Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Chinese herbs are an excellent source of modern medicines and cosmetics, provided one knows where and how to look. For those who are unfamiliar with it, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is mysterious and full of "jumbo mumbo," as its theory and practice are filled with esoteric terms. Terms like qu feng (wind removal), qing re (heat exits or distributes), xie (evil), and yi qi (adding vital energy) is definitely hard to understand, though there are others like it jie du (remove toxins), sheng ji (growing muscle / meat)ming mu(bright eyes), and a shen (soothing) more clearly. The term may seem a bit old-fashioned and sometimes overthrow the throne, but the TCM system has evolved over the centuries in a logical way. Someone just looks at it forming a different perspective. Then it would make sense.
Although I have never been to formal training at TCM, my research over the past 20 years has allowed me to reflect on a number of things, especially in relation to traditional properties and modern scientific discoveries, as well as predicting the pharmacological activity of herbs by analyzing traditional properties. Therefore, herbs with qu feng features that may have anti-inflammatory activity, such as Job tears, wu jia pi (some bark Eleutherococcus spp.), ginger, du huo (Angelica pubescens root), and much less is known. Herbs with qing re jie du (heat dissipation and detoxification) generally have antimicrobial and febrifuge effects. Examples include honeysuckle (flowers and grapes), forsythia, purslane herbs, chuan xin lian (Andrographis paniculata herbs), yu xing cao(Houttuynia cordata herbs), etc.
Herbs are beneficial to the skin
Many herbs are beneficial to the skin and are used internally and externally for this purpose. They usually have one or more of the following traditional features: skin benefits / remedies, removes heat, removes toxins, removes swelling, refreshes / nourishes blood, brightens skin, moisturizes / eliminates dryness, prevents scarring, : lycium fruit, ligustrum, astragalus, licorice, Chinese hawthorn, sanqi (Panax notoginseng), reishi (ganoderma), common jujube, red and white peony roots, luffa, safflower, Sichaun lovage (Ligusticum chuanxiong rhizome), gaoben (Ligusticum sinense root / rhizome), etc.
Astragalus, licorice, and sanqi are known for their healing properties. Whether alone, or in combination, they can be used in a variety of forms (extracts, powders, etc.) to treat wounds, broken skin, bruises, dry skin, peeling, and other skin irritations. You can also add to one or two anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial herbs, such as xinyi (magnolia flower buds), purslane herbs, honeysuckle flowers, or forsythia.
In TCM, Sichuan lovage, gaoben, ligustrum, and hawthorn chines are used topically to treat brown spots on the skin. The former two have shown inhibitory tyrosinase activity, scientific evidence shows that this herb can suppress excessive skin pigmentation.
Skin Benefits Study for Skin
The following are the results of two short reports from my file explaining the results of using Chinese hawthorn and sanqi to treat brown spots and skin lesions, respectively.
Chinese hawthorn (sanzha) to treat brown spots (melasma) (Hubei Zhongyi Zazhi, 16 (5): 47 (1994)). Results described for shanzha treated 12 patients with melasma, mostly foreheads and cheeks, and less nose and upper lip. Patients age from 23 to 45 years. The shortest duration of illness is 5 months and 12 years. Method: Pour 300g of dried raw shanzha for fine powder and reserve for later use. Wash face with warm water and wipe dry with towel. Mix 5g shanzha powder with sufficient amount of egg white to form a paste and apply to face to form a thin film. Let it sit for 1 hour, where the face can be massaged to aid in the absorption of herbs. Do this once in the morning and once at night. Sixty (60) applications consisted of one course of treatment. Results: After treatment, pigmentation disappeared in 6 patients, whose skin color returned to normal; it becomes lighter in 4 patients; and 2 didn't answer. An example case was described for a 23-year-old single woman with melasma on her cheeks, who had been untreated for 6 months and began to spread to her forehead and bridges. After 2 courses shanzha treatment (120 applications, 2 months), the patient's melasma is completely resolved.
In western medical practice, melasma is usually treated with bleaching agents such as hydroquinone, which is quite harsh. Chinese hawthorn is never known to be toxic and is a common food and medicine. If it doesn't work, it definitely won't hurt. You can buy it shanzha from any Chinese herb shop and probably many food markets in Chinatown. But be sure to get some kind of dried crust (usually in twisted pieces 1-2 cm in diameter and about 0.5 cm thick), instead of shanzha The candy comes in a thin wafer piled high 3-4 cm high and wrapped in paper. If it's raw shanzha not dry enough for grinding, you can dry it in the oven on low heat until it is fragile.
Sanqi (Panax notoginseng) powder to treat severe skin (Jiangxi Zhongyiyao, 23 (1): 35 (1992)). In addition to other side effects (immunomodulation, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, etc.), sanqi is known for its hemostatic properties and its healing properties. In this report, results of 68 patients with ruptured skin were presented. Thirty-six patients with complicated limbs and 41 experienced varying degrees of pain or bleeding. Duration of illness ranges from 6 months to 15 years. Method: Mix 30g sanqi powder with enough lemon oil to form a uniform paste, place it in a sealed clean container, and reserve for later use. Soak areas that suffer from hot water but tolerate for 10-20 minutes before applying greasy paste. Do this 3-4 times a day for 30 days. Results: After treatment, 45 patients recovered, without recurrence after more than 1 year; and 23 showed improvement, with a longer duration of recurrence, which again reacted to the same treatment. The fastest response was 3 weeks and 7 weeks, averaging 3.7 weeks. It is recommended that the paste is also used as a precaution by applying it to the affected area once every 1 to 2 days.
Sanqi or tienchi Ginseng can be found in any Chinese herb shop. It comes in the entire root of the spindle, 2-4 cm long and 1-3 cm in diameter, and very hard. Unless you have a bronze mortar and a copper alloy with a lid, this ingredient is not easy. You may have to break it first with a hammer and then grind it in a sturdy coffee plant.
copyright 2005
1- Illuminatural6i™ Advanced Skin Lightener
2- Kollagen Intensiv™ - Accelerate Your NATURAL Collagen Production In Just 84 Days
3- Instant Wrinkle Reducer™
4-Dermefface FX 7™ - Scar Reduction Therapy
5- ClearPores - Improve the way you look
6- Phyto350 - Fill In Wrinkles From the Inside Out!
7- Intensive Stretch Mark Therapy - Visibly Reduce The Appearance Of Stretch Marks
8- Age-Defying Eye Therapy - Get Rid Of Crow's Feet, Laugh Lines And Dark Circles
9- Rosacea Relief Serum - Long-Term Relief For Dry, Itchy And Inflamed Facial Skin
10- Argan Oil - Cold Pressed Cosmetic Argan Oil
11- Feel Better. Look Better. Live Better.
12- Hersolution Booty Sculpt System - The Complete Sculpt, Firming & Smoothing Anit-Aging System
14- Stop Grow™ - Say Goodbye to Unwanted Body Hair!
15- GenF20™ - Look Younger, Feel Younger, Stay Younger With HGH
16- GenFX™ - Live Your Life to the Fullest with GenFX
No comments:
Post a Comment