Ancient Chinese Medicine Involved Maintaining Harmony
More the 2,000 years ago there were many ideas about health in the human body and in ancient China there was the belief that the body had two powers, Yin and Yang and good health depending on them being in harmony. Most of the practices of ancient Chinese medicine revolved around returning harmony to Yin and Yang, becoming one of the oldest known methods of restoring health.
Some of the treatments used in ancient Chinese medicine have roots deep in history as during the Stone Age rocks were used in some medical treatments, leading to the use of acupuncture. It was the theories developed during those times that led to the methods of diagnosing illnesses and in determining cures. By the time the agricultural period began, the use of certain herbs in helping return harmony to the Yin and Yang was already in its infancy. The compounding of the different herbs and other botanicals became more aggressive as more of them were able to be grown.
At the time, ancient Chinese medicine recognized three main causes of illness. Exogenous was disease caused by the over stimulation of emotion such as joy and sorrow and endogenous was due to climate factors, such as extreme heat, cold, wet or dry weather. Intermediate causes of disease were deemed to be caused by injuries such as burns, frostbite or punctures.
Diagnosing Disease Through Primitive Testing
Determining the cause of health issues, ancient Chinese medicine had four areas for determining the nature of the problem. Using inspection, inquiry, auscultation along with olfaction and palpitation, they could determine the nature of the disease. In ancient Chinese medicine, palpitation and inspection of the tongue were considered the most important.
Diseases were then classified as either hot or cold, which described the nature of the disease or injury. Those practicing ancient Chinese medicine, prior to offering botanical compounds for healing, had also to determine the sthenia of the disease. This is determining the severity as well as the asthenia, which is the condition of physical resistance of the disease to determine the proper dosage.
The practices of ancient Chinese medicine using the theory of Yin and Yang are the basis for many medical practices taking a holistic approach to wellness. The botanicals used in ancient Chinese medicine are also part of the naturalist approach to alternative medicine. Many of the botanicals used in early medicine are the root of many modern synthetic medicines.
