About Chinese Herbal Medicine
What is Chinese herbal medicine?
Chinese herbal medicine is a vital component of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), with a history stretching back thousands of years. It is rooted in a profound understanding of nature, human physiology, and the balance between the body and the environment.
Chinese herbs, materia medica, are composed of hundreds of natural substances, including botanicals, minerals, and animal products, based on their observed effects on health. Among the local herbs in different regions, Chinese herbal medicine has a distinguishing theoretical framework to identify the flavors and properties of those natural products, which are applied to adjust the imbalanced body constitutions and functioning, aiming to restore equilibrium. Over the centuries, practitioners refined these classifications and incorporated experiential insights, ensuring that herbal remedies were closely aligned with health promotion.
In clinical practice, Chinese herbal medicine is employed to both prevent and treat a wide spectrum of health issues. Rather than merely alleviating symptoms, practitioners aim to address the root causes of diseases by correcting internal imbalances. Herbal formulas are meticulously crafted, often combining several ingredients to enhance therapeutic efficacy and mitigate side effects. These treatments are frequently integrated with other TCM modalities such as acupuncture, dietary adjustments, creating a comprehensive approach to health and wellness.
In the United States, Chinese herbs are considered dietary supplements under the special guidelines of FDA. In modern healthcare, while ongoing research continues to elucidate the pharmacological properties of many herbal ingredients, Chinese herbal medicine remains a dynamic and respected field. Its blend of empirical wisdom and holistic practice continues to offer valuable insights into patient-centered care.
A State-of-the-Art and Quality-Ensured Herbal Dispensary in NYCTCM
In the NYCTCM herbal dispensary, we use concentrated herbal products from Nong’s Herbs, PuraPharm Pharmaceuticals, Co., Ltd., an herbal company that has its headquarters in Hong Kong, China, and is manufactured in Nanning City, Guangxi Province.
Ⅰ. Quality Herbal Ingredients
Nong’s concentrated Chinese Medicine granules, including single herbs and formulas, are extracted according to the traditional method of decoction using advanced pharmaceutical process and technologies. Made from select, superior quality raw herbs from regions renowned for the best and purest source materials, our herbal granules are processed and finished in our state-of-the-art pharmaceutical factory. Our factory is a China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA)-licensed CCMG product manufacturer, certified by CFDA and Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) fully compliant with Current Good Manufacturing Process (cGMP)and the only Chinese medicine manufacturer with CCMG products verified and recognized by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP); and in addition, the only CFDA-licensed CCMG product manufacturer equipped with a testing laboratory which is certified by CNAS in accordance with ISO 17025 standards.
With the above U.S. and Chinese certifications, patients taking our school’s herbal formulas should feel confident that
- The ingredients are consistent in quality from batch to batch.
- The ingredients meet label or certificate of analysis claims for identity, strength, purity, and quality.
- The ingredients are prepared in accordance with accepted manufacturing processes.
- The ingredients meet requirements for acceptable limits of contamination.
II. Herbal Dispensary Tracking System
In addition to the high quality Nong’s herbal ingredients, NYCTCM has also adopted Nong’s scanning and barcode tracking system to keep track of each batch of herbs, as well as to implement a computerized inventory control mechanism. With this technique, the school can trace individual patient cases and link them to a particular herbal batch produced by Nong’s Herbs. NYCTCM also developed an internal barcode system to keep track of each formula and link that with the ingredients that are in the formula. This technique not only is one of the essential parts of the herbal total quality control, but also provides an excellent basis for evidence-based research.
III. Herbal Dispensary Packaging and Labeling System
NYCTCM’s herbal formula is in concentrated granular form that dissolves easily in hot water to make an herbal tea. The formula is packaged in sealed packets with one dose in each packet. The school also provides the formula in capsules or in bottles. The labeling system that the school uses is in compliance with the Nutritional Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), which is part of the FDA’s final GMPs.
The Supplement Facts label is prepared for each formula. It contains the following information:
- Patient name
- Consult ID and Disp. ID
- The date of packing
- The ingredients included with both the Chinese Pin Yin name and the common name as determined by The Herbs of Commerce, 1992.
- The amount of each ingredient in grams
- The serving size or the amount of each dose to be taken in grams
- The daily value
- Total packs
- Caution (e.g., avoid taking with radish)
- Remarks (e.g., take after meals, take with honey, etc.)
- Barcode for this package
Nong’s provides certain herbal formulas in pre-made bottles, such as Xiao Jian Zhong Tang, Da Chai Hu Tang, etc., upon the recommendations of the clinic supervisors.
If a patient cannot tolerate the herbal taste (which is a little bit bitter), we can make herbal granules into capsules, but the dosage of capsules is about 1/3 of the daily serving size of the powder.
Due to a shortage, some herbal granules may be distributed from Treasure of the East, Ithaca, NY, which is the first FDA-registered company to import herbal granules from mainland China, offering a complete line of granule extracts made by Tianjiang Pharmaceutical, the global market and technology leader in concentrated herbal extracts.
We also provide pre-made herbal tea pills, the brand ‘Guang Ci Tang,’ distributed by ActiveHerb Technology, Inc. in San Diego, California.
Wildlife Protection in Chinese Herbal Medicine
In recent decades, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice has developed rapidly worldwide, and Chinese modalities such as acupuncture and medicinal usage are growing more popular among patients. TCM has a long history of wildlife products being prescribed for and consumed by the public as medicinal ingredients. However, there has been misinterpretation about Chinese medicine that animal products are believed to be tonics and thus are procured from wildlife species such as tiger bone, rhinoceros horn, bear gallbladder bile, and pangolin scale, which dramatically drive the demand by the public. Certain wildlife species are now on the edge of extinction due to such demand. Consumers believe that tonics or medicinal products containing wildlife ingredients are nourishing and have curative value. Among the sources of information on the curative functions of wildlife tonics or medicine, TCM professionals play an important role.
New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine has proactively participated to the initiative of wildlife protection in Traditional Chinese medicine and joined the Coalition for Wildlife Protection in TCM (www.wildlifeprotectionintcm.com) as a founding member. This coalition is a network of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners, educators, researchers, manufacturers, and distributors who have pledged not to buy, sell, or use endangered wildlife [animal] products or ingredients in their medicinal practices or businesses.
NYCTCM hosted the Third Conference of Wildlife Protection in TCM in April 2024, in-person and online simultaneously.
In 2021, NYCTCM also signed a pledge for wildlife-friendly traditional medicine with World Animal Protection.
