Ben Cao GanG Mu - NUSS

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inside sTory 0 Shifting PercePtionS: tRAdItIonAl cHInese MedIcIne if you have Made a Trip To Tan ToCk seng or singapore general hospiTal reCenTly, you MighT have CoMe aCross a speCialised TradiTional Chinese MediCine (TCM) uniT. WhaT Was onCe seen as an unorThodox TreaTMenT MeThod is noW Widely aCCepTed and reCognised by boTh The Masses and The insTiTuTions. WhaT has Caused This Change in perCepTions? AUdReY cHong and tRAVIs teo unravels The reasons behind The rise of TCM. The Beginnings In modern-day Singapore, most people would have at some point or another taken TCM. This could be in the form of ‘Essence of Chicken’, ginseng tea or chrysanthemum tea. However, few people would have known the roots of TCM or what TCM constitutes. In truth, the exact origins of TCM is vague as much of its development occurred before written history. Human activity in China began over 1.7 million years ago. The use of plants as medicine can be dated back to the origin of mankind. When man experimented with new plants in search of food, he also discovered the effects they had on the human body. Similarly, the exact origin of moxibustion and acupuncture are unknown, but it is believed when the ancient Chinese lit fires to warm themselves that they found that heated stones
and sand wrapped in animal skin or bark could reduce pain. In turn, this led to the discovery of moxibustion treatment methods. As for acupuncture, it was deduced that it was discovered in their process of using stone instruments. Whether these theories are accurate, it is quite certain that the use of medical tools dates back well into the Stone Age. This is because, when written history began, much has already been known about Chinese Medicine. The advanced knowledge that were recorded in the first medical books suggests that there was a great deal of medical development before 2500 BC. Particularly, in one entry, it was noted that Hua Tuo was using herbal anesthesia to conduct surgery in the second century AD. However, it was Li Shizhen (AD 1517-1593) who brought about the continued advent of TCM into the modern era. By writing Ben Cao Gang Mu, ‘the General Outlines and Divisions of Herbal Medicine’, he made it possible for people to track the past knowledge and cumulatively increased the wealth of knowledge in the area. Today, records of medicinal substances have grown threefold from 1,900 to nearly 6,000. An Overview – TCM Practices Tracing its roots from China thousands of years ago, it is natural that TCM is most established in the East Asian cities with heavy Chinese influences, such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. Since then, TCM practices have evolved substantially. Today, TCM is more than just Chinese herbal medicine (Zhong Yao), moxibustion (Jiu) and acupuncture (Zhen Jiu), it includes dietary therapy and Shiatsu massage. Its combined therapeutic effects with Qigong and Taiji are also very much drawn upon from time to time. Basis of Theory In theory, TCM is a method of healing and strengthening the body. It is rooted in the observation of nature, the cosmos and the human body. Underlying these are the major theories Yin Yang, the ‘Five Phases’, the human body ‘Channel system’, ‘Organ theory’ (Zang Fu), ‘Six Confirmations’ and ‘Four Layers’. While these theories are derived very differently on varying grounds, the foundation principles of TCM are largely based on the concept that the human body is a whole universe in seeking balance. This universe consists of various interconnected systems that are constantly working to strike equilibrium in the body. Differences between TCM and Western Medicine The TCM approach is fundamentally different from that of Western Medicine. In TCM, the understanding of the human body is based on the holistic understanding of the universe as described in Taoism; medical treatment is based primarily on the diagnosis and differentiation of syndromes. inside sTory 0
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Ben Cao GanG Mu - NUSS

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