A Patient's Guide to Chinese Medicine: Dr. Shen's Handbook of Herbs and Acupuncture »

Chinese herbal products are increasingly popular as alternative medical therapies and are now available everywhere in the country. This book provides an A-to-Z list of herbal remedies by ailment, from acne and allergies to weight gain and yeast infections, and a guide to the properties of each herb. This book also contains a detailed description of common herbs and formulas and how they interact within the framework of traditional Chinese medical theories.

Preface: Getting Started viii

Acknowledgements and Confessions xiv

Chapter 1 Methods of Chinese Medicine 1

Acupuncture

Moxibustion

Massage and Bodywork

Meditation, Movement, and Martial Arts

Herbal Medicine

Chapter 2 A Patient's Guide to Acupuncture and Herbs 8

What Patients Expect from Practitioners

Accreditation and Kinds of Practitioners

What Practitioners Expect from Patients

Stay the Course

Herbal Pointers

How to Take Pills

How to Drink Decoctions

How to Take Tinctures and Elixirs

How to Take Milled Powders and Granules

California Proposition 65 Warning Labels

Acupuncture Pointers

Chinese Medicine in the U.S. Health Care System

Chapter 3 Understanding Theories of Chinese Medicine 28

Qi and Blood

Yin and Yang

The Eight Principles

The Fourteen Channels

The Five Phases

The Five Emotions

The Twelve Organs

Applying the Theories

Chapter 4 Chinese Medicine in Action: Case Studies 41

Diagnosing Olga

Mr. Brown and Mr. Silver

John, Rita, and Patrick

Chapter 5 Famous Herbal Medicines 50

The Value of Combining Herbs

How Formulas Are Created

Famous Formulas

Chapter 6 Treatment of Ailments A to Z 71

Acne

Additctions: Alcohol, Nicotine, and Other Substances

Allergies

Azheimer's

Arthritis, Bursitis, Tendonitis, and Joint Pain

Asthma

ADD, ADHD, and Compulsive Behavior

Back Pain

Bleeding Disorders

Cancer

High Cholesterol

Cold and Flu

Constipation

Cysts and Other Accumulations

Depression and Anxiety

Diabetes

Digestive Problems

Ear Problems: Ear Ringing and Hearing Loss

Eczema, Psoriasis, and Other Inflammatory Skin Conditions

Energy Issues and Chronic Fatigue

Epilepsyand Seizures

Hair Loss and Prematurely Gray Hair

Headaches

Heart Health

Hepatitis

Hemorrhoids

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

Immunity

Infertility, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage

Injury, Trauma, and Pain

Insomnia, Anxiety, and Restlessness

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Lice

Menopause and Hot Flashes

Nausea, Vomiting, Gastric Reflux, and Morning Sickness

Pain

Prostate Conditions

Sexual Problems

Thyroid Problems

Vaginal Yeast Infections

Warts

Weight Gain, Weight Loss, and Diets

Zoster and Other Viruses

Chapter 7 Herbs and Their Categories 154

Introduction

Herbs That Release Exterior Conditions

Warm Pungent Herbs for Releasing the Exterior

Cool Pungent Herbs for Releasing the Exterior

Herbs That Clear Heat

Herbs That Clear Heat and Cool the Blood

Herbs That Clear Heat and Dry Dampness

Herbs That Clear Heat and Clean Toxins

Herbs That Clear and Relieve Summer Heat

Herbs That Drain Downward

Purgatives

Moist Laxatives

Harsh Cathartics

Herbs That Drain Dampness

Herbs That Expel Wind and Damp from the Surface

Herbs That Transform Phlegm and Stop Coughing

Herbs to Transform Hot Phlegm

Herbs to Transform Cold Phlegm

Herbs That Relieve Coughing and Wheezing

Herbs That Transform Dampness

Herbs That Relieve Food Stagnation

Herbs That Regulate the Qi

Herbs That Regulate the Blood

Herbs That Nourish the Blood

Herbs That Vitalize the Blood

Herbs to Stop Bleeding

Herbs That Warm the Interior

Herbs That Strengthen (Tonifying Herbs)

Herbs That Tonify the Qi

Herbs That Tonify the Yang

Herbs That Tonify the Yin

Herbs That Astringe

Herbs That Nourish the Heart and Settle the Spirit

Herbs That Nourish the Heart

Herbs That Settle the Spirit

Aromatic Herbs That Open the Orifices

Herbs That Extinguish Interior Wind and Stop Tremors

Herbs That Expel Parasites

Herbs for Topical Application

Appendix 1 Chinese Herb List and Pronunciation Guide 196

How to Pronounce Chinese Words

List of Chinese Herbs

Appendix 2 The Organs: Their Functions, Correspondences, and Characteristics 208

The Five Viscera

The Six Bowels

Appendix 3 The Processing and Purity of Chinese Herbs 212

How Herbs Are Processed

Potential Impurities in Herbs

Western Drugs in Chinese Patent Medicines

Appendix 4 Food as Medicine 221

Appendix 5 Resources 224

Reading List

U.S. Schools of Chinese Medicine

Manufacturers of Chinese Medicine

Glossary 241

Index 246