Chapter 12 Traditional systems of herbal medicine
Introduction
Three types of traditional medicine have been chosen as an illustration:
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
• Traditional African medicine (TAM) or traditional African medical systems (TAMS).
Correlation of traditional use with scientific evidence
• in the Caribbean the periwinkle Catharanthus (Vinca) rosea was used traditionally for treating diabetes, but on further investigation it yielded the powerful anticancer alkaloids vincristine and vinblastine
• Fagara xanthoxyloides, which is used in Nigeria as a chewing stick for cleaning the teeth, has been found not only to be antimicrobial, but also to have antisickling activity, and this finding has sparked off further work into this painful and chronic genetic condition.
Traditional chinese medicine
The study of TCM is a mixture of myth and fact, stretching back well over 5000 years. At the time, none of the knowledge was written down, apart from primitive inscriptions of prayers for the sick on pieces of tortoise carapace and animal bones, so a mixture of superstition, symbolism and fact was passed down by word of mouth for centuries. TCM still contains very many remedies, which were selected by their symbolic significance rather than proven effects; however, this does not necessarily mean that they are all ‘quack’ remedies! There may even be some value in medicines such as tiger bone, bear gall, turtle shell, dried centipede, bat dung and so on. The herbs, however, are well researched and are becoming increasingly popular as people become disillusioned with Western medicine. Again, Chinese medicine is philosophically based, and as an holistic therapy the concept of balance and harmony is supremely important. The relevant records and documents were discussed earlier (Chapter 2), but additional historical milestones will be included here to show the evolution of TCM into what it is today.
Concepts in TCM
Yin and yang
Yin is considered to be the stronger: fire is extinguished by water, and water is ‘indestructible’. So yin is always mentioned before yang; however, they are always in balance. Consider the well-known symbol (Fig. 12.1): where yin becomes weak, yang is strong and vice versa. Both contain the seed of each other: their opposites within themselves.
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