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Chinese Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal
medicine is very popular today, and is becoming more and more popular
all the time. The Chinese culture has a sort of mystical and
mysterious shroud around it, which has led many westerners to feel that
they have many answers to things that we don’t, especially
with respect to health. After all, if a people have been
using a remedy for thousands of years, it has to be good, right?
Well, I’m not so convinced. Certainly, some Chinese
herbal medicines are not doubt effective. However, very
little scientific study has been done on the vast majority of them, and
I’m a little skeptical of things not rigorously tested for
harmful side effects. Taking something untested is a risky
crapshoot; sure, it could be really good for you, but it could also be
doing all kinds of permanent damage. In my opinion, its not
really worth the risk for common every day ailments, as there are
plenty of proven and tested medicines available. Of course if
you have something more serious, you’re probably more willing
to take risks.
Studying biology in college, the one thing I learned without doubt is
that herbal and natural don’t always mean good or
safe. Chinese herbal medicines are often exalted as being
totally natural and therefore entirely safe, but many people seem to
forget that the most deadly substances known to man are likewise
entirely natural.
I don’t mean to scare you away from ever trying a Chinese
herbal medicine. Just be careful when you go looking for one,
and select things that have had at least some amount of studies done on
them. As a vast, ancient, and hugely populated part of the
world, China no doubt does indeed have some effective remedies, but the
label ‘Chinese herbal medicine’ should never be
considered a guarantee for safety.
The one Chinese herbal medicine I do subscribe to is their
teas. While they’re maybe not medicines in the
traditional sense, drinking lots of green or black tea has been linked
to a lot of positive health effects, including lower risk of cancer and
longer lifespan. The tea plant has been proven to contain
many different antioxidants which have these positive health
effects. A lot of Chinese herbal medicines also contain some
amount of tea extracts, which are very likely good for you.
Just make sure you look into the other ingredients a little before
making a regular habit out of taking something.
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
