Cynomorium (Suo Yang): Parasitic Plant Widely Used in Traditional Medicine

In 16th century Europe, it was known as the Maltese mushroom, though it is not a true fungus. The plant was so highly regarded that the Knights of Malta often sent samples of it to European monarchs as presents. To protect the so-called Fungus Rock, where cynomorium was abundant, the grandmaster posted guards around the area and ordered the sides of the outcropping to be rendered smooth to eliminate any footholds and prevent access from the sea.

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Analysis of Coffee According to Traditional Chinese Medicine

In the Chinese medical-dietary system, the green bean of coffee would be classified as an herb that regulates liver qi, which is its therapeutic route to strong energy stimulation (attributed chemically to caffeine's action on the nervous system). The green bean is of the color of the wood element (associated with liver); more important to classification, however, is the concept that when the liver qi is constrained, the entire body energy becomes depressed. By vigorously dredging the stagnated liver qi, a strong sense of mental and physical vitality is experienced.

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Scientists Create First Porous Acupuncture Needles to Enhance Therapeutic Properties

Applying nanotechnology to acupuncture may help treat alcohol and cocaine addictions.

Drinking Green Tea May Help Prevent Aneurysms

"The type of polyphenol found in green tea has recently been shown to regenerate elastin, an essential protein that gives the artery its stretchy, yet sturdy, texture,” said Kyoto University’s Dr. Shuji Setozaki, the study’s lead author.

Never Mind Grass-Fed, How About Elixir-Fed Meats?

Forget grass-fed beef and free-range poultry. China’s farmers say they have found the next big health-food craze: cows, pigs and ducks raised on a steady diet of ancient Chinese medicine.

Health Secrets of the Amish

In recent decades, the prevalence of asthma and allergies has increased between two- and threefold in the United States. These days, one in 12 kids has asthma. More are allergic.

Acupuncture Helps Bladder Control, Stops Leakage

In a Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine clinical trial, standard acupuncture stimulation demonstrated a 54% total effective rate, however; a specialized electroacupuncture treatment protocol yielded an 86% total effective rate.

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Wu Chi Pai Feng Wan: Herbal Chicken Soup in a Pill

In Chinese folklore, there is a legend that depicts the origins of the black-bone chicken. It is said that the celestial Lu Dongbing (pictured below right, born in 798 A.D.) made pills of immortality on Tiger-nose Peak (below left). Tiger-nose Peak is also known as Two-finger Peak of the Wushan Mountain in Taihe. On the day when the pills of immortality were successfully made, Lu Dongbing invited other celestial beings to the celebration party. When the celestial beings were drinking wine, a pair of wild chickens flew from the forest into the pill-making pool and ate the pills of immortality.

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Scuba, Parrots, Yoga: Veterans Embrace Alternative Therapies for PTSD

The broad acceptance of PTSD after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has posed an unexpected challenge. Acknowledging PTSD has only spurred a wide-ranging debate over the best way to treat it

Veterans swimming with whale sharks this month at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta as part of their therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. Credit: Melissa Golden for The New York Times. Image sourced from The New York Times. Available at: https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/09/18/us/18therapies1/17therapies1-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp

Gua Sha and Immunity

A  press-stroke treatment of the skin, boosts the immune response to intradermal vaccination.

Photo by Shutterstock 101865523. Image of a large bone scraper tool being used sourced from Shutterstock. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/large-bone-scraper-tool-being-used-101865523

RTC Supports Fenugreek's Menopausal Benefits

A standardized extract of Fenugreek, may reduce hot flashes in postmenopausal women, and improve their quality of life, a new study says.

The Plant Based Solution to Antibiotic Resistance

With resistance to antibiotics rising, ancient remedies are getting a second look. Could plant-based drugs save us?

Ginkgo, or maidenhair tree, has a long history of use documented in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It has been used in supplements to support cognitive function and also as a food. Photo by Cassandra Quave. Image sourced from WBUR. Available at: https://media.wbur.org/wp/2016/09/plant2.jpg

Treatment of Frozen Shoulder Using Chinese Medicine

The first description of frozen shoulder was provided by the French physician E.S. Duplay in 1872. During the 20th century a corresponding Chinese term arose: "50-years shoulder" (wushi jian), referring to the typical age of onset of the disorder; the term frozen shoulder (jianning) is also used in China. While there are numerous references to traditional style Chinese medical treatments for problems of the shoulder area, investigations into the use of the therapies specifically aimed at frozen shoulder have only been described in the last few years.

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Acupuncture reduces hot flashes for half of women, study finds

We would suggest the half that did not experience resolution of symptoms, would do well with the addition of herbal therapy.

Photo by Shutterstock 160707833. Image of infrared radiation hardening sourced from Shutterstock. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/infrared-radiation-hardening-160707833

Lost Posture: Why Some Indigenous Cultures May Not Have Back Pain

An acupuncturist in Palo Alto, Calif., thinks she has figured out why. She has traveled around the world studying cultures with low rates of back pain — how they stand, sit and walk. Now she's sharing their secrets with back pain sufferers across the U.S.

Primal posture: Ubong tribesmen in Borneo (right) display the perfect J-shaped spines. A woman in Burkina Faso (left) holds her baby so that his spine stays straight. The center image shows the S-shaped spine drawn in a modern anatomy book (Fig. I) and the J-shaped spine (Fig. II) drawn in the 1897 anatomy book Traite d'Anatomie Humaine. Courtesy of Esther Gokhale and Ian Mackenzie/Nomads of the Dawn. Image sourced from NPR. Available at: https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2015/06/05/back-pain-promo2_custom-830b68bd64b28412f6c67c55c3250b9b57e0980a.jpg?s=800&c=85&f=webp

Lawmakers urge DEA to reconsider ‘hasty’ ban of opioid-like kratom

When the Drug Enforcement Administration announced in late August that it would outlaw an opioid-like plant called kratom, the reaction was immediate. Kratom sellers threatened legal action. Over 130,000 people signed a petition to stop the ban. Some 400 users marched in front of the White House, with kids wearing shirts that said, “Kratom saved my mom.”

A bipartisan group in Congress has signed a letter asking the DEA to delay a ban on kratom. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images. Image sourced from STAT News. Available at: https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Kratom_GettyImages-530276388-645x645.jpg