the most comprehensive medical book named Grand Materia Medica-(Ben Cao Gang Mu) was compiled by Li Shi Zhen. With over 52 volumes, and 30 years over research, it includes 1892 substances with over 100 illustrations and 10,000 prescriptions Today the Materia Medica is being further refined by clinical and scientific data. Most of the research is being done in China. Each herb is listed with the properties, acupuncture meridian entered, functions, clinical use, major combinations, dosage, and pharmacological research-such as antimicrobial effect, antiviral effect, antifungal effect, effect on blood pressure, effect on smooth muscle, endocrine effect, central nervous system effect, use in gynecology, and more.
 The introduction of Chinese medicine into Japan, Korea and South East Asia, starting in the sixth century A.D., led to a regional and secular approach to Chinese medicine that was specific for each country that embraced the medical system. This development of Chinese medicine continues to this day in France and the United States.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was introduced into America by James Reston's account of his acupuncture analgesia during an emergency appendectomy in Beijing, while he was covering the Sino-American ping pong tournament in 1971. His account, on the front page of the New York Times was the first popular account of Chinese Medicine to reach the mass media in America. There were Chinatowns and practicing acupuncturists and herbalists in many major American cities, especially on the West Coast, but there was little public awareness of Chinese Medicine until that report. President Nixon's visit to China with his personal physician in 1972, and the visit of three American physicians in 1971, added credence to Chinese Medicine with a positive report in JAMA on several observed surgeries using acupuncture analgesia.
IDENTIFICATION OF PATTERNS
The identification of patterns underlying the basic imbalance or disharmony in the patient is the most important "diagnostic" activity in Chinese medicine. This activity is very consistent with Chinese philosophy where relationships rather than causes are of paramount importance.
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Taiji
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The Eight Diagnostic Principles are:
- Yin and Yang
- Cold and Heat (Wet/Dry)
- Interior or Exterior
- Deficiency and Excess
When we look at a patient in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) we need to define the patient in reference to each of the paired four diagnostic principals.
1. Yin and Yang
Yin/Yang is a symbolic representation of the universe that embodies the concept of change, relationships, patterns, process or flow from one concept into the other, at all levels of existence. Yin and Yang can only be defined in relationship to each other. This relationship is seen graphically in the Yin/Yang symbol, where Yin gradually turns into Yang, but even when Yang is full, it still has a small dot of Yin contained within it. The same is true of a full Yin. Another way of looking at it is that a part can only be understood in relationship to the whole. Yin and Yang are two convenient polar opposites that are used to explain how things function in relation to one another and to the universe. No entity can be seen in isolation; no thing exists apart in of itself - there are no absolutes. Everything in the universe has two aspects to its nature – a Yin and a Yang aspect.
The qualities of Yin and Yang are polar opposites. Clinically, Yin and Yang are related mostly to the two elements, which in combination, permit life to exist on this planet - that is sunlight or heat, and water. Yin is cold, wet and dark; Yang is hot, dry and light.
Practically speaking, Yin and Yang are not all that important when trying to establish a pattern of disharmony in a particular patient, but relate more to the deficiency or excess of Yin or Yang in relationship to each other, that will place the patient's biology into a particular pathological state. It is therapeutically more important to address the patterns of Heat versus Cold, Wetness versus Dryness and Excess versus Deficiency.
The importance of exterior versus interior is mostly related to the depth of invasion of the pathogenic principle in the patient - exterior disease is less harmful than interior disease.
2. Heat and Cold
The concepts of heat and cold define two important states of bodily imbalance. Most diseases or symptoms may be hot or cold. For example, acute rheumatoid arthritis is hot because the joints feel hot and look red, while osteoarthritis is cold, because it has none of the heat symptoms. Some patients will have mixed patterns that are difficult to treat - the patient who has an overall cold pattern - feeling chilled and wants warm drinks - but has pneumonia and is coughing up thick yellow sputum - a heat pattern. In general, dryness is usually associated with, and is a major symptom of heat, but may be caused by other factors such, as Blood deficiency. Heat patterns tend to be easier to treat because they represent a vigorous reaction on the part of the patient's immune system. These patterns are seen classically in children who are able to spike a fever and look heated in the face, with rosy cheeks, in no time at all.
3. Wetness and Dryness
Wetness or dampness is a condition where the body fluids congest and accumulate in the body. Dryness is the opposite condition, where body fluids are lessened. Dryness is often a symptom of heat, as heat will dry up the body fluids. Dryness is readily apparent if we look at the skin and mucous membranes, which have little moisture. Wetness however, also relates to not so obvious wet conditions such as sinus congestion and peripheral edema.
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Above, the Receptive Earth.
Below, the Creative Heaven.
They meet and become harmony
creating Peace.
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4. Excess and Deficiency
One can consider excess and deficient conditions either as a general state of the patient or as an excess or deficiency of a particular bodily fluid, energy or appearance. In deficiency conditions the bodily functions are weak or under-active. In excess conditions, the bodily functions are overactive, or there may be obstructions, stagnations or accumulations of substances in the body that are in excess.
The most important indicator of a deficient condition or deficient pattern is that they are chronic and the symptoms do not clear within 7-10 days. These patients need Chinese Herbs to correct the underlying imbalance or deficiency.
CHINESE PATTERN
When selecting a Chinese Herb to treat your imbalance or pattern, it is important to know whether your picture is hot or cold, wet or dry, acute or chronic, because your picture will tell you which product to use. If you are hot and dry, you need a cold and moisturizing herbal mix and vice versa.
What about Herbs?
Traditional Chinese herbology grew up parallel to acupuncture in ancient China. There’s a lot of overlap. A lot of conditions can be treated well by both herbs and acupuncture. Some things are treated much better with herbs.
- Tonics - for when the patient is generally exhausted or run down.
- Complex conditions that don’t respond to acupuncture (or respond slowly), will often respond to herbs. Herbs are often used to support the acupuncture treatment and increase its effectiveness.
What herbs do you use?
Some are commonly found in health stores, like ginseng and ginger. Others are only grown in China and are completely unfamiliar to the layman. There are about 300 herbs commonly used. The total pharmacopia is about 3000 herb wide.
How are they used?
The difference between chinese herbs and western herbs is that chinese herbs are almost never used alone. They are used in precise formulas containing 4 to 15 herbs. These combinations enhance and balance each other, minimizing side effects. Each formula is customized to a patient’s exact condition. Herbal formulas come in both pill and tea form.
Each herbal medicine prescription is a cocktail of many herbs tailored to the individual patient. One batch of dried herbs is typically decocted twice over the course of one hour. The practitioner usually designs a remedy using one or two main ingredients that target the illness. Then the practitioner adds many other ingredients to adjust the formula to the patient's Yin Yang conditions.
Sometimes, ingredients are needed to cancel out toxicity or side-effects of the main ingredients. Some herbs require the use of other ingredients as catalyst or else the brew is ineffective. The latter steps require great experience and knowledge, and make the difference between a good Chinese herbal doctor and an amateur. Unlike western medications, the balance and interaction of all the ingredients are considered more important than the effect of individual ingredients. A key to success in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the treatment of each patient as an individual.
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