List of traditional Chinese medicines
In traditional Chinese medicine, there are roughly 13,000 medicinals used in China and over 100,000 medicinal prescriptions recorded in the ancient literature. Plant elements and extracts are the most common elements used in medicines. In the classic Handbook of Traditional Drugs from 1941, 517 drugs were listed - 442 were plant parts, 45 were animal parts, and 30 were minerals.
Herbal medicine, as used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), came to widespread attention in the United States in the 1970s. At least 40 states in the United States license practitioners of Oriental medicine, and there are about 50 colleges of Oriental medicine in the United States today.
In Japan, the use of TCM herbs and herbal formulas is traditionally known as Kampo, literally "Han Chinese Medical Formulas". Many Kampo combinations are manufactured in Japan on a large scale by reputable manufacturers.
In Korea, more than 5000 herbs and 7000 herbal formulas are used in Traditional Korean Medicine for the prevention and treatment of ailments. These are herbs and formulas that are traditionally Korean or derived from, or are used in TCM.
In Vietnam, traditional medicine comprises Thuoc Bac (Northern Medicine) and Thuoc Nam (Southern Medicine). Only those who can understand Chinese characters could diagnose and prescribe remedies in Northern Medicine. The theory of Northern Medicine is based on the Yin-Yang interactions and the eight trigrams, as used in Chinese Medicine. Herbs such as Gleditsia are used in both Traditional Vietnamese Medicine and TCM.
Ginseng is the most broadly used substance for the most broad set of alleged cures. Powdered pre-calcified antler, horns, teeth, and bones are second in importance to ginseng, with claims ranging from curing cancer to improving immune system function to curing impotence.
Herbal medicine, as used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), came to widespread attention in the United States in the 1970s. At least 40 states in the United States license practitioners of Oriental medicine, and there are about 50 colleges of Oriental medicine in the United States today.
In Japan, the use of TCM herbs and herbal formulas is traditionally known as Kampo, literally "Han Chinese Medical Formulas". Many Kampo combinations are manufactured in Japan on a large scale by reputable manufacturers.
In Korea, more than 5000 herbs and 7000 herbal formulas are used in Traditional Korean Medicine for the prevention and treatment of ailments. These are herbs and formulas that are traditionally Korean or derived from, or are used in TCM.
In Vietnam, traditional medicine comprises Thuoc Bac (Northern Medicine) and Thuoc Nam (Southern Medicine). Only those who can understand Chinese characters could diagnose and prescribe remedies in Northern Medicine. The theory of Northern Medicine is based on the Yin-Yang interactions and the eight trigrams, as used in Chinese Medicine. Herbs such as Gleditsia are used in both Traditional Vietnamese Medicine and TCM.
Ginseng is the most broadly used substance for the most broad set of alleged cures. Powdered pre-calcified antler, horns, teeth, and bones are second in importance to ginseng, with claims ranging from curing cancer to improving immune system function to curing impotence.
Mammals
Human parts and excreta - main article: Traditional Chinese medicines derived from the human body
Human body parts and excreta are currently used in TCM medicines and are included in its new textbooks and handbooks, such as licorice in human feces, dried human placenta, finger nails, child's urine, hair, and urinary sediments (Hominis Urinae Sedimentum, Ren Zhong Bai).The current consumption of human parts is considered cannibalism by some.
Other parts include pubic hair, flesh, blood, bone, semen, and menstrual blood. The classic Meteria medica (Bencao Gangmu) describes the use of 35 human body parts and extreta in medicines, such as bones, fingernail, hairs, dandruff, earwax, impurities on the teeth, feces, urine, sweat, organs, but most are no longer in use.
Also listed are human breath and the "soul of criminals that were hanged", which is considered under TCM to be a material object resembling pine charcoal dug out of the ground beneath the body shortly after a hanged criminal died, but many are no longer in use.
There is considerable controversy about the ethics of use of criminals for body parts, using humans as commodities, and consumption of human body parts which some consider to be cannibalism.
Human body parts and excreta are currently used in TCM medicines and are included in its new textbooks and handbooks, such as licorice in human feces, dried human placenta, finger nails, child's urine, hair, and urinary sediments (Hominis Urinae Sedimentum, Ren Zhong Bai).The current consumption of human parts is considered cannibalism by some.
Other parts include pubic hair, flesh, blood, bone, semen, and menstrual blood. The classic Meteria medica (Bencao Gangmu) describes the use of 35 human body parts and extreta in medicines, such as bones, fingernail, hairs, dandruff, earwax, impurities on the teeth, feces, urine, sweat, organs, but most are no longer in use.
Also listed are human breath and the "soul of criminals that were hanged", which is considered under TCM to be a material object resembling pine charcoal dug out of the ground beneath the body shortly after a hanged criminal died, but many are no longer in use.
There is considerable controversy about the ethics of use of criminals for body parts, using humans as commodities, and consumption of human body parts which some consider to be cannibalism.
Dried human placenta
Human placenta is believed to be sweet, salty, and warm, so it is dried and believed to treat impotence, infertility due to cold sperm or deficiency, and female infertility because of uterine coldness, chronic cough, asthma, and insomnia, and marketed as such.
Human feces and urine
The contemporary use of licorice in prepared human feces is known as "Radix glycyrrhizae Cum Excremento Hominis Praeparatum" (Ren Zhong Huang). Human urine sediment is called Hominis Urinae Sedimentum (ren zhong bai ). Both Ren Zhong Huang and Ren Zhong Bai are used to treat acute inflammatory conditions in oral cavity sores in children due to mycotic or fungal infection, and that their observations have confirmed this.
Human placenta is believed to be sweet, salty, and warm, so it is dried and believed to treat impotence, infertility due to cold sperm or deficiency, and female infertility because of uterine coldness, chronic cough, asthma, and insomnia, and marketed as such.
Human feces and urine
The contemporary use of licorice in prepared human feces is known as "Radix glycyrrhizae Cum Excremento Hominis Praeparatum" (Ren Zhong Huang). Human urine sediment is called Hominis Urinae Sedimentum (ren zhong bai ). Both Ren Zhong Huang and Ren Zhong Bai are used to treat acute inflammatory conditions in oral cavity sores in children due to mycotic or fungal infection, and that their observations have confirmed this.
In Traditional Chinese medicine, human feces is used in a decoction of licorice. These feces-licorice decoctions have been found to have a profound difference in pharmacokinetics regarding glycyrrhizin as compared to not so decocted. Initial studies investigating traditional Chinese Medicine indicate that taking fecal bacterial products orally may improve on protective effects over taking it by injection to the body cavity, and that associated bacteria may produce an antitumor effect and an autoimmune boosting effect. Depending on preparation, human feces may protect against cell damage caused by hydrogen peroxide due a byproduct of fecal bacteria.
Human penis
According to Li Shizhen: -the human penis is not a drug
Human penis is believed under TCM to stop bleeding, and as with other TCM medicines, the basis for belief in its therapeutic effects is anecdotal and not based on the scientific method; Li Shizhen, author of the greatest pharmacological work in pre-modern China, the Bencao Gangmu materia medica, objected to use of human penis, but cited the anecdotal evidence and included it in the Bencao Gangmu, which is still a standard reference today.
According to Li Shizhen: -the human penis is not a drug
Human penis is believed under TCM to stop bleeding, and as with other TCM medicines, the basis for belief in its therapeutic effects is anecdotal and not based on the scientific method; Li Shizhen, author of the greatest pharmacological work in pre-modern China, the Bencao Gangmu materia medica, objected to use of human penis, but cited the anecdotal evidence and included it in the Bencao Gangmu, which is still a standard reference today.
Human pubic hair
Human pubic hair ("shady hair") was claimed to cure snakebite, difficult birth, abnormal urination, and "yin and yang disorder", which is a disease unique to TCM based on its views of sexual behavior.
Human pubic hair ("shady hair") was claimed to cure snakebite, difficult birth, abnormal urination, and "yin and yang disorder", which is a disease unique to TCM based on its views of sexual behavior.
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Ass-hide glue pellets
Donkey-hide gelatin is gelatin obtained from the skin of the donkey by soaking and stewing. It is used as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is called ejiao. The gelatin is produced in several coastal provinces of China: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong. Shandong's Dong'e County was where "ejiao" got its name. According to a ca. 1723 account by the French Jesuits Dominique Parrenin, there was a well in Dong'e which was normally kept closed and sealed, and which was only opened when water was taken to be used in preparation of ejiao for the emperor's court. According to Parennin, the product was traditionally prepared during the late fall and winter (from after the harvest and until the beginning of March). It was supposed to be made from the skin of a recently killed well-nourished black donkey. |
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In the 21st century, ejiao manufacturers experience problems with the supply of genuine donkey skins, as fewer people raise these animals these days. To ensure the survival of this traditional product, Qin Yufeng, the chairman of Dong’e Ejiao Co (a major ejiao manufacturer) and a member of Shandong's provincial legislature, has advocated for government support for donkey husbandry.
It is used for several different types of complaint. An amount of 5 to 10 grams may be dissolved in hot water or wine and mixed with other ingredients in the traditional Chinese materia medica or taken alone. It is used for a variety of conditions including bleeding, dizziness, insomnia and a dry cough.
The edible form of ejiao is often mixed with almonds and sesame seeds and served as a snack that in Shandong. It can also be used as an edible coating for dates, producing another type of snack. Quite a few manufacturers produce an ejiao bar called "Gu Yuan Gao" (固元膏) in Shandong province. Gu Yuan Gao is a bar made up of ejiao, nuts, sesame, Chinese dates and cooking wine.
It is also used for applying di mo, a special paper-like musical reed membrane, to the dizi, a transverse Chinese flute; it dries quickly, holds quite firmly, and is water soluble, allowing later replacement of di mo.
It is used for several different types of complaint. An amount of 5 to 10 grams may be dissolved in hot water or wine and mixed with other ingredients in the traditional Chinese materia medica or taken alone. It is used for a variety of conditions including bleeding, dizziness, insomnia and a dry cough.
The edible form of ejiao is often mixed with almonds and sesame seeds and served as a snack that in Shandong. It can also be used as an edible coating for dates, producing another type of snack. Quite a few manufacturers produce an ejiao bar called "Gu Yuan Gao" (固元膏) in Shandong province. Gu Yuan Gao is a bar made up of ejiao, nuts, sesame, Chinese dates and cooking wine.
It is also used for applying di mo, a special paper-like musical reed membrane, to the dizi, a transverse Chinese flute; it dries quickly, holds quite firmly, and is water soluble, allowing later replacement of di mo.
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Bile bears
Bile bears, sometimes called battery bears, are bears kept in captivity to harvest their bile, a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. The bear species most commonly farmed for bile is the Asiatic black bear, although the sun bear and the brown bear are also used to collect bile. Both the Asiatic black bear and the sun bear are listed as vulnerable on the Red List of Threatened Animals published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. China was the first country to use bile and its storage organ, the gall bladder, as ingredients in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Bear bile was first recorded in "Tang Ban Cao" (Newly Revised Materia Medica, Tang Dynasty, 659 A.D.). For thousands of years, the traditional way to acquire bear bile was to kill a wild bear and remove its gall bladder. The use of bear bile in medicines was adopted by Korea and Japan centuries ago as a part of TCM. In the 21st century, the use of TCM is widespread, not only in Asia but also throughout Asian communities in other areas of the world. In the early 1980s, bile bear farms began appearing in North Korea, and then spread to other regions. |
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Deer Penis
Deer penis wine - Deer penis is commonly sold in Chinese pharmacies. and served in specialized restaurants such as the Guo Li Zhuang restaurant in Beijing. The deer penis is typically very large and, proponents claim, for it to retain its properties, it must be extracted from the deer while still alive. Often it is then sliced into small pieces, typically by women and then roasted and dried in the sun. In Angang, Taiwan, women are reported to consume deer penis during pregnancy as it is said to have a fattening effect and to make the mother and child stronger Like turtle's blood and penis, deer penis is one of the "delicacies" served in large jars in Snake Alley, Taipei. It is also served on the Chinese mainland in restaurants such as the Guo Li Zhuang. Deer penis wine can be sold at $12 a glass and often as high as $450 for a two litre bottle. Deer-antler wine, known as Lurongjiu, is also said to enhance sexual potency in men and to have a warming effect, aiding the joints. A deer's penis, turtle's penis, or bull's penis is consumed in restaurants and is known in Singapore to be offered as a soup delicacy. In season 1 episode 5 of The League, Ruxin and Taco go to Chinatown to buy "3 Penis Wine", involving the infusion of deer penises, dog penises, and snake penises. However the real "Three-Penis Wine" contains a fusion of seal, dog and deer penis. During the 2008 Summer Olympics, the country banned deer penis, turtle blood, and angelica root potions from athletes' diets. This is because according to traditional Chinese medicine, deer penis, especially if ingested while soaked in alcohol (deer penis wine), is an effective remedy for athletic injuries. Chinese Olympic officials advised national athletes not to take the traditional remedy because it may contain some banned substances like the stimulant herbal ephedrine. It joined steroids and amphetamines on the list of banned substances. When consumed, a deer penis or tiger penis is also said to enhance virility, and is thought by some to be an aphrodisiac |
"Three Penis Wine" contains a brew of seal penis, deer penis, and Cantonese dog penis. The intent of this “wine” is to provide male virility to the drinker - source
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Flying squirrel feces
Flying squirrel feces is used to "invigorate" the blood and dry-fried to stop bleeding. The text Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology notes that flying squirrel feces has a "distinct odor" that "may decrease patient compliance" with ingesting it.
It is believed to have uses for amenorrhea, menses pain, postpartum abdominal pain, epigastric pain, and chest pain. It is boiled in a decoction with other herbs prior to ingestion. If it is to be used in a formula to stop bleeding (dark purple uterine bleeding with clots, retained lochia due to stasis), it is dry fried prior to making the decoction. Flying squirrel feces has been associated with typhus fever.
Flying squirrel feces is used to "invigorate" the blood and dry-fried to stop bleeding. The text Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology notes that flying squirrel feces has a "distinct odor" that "may decrease patient compliance" with ingesting it.
It is believed to have uses for amenorrhea, menses pain, postpartum abdominal pain, epigastric pain, and chest pain. It is boiled in a decoction with other herbs prior to ingestion. If it is to be used in a formula to stop bleeding (dark purple uterine bleeding with clots, retained lochia due to stasis), it is dry fried prior to making the decoction. Flying squirrel feces has been associated with typhus fever.
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Rhinoceros horn
Endangered rhinoceros horn is used as an antifever agent, because it is believed to "cool the blood". The black market in rhinoceros horn decimated the world's rhino population by more than 90 percent over the past 40 years. As of December 2009, poaching increased globally while efforts to protect the rhino are considered increasingly ineffective. The worst estimate, that only 3% of poachers are successfully countered, is reported of Zimbabwe, while Nepal has largely avoided the crisis. Poachers have become more sophisticated. About 69% of rhinos in the world live in Nepal. South African officials have called for urgent action against poaching after poachers killed the last female rhino in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve near Johannesburg. Statistics from South African National Parks show that 333 rhinoceros were killed in South Africa in 2010, increasing to 668 by 2012, and over 1,004 in 2013. In some cases rhinos are drugged and their horns removed, while in other instances more than the horn is taken. |
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Tiger penis
"Medicinal" tiger parts from poached animals include tiger penis, believed to improve virility, and tiger eyes. Laws protecting even critically endangered species such as the Sumatran Tiger fail to stop the display and sale of these items in open markets. In traditional Chinese medicine, a tiger penis is said to have important therapeutic properties. However, modern science does not support the belief that the tiger penis (usually prepared as part of a dish) possesses any special potency. Furthermore, the demand for tiger parts exacerbates the endangered status of the tiger by providing a market for poachers. While the tiger penis is consumed in parts of China and Southeast Asia, particularly in Laos and Cambodia, its preparation is generally condemned by modern nations. Health The penis of a tiger when consumed is said to enhance male virility and be an aphrodisiac, although no scientific studies support these claims. In parts of southeast Asia it is seen as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. This has contributed to the poaching of tigers for their presumed benefits, the penis being just one of many of its assets. As a result the tiger penis is usually sold on the black market in China. Medical studies conducted by scholars at the University of New South Wales and the University of Alaska claim that as Chinese are rapidly modernizing, more and more men are purchasing Viagra instead of tiger penis to cure erectile dysfunction. The researchers surveyed 256 Chinese men, aged 50 to 76, who sought treatment at a large TCM clinic in Hong Kong over their methods to treat impotence. Although the studies indicated that older men in China are finding Viagra a more effective stimulant, they also indicated that they still resort to traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of ailments such as arthritis, indigestion and gout. Cuisine A tiger penis, deer penis, turtle penis, or bull penis is consumed in restaurants in parts of China and southeast Asia and is commonly offered as a soup delicacy. People have been known to spend up to $5700 (£3000) on a particularly rare tiger penis dish, something that needed to be ordered months in advance. A dried tiger penis is more commonly sold at around $2500 (£1300) in Singapore and Taiwan. The penis can be taken in soup, ground in wine (tiger penis wine), or soaked in rice. One method of preparation, particularly in the Mekong River Delta, is to place a dried tiger penis, with testicles still attached, into a bottle of French cognac or Chinese wine and let it soak for many weeks. Then, as it matures, the liquor is taken in sips every night. |
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Reptiles and amphibians
Snake oil
Further information: Snake oil Snake oil is the most widely known Chinese medicine in the west, due to extensive marketing in the west in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and wild claims of its efficacy to treat many maladies. Snake oil is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat joint pain by rubbing it on joints as a liniment.
It is claimed that this is "plausible" because oils from snakes are higher in eicosapentaenoic acid than some other sources. But there are no replicated studies showing that rubbing it on joints has any positive effect, or that drinking it in sufficient quantity to get an effect from the acid is not dangerous because of the many other compounds in the oil.
Toad secretions
Toad (Bufo spp.) secretions are an ingredient used in Traditional Chinese teas and have been found to be highly toxic and possibly lethal.
Toad-headed gecko
Toad headed gecko (ge jie) is gutted and beheaded then dried and crushed, to treat asthma, impotence, improve male endurance, and treat coughs and colds.
Turtle shell
Widespread medicinal use of turtle plastron is of concern to conservationists.
Further information: Snake oil Snake oil is the most widely known Chinese medicine in the west, due to extensive marketing in the west in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and wild claims of its efficacy to treat many maladies. Snake oil is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat joint pain by rubbing it on joints as a liniment.
It is claimed that this is "plausible" because oils from snakes are higher in eicosapentaenoic acid than some other sources. But there are no replicated studies showing that rubbing it on joints has any positive effect, or that drinking it in sufficient quantity to get an effect from the acid is not dangerous because of the many other compounds in the oil.
Toad secretions
Toad (Bufo spp.) secretions are an ingredient used in Traditional Chinese teas and have been found to be highly toxic and possibly lethal.
Toad-headed gecko
Toad headed gecko (ge jie) is gutted and beheaded then dried and crushed, to treat asthma, impotence, improve male endurance, and treat coughs and colds.
Turtle shell
Widespread medicinal use of turtle plastron is of concern to conservationists.
Marine life
Seahorse
Seahorse (hai ma) is a fundamental ingredient in therapies for a variety of disorders, including asthma, arteriosclerosis, incontinence, impotence, insomnia, thyroid disorders, skin ailments, broken bones, heart disease, throat infections, abdominal pain, sores, skin infections; it is also used as an aphrodisiac and to facilitate childbirth. As many as 20 million seahorses per year may be used for TCM purposes. In one study, 58 seahorse samples were collected from various TCM vendors in Taiwan, and of the eight species found, seven were vulnerable, and one was endangered.
Shark fin soup
Shark fin soup is traditionally regarded as beneficial for health in East Asia, and its status as an elite dish has led to huge demand with the increase of affluence in China, devastating shark populations.
Seahorse (hai ma) is a fundamental ingredient in therapies for a variety of disorders, including asthma, arteriosclerosis, incontinence, impotence, insomnia, thyroid disorders, skin ailments, broken bones, heart disease, throat infections, abdominal pain, sores, skin infections; it is also used as an aphrodisiac and to facilitate childbirth. As many as 20 million seahorses per year may be used for TCM purposes. In one study, 58 seahorse samples were collected from various TCM vendors in Taiwan, and of the eight species found, seven were vulnerable, and one was endangered.
Shark fin soup
Shark fin soup is traditionally regarded as beneficial for health in East Asia, and its status as an elite dish has led to huge demand with the increase of affluence in China, devastating shark populations.
Insects
Beetle
Chinese beetle (Mylabris phalerata, Ban mao) is believed under TCM to treat skin lesions, because it causes them. It contains the toxic chemical cantharidin.
Centipede
Powdered Centipede (wu gong) is believed under TCM to treat lockjaw, seizures, convulsions, skin lesions, and pain. It is toxic.
Hornets nest
Hornets nest (lu feng fang) is used to treat skin disorders and ringworm. It may be toxic.
Leech
Leech (shui zhi) is used in TCM to treat amenorrhea, abdominal and chest pain, and constipation. It is toxic and so is believed under TCM to treat toxics.
Scorpion
Dried scorpions (Chinese: 全蠍, Pinyin:quan xie) may be ground into a powder and mixed with water Powdered scorpion is toxic and is used to treat other toxins. A scorpion venom was found to block bone loss, and may be useful to those with periodontal disease and arthritis.
Chinese beetle (Mylabris phalerata, Ban mao) is believed under TCM to treat skin lesions, because it causes them. It contains the toxic chemical cantharidin.
Centipede
Powdered Centipede (wu gong) is believed under TCM to treat lockjaw, seizures, convulsions, skin lesions, and pain. It is toxic.
Hornets nest
Hornets nest (lu feng fang) is used to treat skin disorders and ringworm. It may be toxic.
Leech
Leech (shui zhi) is used in TCM to treat amenorrhea, abdominal and chest pain, and constipation. It is toxic and so is believed under TCM to treat toxics.
Scorpion
Dried scorpions (Chinese: 全蠍, Pinyin:quan xie) may be ground into a powder and mixed with water Powdered scorpion is toxic and is used to treat other toxins. A scorpion venom was found to block bone loss, and may be useful to those with periodontal disease and arthritis.
Medicines made from fungus, plants and minerals - source