The earliest known work on Chinese herbs appeared as early as 100 B.C.E. Li Shih-chen's (1386–1644) chronicle of herbal medicines (1578), which has been used for the last four centuries, consists of 52 volumes, cataloging 1,898 herbs or substances and a total of 11,096 separate prescriptions. The Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicinal Substances, published by the Jiangsu College of New Medicine in 1997, identifies 5,767 substances. The majority of Chinese traditional medicines are of herbal origin, but minerals and animal parts are also included in Zhong Yao pharmacopoeia. Prescriptions usually comprise four or more herbs, with interaction among them for complementary and synergistic pharmacology. They are boiled as medicinal tea or processed into pills for oral ingestion. Some of these substances are also formulated as paste or plaster for external application.
In herbal medicine, there are four main diagnostic methods: visual inspection, inquiry, auscultation and smelling, and pulse diagnosis. The pulse reveals specific aspects of a person's health. Taking a pulse is, therefore, one of the diagnostic acts of a Chinese herbalist doctor. The doctor tries to identify the psychosocial, environmental, and dietetic causes of symptoms, and prescribes remedies, including advice on psychosocial issues.
Another belief is that the use of medicines must be assisted by nourishment of the body. Herbal therapies often provide nutrients for the body to overcome illness and to build up the body's defense against disease. Good medicines and nutrients replenish and strengthen the essence of "Qi." When Qi, which flows through channels and collaterals (jing and luo) in the body, is blocked or out of balance, illness or pain ensues.
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