Chinese medicine has always been used for many centuries now but many do not exactly know who was the first one who used it. Chinese herbal therapy has been so influential that even up until today, there are many alternative medicine doctors who would make use of these herbs and turn them into recognized and certified medicines. So just so one would know, here is a brief history on this topic.
Now the very first record of its use was by emperor Shen Nong who was actually regarded as one of the very first herbalists of China. This man was emperor of China around 2800 BC and was known to have taught the local farmers and physicians all about herbology and how to use different natural resources. Eventually he wrote a book known as Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing which was like a dictionary for around three hundred plus kinds of herbal medicines.
His book categorized the different medicines into three classes by effect. The three classes are the superior types, the ones that should be used in long term consumptions like tonics and boosters, and the last ones that should be taken at small doses for particular diseases only. Much of the original text was actually lost but many have tried to rewrite the classic book.
Sometime during 196 BC, there was yet another very famous physician whose name was Zhang Zhong Jing who authored one of the most famous of all herbal medicine books. This book is named Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders and Miscellaneous Illnesses and was a basis for many physicians during that time. The book contained concepts of the YinYang and the Five Elements along with medicine.
Now the whole book actually is about how to use the herbs and how they would relate to the concepts of Yin and Yang as well as the elements of the earth. Now since this book was rather long, writers and scholars split the book into two separate parts some time during the Song dynasty. The ones who rewrote it were also herbalists who succeeded the great Zhang Zhong Jing.
Now all these books were then further rewritten so that the medicines could adapt to the changing world. In fact, the Tang Dynasty saw the compilation of all these books into one single reference that was used for all herbalists. This book is known as the Yaoxing Lun and became a basis for many physicians.
Nowadays, this practice has become a separate one from conventional medicine and is known as traditional chinese medicine or simply TCM. This is a holistic system which also includes other ancient curing methods such as acupuncture and acupressure. It is widely practiced in many places all around the world and even in the United States.
If one would go to a certain city known as Erie, PA, he would find a lot of clinics of TCM. He would also find a lot of schools that would teach a lot of TCM techniques. One can really see just how far TCM has reached the entire world.
Now the very first record of its use was by emperor Shen Nong who was actually regarded as one of the very first herbalists of China. This man was emperor of China around 2800 BC and was known to have taught the local farmers and physicians all about herbology and how to use different natural resources. Eventually he wrote a book known as Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing which was like a dictionary for around three hundred plus kinds of herbal medicines.
His book categorized the different medicines into three classes by effect. The three classes are the superior types, the ones that should be used in long term consumptions like tonics and boosters, and the last ones that should be taken at small doses for particular diseases only. Much of the original text was actually lost but many have tried to rewrite the classic book.
Sometime during 196 BC, there was yet another very famous physician whose name was Zhang Zhong Jing who authored one of the most famous of all herbal medicine books. This book is named Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders and Miscellaneous Illnesses and was a basis for many physicians during that time. The book contained concepts of the YinYang and the Five Elements along with medicine.
Now the whole book actually is about how to use the herbs and how they would relate to the concepts of Yin and Yang as well as the elements of the earth. Now since this book was rather long, writers and scholars split the book into two separate parts some time during the Song dynasty. The ones who rewrote it were also herbalists who succeeded the great Zhang Zhong Jing.
Now all these books were then further rewritten so that the medicines could adapt to the changing world. In fact, the Tang Dynasty saw the compilation of all these books into one single reference that was used for all herbalists. This book is known as the Yaoxing Lun and became a basis for many physicians.
Nowadays, this practice has become a separate one from conventional medicine and is known as traditional chinese medicine or simply TCM. This is a holistic system which also includes other ancient curing methods such as acupuncture and acupressure. It is widely practiced in many places all around the world and even in the United States.
If one would go to a certain city known as Erie, PA, he would find a lot of clinics of TCM. He would also find a lot of schools that would teach a lot of TCM techniques. One can really see just how far TCM has reached the entire world.
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