One of the oldest medical texts that come out of China is the Wu shi er Bingfang (The Fifty-two Prescriptions), that was discovered during digs of the Magwangdui tombs in 1974 in Hunan province. These texts date back to 168 BC, and as the title suggests were mostly dedicated to the herbal medicine treatment of disease. I had the privilege to see these texts, and actually the contents of the whole tomb, which was on display at the museum in Chengsha, Hunan, China.
Not only were these old medical texts on display, but actual herbs stored in little wooden containers inside the tomb were also on display. I remember looking at these herbs with my translator friend, whom I was able to shock with my ability to recognize many them. The fact is, that those herbs locked away nearly 2500 years ago ares till used today. The ways in which these herbs were used way back then is still very applicable today.
One could only imagine how long herbal medicines must have been in use even before this tomb was buried, as I am sure the usage of herbal medicine probably outdates the development of writing. We are talking about the possibility of thousands of years before the Magwangdui tomb was buried way back in 168 BC detailed knowledge of herbal medicines already existed. A very humbling thought to say the least.
From the Wu shi er Bingfang (The Fifty-two Prescriptions), many later texts appeared, all with more detailed descriptions of herbal usage. This trend continued year after year, with more and more herbs being added to the list. Even herbs from far away places started to appear as part of the repertoire of a Chinese herbalist. The usage of American Ginseng (Radix Panacis Quinquefolii) is a case in point, as its introduction into China seems to be around 1751, as seen in the Ben Cao Cong Xin (Thoroughly revised Materia medica).
The important point here is that herbal medicines have a continuous period of use, that literally dates back for thousands of years. There really wasn’t a time when herbal medicines were stopped completely. Even through the “scientification” process of the early 19oo’s in China, when western medicine was making its big push, herbal usage was still practiced extensively. To this day major hospitals in China still have massive herbal pharmacies, providing medicine for literally millions of patients.
All throughout Europe, herbal medicines are becoming more and more popular and accepted. Hospitals in Switzerland and Germany now have western specialist Doctors, offering Chinese herbal medicines as the primary form of treatment. This is obviously due to the known limitations and sides effects of the chemical based pharmaceuticals, and a knowledge of the high efficacy and safety of herbal medicines – when used properly.
Massive data banks that list the chemical constituents of Chinese herbal medicine are now appearing, as scientists aim to discover the actual molecules responsible for the great results achieved. It seems that no longer do scientists disbelieve the power of herbal medicines, as now they want to use them to create more drugs. While this pursuit appears to be full of good intent, it does have its flaws.
One of the biggest flaws is that herbal medicines work via a collection of actions, rather than through just one molecule. Within a single herb, there are actually hundreds, if not thousands, of molecules all working in a very synergetic fashion to create positive health effects.The amount of molecules working together actually increases by the thousand fold once combined with other herbal medicines, as seen in the refined art of Chinese herbal formal writing.
Western pharmacologists, studying the current trend of systems biology, have called this the “shot gun effect”, rather than the “magic bullet” method that our current drugs are based upon. Drugs work, from a simplistic point of view, work through one molecule within it exerting its effect on one particular receptor in the human body. This is the “one on one” idea referred to as the magic bullet above. The human body, with all its complexities, is much more than a mere one on one relationship however, as it has literally millions of chemicals working on millions of receptors all at the same time.
Researchers know that one of the reasons herbal medicines work so well is that they can affect so many different parts of the body, so many different receptors, all at once. This is much more powerful than just the use of one chemical for one receptor. The trick is in knowing how to build such a prescription, which is where the art of Chinese herbal medicine comes in. The techniques learned over thousands of years stands out to this day as being very powerful in its ability to create health.
Trying to discover all the hundreds of different chemicals, molecules, and reactions in between, is a massive undertaking, that I personally feel will never be fully understood. This is why I am a big proponent of keeping medicine as it should be – natural and unrefined, unsynthesized, and as whole as possible (just likes our food). Our bodies have a direct relationship with herbal medicines, simply because we both come from the same elements. We are built with the same structural understanding. This can never be replicated in a lab, nor should it have to be. Herbal medicines are powerful and as such will be the medicine of the future, just like it is now, and just like is was thousands of years ago.
Wishing you health,
Dr. Trevor Erikson
Copyright © 2019 Dr. Trevor Erikson