MAINE MOUNTAIN GINSENG

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

DISCLAIMER

The information below is an extremely simplistic and brief overiew of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).    If you are interested in greater detail, there are many good books on this subject.    Some of them are likely in your public library.

As ginseng was used systematically in the orient long prior to the western use of "modern medicine", you may find it useful to learn how TCM works and how ginseng is used within that framework.    While the system may seem strange to us, many conclusions and treatments drawn from TCM agree with today's science.
We will look at few basic concepts which will in part help to provide a very minimal understanding.    These concepts include:
The Doctrine of Signatures
Yin-Yang Philosophy
The Five Elements

A handful of ginseng "Better a handful of ginseng than a cartload of gold and jewels."
- An old Chinese proverb.

The Doctrine of Signatures
This is perhaps one of the oldest medical theories.    It may have been practiced in many areas of the world.    Put simply, if an herb or substance were in roughly the shape of the part of the body to be healed, it could be considered as proper medication for that part of the body.    If the color of the substance was the same as the part of the body to be healed, it could also be considered a fitting medicine.    If both color and shape corresponded, it could be considered a very good medicine.     While this method of selecting medicines likely brought on untimely demise of many people, it at least provided a frame of reference for medicine to be built on.
Ginseng fit neatly into this system.    Ginseng is sometimes called the "man root".    Wild ginseng usually has many branch roots off the main tap root.    The result sometimes is a root that is shaped like a human with all of the appendages.    Even today, the Chinese place high value on individual roots shaped that way.    They believe that ginseng is good for the entire body

YIN and YANG
Orientals traditionally view the universe in terms of harmonious balance.    The term yin is associated with terms and concepts like "cooling", "female" etc.    The word yang is used to describe the terms such as "heating" and "male".    Within the yin or the yang are sometimes further subdivisions of yin and yang.    When the yin and yang are properly balanced, all is well.    When they are out of balance sickness and disease result.         In TCM, Oriental ginseng is considered yang and American ginseng is considered yin.    A yin substance is prescribed for a excess of yang and vice versa.    So you can see why TCM recommends American and oriental ginsengs for different conditions.

The Five Elements
This system known in China as Wu Hsing was developed by Chinese philosophers thousands of years ago.    It describes how the primary powers of nature flow through us and react with us to form all aspects of our individual natures.    All individuals are classified by their personal and physical characteristics.    People generally fit largely within a single element classification.    A few, however, fall into multiple element classes.    TCM doctors view treatment in terms of those elements.    The Five Elements include:
Fire     Radiant energy The sun heating the earth and giving life to it is its symbol.
Earth     We are grounded by earth's stabilizing force.
Metal     Inspirational energy symbolized by minerals and gems providing structure for earth.
Water     Its rescouceful and adaptable force can be seen in rivers cleaning and enlivening whatever it contacts.

Wood     Aggressive and restless energy that gives a tiny seed the powerful energy to grow into a mighty tree.
The Five elements support each other and at the same time regulate or restrain each other.      In the nourishment cycle, fire burns wood into ash which nourishes earth.    Earth provides a sturdy base for the mountains of metal.    Metallic rocks and ores form a channel bed which directs water flow in the rivers.    Minerals nourish the water.    Water nourishes the earth to grow wood.    Finally, wood feeds fire and we complete a revolution of the cycle.
In the regulating or restraining cycle, water quenches fire.    Fire restrains metal by melting it - permitting it to be molded.    Metal (as in an axe) cuts wood thus regulating it. Wood regulates earth by covering it and holding it in place with its roots.      Earth controls water by absorption and by providing river banks etc to keep it in check.