Chinese Herbs: Ancient Medicine
 It can be hard to imagine how people hundreds and even thousands of years ago stayed healthy, but in some cases they may have had an even better idea of what it meant to be healthy than we do today. Part of their secret was the use of Chinese herbs. As the name suggests, these medicinal plants originated in China, but word of their supposed effectiveness soon spread to other cultures.
The premise behind Chinese medicine is that these plants are used to balance energy. According to Chinese medicine, illness and injury occur when a person's internal energy (qi or chi) becomes imbalanced. Supplements, ointments, and other medicinal compounds were made with these plants in order to either re-balance the energy or maintain its balance for optimum health.
Common Chinese herbs include:
- Ginseng
- Mushrooms
- Wolfberry
- DangGui
- Astragalus
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Licorice
- Rhubarb
- Many others
Many Chinese herbs fall under the category of adaptogenic herbs, which is a group of plants that are believed to contain properties that allow for people to cope better with everyday stress. The all-natural ingredients used in Chinese medicine paired with their adaptogenic properties has made the use of this form of herbalism a popular choice among alternative doctors and proponents of the practice.
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