It can be found on the back of boxes of teas and anti-aging medicines, but what does "Chinese herbal" really mean? Is there a difference between classic Chinese herbal medicine and traditional Chinese herbal medicine? Do these Chinese herbal properties really help rejunivenate skin or improve memory? Chinese herbal medicine is derived from the same thought as Buddhist or Taoist and focuses on the belief that life and humans have an intimate relationship with the environment at all levels.

What is the difference between Classic Chinese and Traditional Chinese Herbal medicines? The term "Classical Chinese Herbal Medicine" refers to medical practices that relied on theories and methods dating from before the fall of the Qing Dynasty around 1911. Advocates of Classic Chinese Herbal Medicine portray it as less influenced by Western and political agendas than Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine. Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine refers to the reforms that after the 1950s in the People's Republic of China. It was during the Qing Dynasty that warm factor disorders were compiled into book form and acupuncture and moxibustion were discussed. Both acupuncture and moxibustion had been practiced in polite European society for some time before they were accepted in the 18th century in China and practiced frequently in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine.

How old is Chinese herbal medicine? If based on Shen-Nong's Herbal Classic, a 2,000 year-old medicinal Chinese book, pretty old. It classifies 365 roots, grasses, woods, furs, animals and stones into three categories of Chinese herbal medicine. The first category is known as "superior," meaning herbs in this class may be used for multiple diseases and they help restore one's body balance. They have almost no unfavorable side-effects. The second category is comprised of tonics and boosters, which shouldn't be used for long-term treatment. And the third class in Chinese herbal medicine is treatments for specific ailments.

Shen-Nong's Chinese herbal research helped lead to other discoveries For instance, the Chinese herbal practice of using mushrooms has inspired modern day research into the use of medicinal mushrooms. Some of those medicinal mushrooms include: Shiitake, Trametes versicolor, the table mushroom and lingzhi. In traditional Chinese herbal medicine, highly purified compounds isolated from medicinal mushrooms have been incorporated into the healthcare system in other countries, including Japan. Sometimes these compounds come from two or more mushrooms. Chinese herbal compounds derived from the process are used to stimulate the immune system and promote health.

How does Chinese herbal medicine differ from Western medicine? Traditional Chinese herbal medicine is based on the philosophical idea that the body is a small universe, connected to systems. These systems work in balance to maintain a healthy balance of the body. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine has a unique model of the body which is concerned with the meridian system. Unlike the Western anatomical model of the body, which divides the body into parts, the Chinese model focuses on function. Thus in Chinese herbal medicine, the spleen is not a specific piece of flesh. Instead, the spleen is looked at as a method of transformation and transportation within the body.