Clipping Board » Medical Myths ─ The truth about healthcare is often different from what you intuitively think.
The modernization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is not about phytochemistry. A small phytochemical factory in Western countries can isolate and extract dozens of plant components, but this is not the modernization of TCM. Components do not determine everything. For example, raw gypsum and calcined gypsum differ by only six molecules of water of crystallization, yet their medicinal properties are vastly different. Both ginseng root and ginseng leaves contain ginsenosides, but ancient practitioners used the root, not the leaves. Today, despite the advanced detection instruments available, the quality of tea and wine cannot be determined solely by their chemical composition; it must be evaluated by tea tasters and sommeliers. We cannot adopt a component-only approach; clinical performance is paramount.
In the 1980s, the West gradually recognized the limitations of Western medicine and the toxic side effects of Western drugs. Western countries increasingly found the rising costs of healthcare unbearable, leading to a trend of returning to nature and adopting natural remedies. However, TCM is not equivalent to Western herbal medicine, nor is it simply a natural remedy.
Herbal medicine is the common term used by Westerners today for Western herbal remedies. While most TCM also uses plants, it cannot be called herbal medicine because TCM and Western herbal medicine differ significantly. TCM refers to drugs incorporated into the theoretical system of TCM and used according to its principles. In contrast, herbal medicine or so-called "crude drugs" are not integrated into any medical system and are used based on limited experience. TCM often involves processing, which includes chemical changes, and some TCM, such as litharge, is synthesized chemically, so it cannot be called a natural remedy.
Experts believe the main differences between TCM and herbal medicine are as follows:
— TCM has a systematic and complete theoretical framework, extensive literature, and established rules for prescribing and using medicines. Western herbal medicine relies on scattered empirical knowledge.
— TCM established certain medical systems two to three thousand years ago, making it a long-standing profession. Western herbal medicine, on the other hand, took shape only in recent decades.
— TCM emphasizes processing, the four natures and five flavors of drugs, and their meridian tropism. Western herbal medicine uses raw herbs without understanding the changes in medicinal properties after processing.
— TCM often uses compound formulas, emphasizing the roles of monarch, minister, assistant, and guide. Western herbal medicine typically uses single herbs, occasionally compounds of up to four herbs, without the concept of monarch, minister, assistant, and guide.
— For thousands of years, TCM has been China's sole healthcare system. Even today, it can address both major and minor illnesses, acute and chronic conditions. Western herbal medicine, however, is only used for mild, self-diagnosable conditions. As it becomes increasingly difficult to develop Western drugs through screening methods, the West has turned to finding active ingredients in plants to develop new drugs, which is one reason for the rise of plant extracts in the West. This also makes it clear that developing plant extracts should not be equated with the modernization of TCM.
Chinese civilization spans five thousand years, and the history of TCM is even longer. The medical sage Zhang Zhongjing elevated TCM to its pinnacle over two thousand years ago. The value and efficacy of TCM are undeniable, and its contributions to humanity are widely recognized. However, as history has progressed, technological advancements have not only changed lifestyles but also ways of thinking. The nearly abstract theories of TCM are difficult for most people to understand and accept, and its status in China has already taken a backseat, let alone in the international arena.
Consider this example: Japan's Juntendo was once the world's largest manufacturer of Kampo medicine, with Xiao Chai Hu Tang as its flagship product, bringing significant economic benefits to the company. However, because many clinicians and patients did not understand the theory of TCM syndrome differentiation, they saw Chinese doctors using Xiao Chai Hu Tang for certain diseases and copied its use without proper understanding. This led to reduced clinical efficacy, complete ineffectiveness, or even fatal outcomes. A major international company thus went bankrupt, leaving much to ponder.In fact, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) not only emphasizes treating different diseases with the same method but also advocates treating the same disease with different methods. Without the guidance of TCM theory, the use of Chinese medicine is bound to fail. There was a time when we enviously discussed the "modernized preparations" produced by Japan using modern technology. However, looking back now, so-called Oriental medicine has many drawbacks. Not only can it not replace Western medicine, but it also loses the original characteristics of Chinese medicine.
Chinese medicine refers to various medicinal substances used to prevent and treat diseases under the guidance of TCM theory and according to the rules of Chinese medicine application. This is a basic concept that every TCM student must understand at the beginning of their study of Chinese medicine. Without TCM theory, there can be no Chinese medicine. Many "Chinese medicines" abroad can only be called "medicinal substances." As early as thousands of years ago, the "Shennong Bencao Jing" raised the issue of drug toxicity, also known as bias, and many Chinese medicines work by utilizing this bias. Chinese medicine has seven emotions of compatibility and processing, with the main purpose of reducing toxicity and enhancing efficacy. That is to say, the toxicity of Chinese yam can be controlled and utilized based on compatibility and processing. TCM has a history of thousands of years and has undergone countless clinical practice tests. Perhaps modern technology cannot yet explain it, but in any case, for something one does not understand, since there is no evidence to prove its unscientific nature, how can one categorically deny its effectiveness?
We hope to produce and develop Chinese medicine preparations according to international standardization methods, but while striving, we constantly discover new problems on this path. Many Chinese medicine preparations, after component analysis and processing, are far from the efficacy of the original formula, gradually losing the characteristics of Chinese medicine. For example, the most familiar Coptis and berberine, berberine is one of the main components of Coptis, clinically used for intestinal infections caused by dysentery bacilli, while Coptis is a heat-clearing and damp-drying drug, with the effects of clearing heat, drying dampness, purging fire, and detoxifying. Clinically, based on these eight words, Coptis can be applied in many aspects. If not based on TCM theory, blindly applying according to components, it is impossible to achieve the expected effect, and berberine absolutely cannot replace Coptis.
The guidance of TCM theory is the root of the modernization of Chinese medicine. Without its guidance, Chinese medicine becomes water without a source and a tree without roots, and it may not survive for long.
Misconceptions in Modernizing Traditional Chinese Medicine with Botanical Drugs
In the 1980s, the West gradually recognized the limitations of Western medicine and the toxic side effects of Western drugs. Western countries increasingly found the rising costs of healthcare unbearable, leading to a trend of returning to nature and adopting natural remedies. However, TCM is not equivalent to Western herbal medicine, nor is it simply a natural remedy.
Herbal medicine is the common term used by Westerners today for Western herbal remedies. While most TCM also uses plants, it cannot be called herbal medicine because TCM and Western herbal medicine differ significantly. TCM refers to drugs incorporated into the theoretical system of TCM and used according to its principles. In contrast, herbal medicine or so-called "crude drugs" are not integrated into any medical system and are used based on limited experience. TCM often involves processing, which includes chemical changes, and some TCM, such as litharge, is synthesized chemically, so it cannot be called a natural remedy.
Experts believe the main differences between TCM and herbal medicine are as follows:
— TCM has a systematic and complete theoretical framework, extensive literature, and established rules for prescribing and using medicines. Western herbal medicine relies on scattered empirical knowledge.
— TCM established certain medical systems two to three thousand years ago, making it a long-standing profession. Western herbal medicine, on the other hand, took shape only in recent decades.
— TCM emphasizes processing, the four natures and five flavors of drugs, and their meridian tropism. Western herbal medicine uses raw herbs without understanding the changes in medicinal properties after processing.
— TCM often uses compound formulas, emphasizing the roles of monarch, minister, assistant, and guide. Western herbal medicine typically uses single herbs, occasionally compounds of up to four herbs, without the concept of monarch, minister, assistant, and guide.
— For thousands of years, TCM has been China's sole healthcare system. Even today, it can address both major and minor illnesses, acute and chronic conditions. Western herbal medicine, however, is only used for mild, self-diagnosable conditions. As it becomes increasingly difficult to develop Western drugs through screening methods, the West has turned to finding active ingredients in plants to develop new drugs, which is one reason for the rise of plant extracts in the West. This also makes it clear that developing plant extracts should not be equated with the modernization of TCM.
Chinese civilization spans five thousand years, and the history of TCM is even longer. The medical sage Zhang Zhongjing elevated TCM to its pinnacle over two thousand years ago. The value and efficacy of TCM are undeniable, and its contributions to humanity are widely recognized. However, as history has progressed, technological advancements have not only changed lifestyles but also ways of thinking. The nearly abstract theories of TCM are difficult for most people to understand and accept, and its status in China has already taken a backseat, let alone in the international arena.
Consider this example: Japan's Juntendo was once the world's largest manufacturer of Kampo medicine, with Xiao Chai Hu Tang as its flagship product, bringing significant economic benefits to the company. However, because many clinicians and patients did not understand the theory of TCM syndrome differentiation, they saw Chinese doctors using Xiao Chai Hu Tang for certain diseases and copied its use without proper understanding. This led to reduced clinical efficacy, complete ineffectiveness, or even fatal outcomes. A major international company thus went bankrupt, leaving much to ponder.In fact, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) not only emphasizes treating different diseases with the same method but also advocates treating the same disease with different methods. Without the guidance of TCM theory, the use of Chinese medicine is bound to fail. There was a time when we enviously discussed the "modernized preparations" produced by Japan using modern technology. However, looking back now, so-called Oriental medicine has many drawbacks. Not only can it not replace Western medicine, but it also loses the original characteristics of Chinese medicine.
Chinese medicine refers to various medicinal substances used to prevent and treat diseases under the guidance of TCM theory and according to the rules of Chinese medicine application. This is a basic concept that every TCM student must understand at the beginning of their study of Chinese medicine. Without TCM theory, there can be no Chinese medicine. Many "Chinese medicines" abroad can only be called "medicinal substances." As early as thousands of years ago, the "Shennong Bencao Jing" raised the issue of drug toxicity, also known as bias, and many Chinese medicines work by utilizing this bias. Chinese medicine has seven emotions of compatibility and processing, with the main purpose of reducing toxicity and enhancing efficacy. That is to say, the toxicity of Chinese yam can be controlled and utilized based on compatibility and processing. TCM has a history of thousands of years and has undergone countless clinical practice tests. Perhaps modern technology cannot yet explain it, but in any case, for something one does not understand, since there is no evidence to prove its unscientific nature, how can one categorically deny its effectiveness?
We hope to produce and develop Chinese medicine preparations according to international standardization methods, but while striving, we constantly discover new problems on this path. Many Chinese medicine preparations, after component analysis and processing, are far from the efficacy of the original formula, gradually losing the characteristics of Chinese medicine. For example, the most familiar Coptis and berberine, berberine is one of the main components of Coptis, clinically used for intestinal infections caused by dysentery bacilli, while Coptis is a heat-clearing and damp-drying drug, with the effects of clearing heat, drying dampness, purging fire, and detoxifying. Clinically, based on these eight words, Coptis can be applied in many aspects. If not based on TCM theory, blindly applying according to components, it is impossible to achieve the expected effect, and berberine absolutely cannot replace Coptis.
The guidance of TCM theory is the root of the modernization of Chinese medicine. Without its guidance, Chinese medicine becomes water without a source and a tree without roots, and it may not survive for long.