What is Herbal Medicine?

Herbal medicine means using naturally occurring ingredients including vegetable, animal and mineral ingredients. Most of them are from plant sources such as leaves, flowers, stems, twigs, roots, bark, rhizomes, tubers, and so on.  Native cultures all over the world have traditionally used herbs to maintain health and treat illness.  Herbs have nutritional as well as balancing properties. While traditinal pharmaceutical drugs can be taxing to an animal's kidney, liver, and other systems, herbal remedies may actually strengthen these organs as part of the therapeutic process.  

The History Behind Chinese Herbs

Chinese herbal medicine developed with Chinese culture from tribal roots. By 200 BC, traditional Chinese medicine was firmly established, and by the first century AD, a listing of medical herbs and formulas had been developed.  Traditional Chinese medicine uses specific physical exam findings and symptom patterns to diagnose and determine the appropriate herbal remedy. Acupuncture is often used as a complimentary therapy to herbal medicine.