Posted by Hombre on July 27, 2010, at 8:04:50
In reply to Re: Chinese Medicine)))Hombre, posted by Hombre on July 24, 2010, at 10:51:21
Hey Lao,
I just went through "Herbal Healing Secrets of the Orient", and it turned out to be a really down-to-earth take on TCM and herbs. I normally wouldn't read something with such a cheesy title, but it ended up having a lot of depth while remaining very accessible. She starts the book by describing the seasons and how they relate to the 5-element theory, but instead of dwelling on the mysteries of the 5-elements, she uses pratical analogies to give you a good feel for how these "energies" (or climates) can describe our internal state. She frequently asks the reader to think in terms of their own "internal garden", an apt metaphor considering the agrarian roots of Chinese philosophy as well as being a metaphor we can all grasp to some extent. She also has some great checklists so you can determine your unique constitutional type and what herbs may be better for you.
This author, like the author of "The Male Herbal", doesn't believe that all the knowledge has to be in the hands of the experts. She describes everything from choosing and buying herbs to preparing your own decoctions, teas, tinctures, pills as well as how to add herbs to the nutritious recipes peppered throughout the book. She explains why herbal formulas are the way they are, how certain proportions of herbs have proved for centuries that they create synergistic effects. I will finally have access to a kitchen in less than 3 weeks and I will definitely be cooking up herbal chicken soup and other goodies for my overworked girlfriend. I feel empowered by this book as well as The Male Herbal.
The author does a great job describing about 100 essential herbs, including historical background, common uses around the world, as well as the energetic nature and effects of the herbs. Usually this is the most boring part of an herbal, but in this case you can either go into the details or jump straight to the nitty gritty of how the herbs act on the body (taste and nature). She also lists common patent remedies (Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan and Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan (for some reason called "Sexoton") listed under Fatigue).
Anyway, there is a section where she says that for chronic conditions, the length of time that one might have to take herbs to see real change is one month for every year that the condition has persisted. One may also want to take tonic herbs for 3 months and then take a break for 2 weeks. I think that depends; I stopped taking "Sexoton" (what a name) a.k.a. Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan for about a week and felt a difference. Again, I think this is due to the unpleasant energetic side-effects of the medications. I think the herbs fight a constant battle to balance out the unintended side-effects of the meds. At less than US$4 a week, I think I can handle that.
As an experiment I decided to take Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan again as my main Qi tonic. I think it is superior to the other tonic I was taking - I feel much clearer in the head, and even though I have been dealing with some pretty heavy stress lately I am mostly staying on top. I feel normal sadness and some depression, but I snap back to high energy and positive thinking. And since my living situation will improve drastically soon, I can't wait to see how much more whole I feel as a result. It's like I've been on the road for a year, living out of a hotel room. I'll finally have a place where I can grow some herbs and make my own healing foods.
Sorry for such a long post - I just wanted to pass on the info that you might need to be patient. I definitely needed more than a month to see consistent effects, but since then it's like I can't even remember what it was like to be sort of OK, but not well enough to really see myself getting back out there. I only hope that you can have at least some of the benefit. If not, it is perfectly normal to seek out any one of the numerous other formulas out there.
poster:Hombre
thread:954953
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20100703/msgs/956093.html