Chinese herbal medicine

In many chronic illnesses rooted in a lack of bodily substance or energy, acupuncture alone is not enough to make up the deficit. A deficiency of Qi, blood, Yin or Yang can be replenished by taking herbal preparations over several weeks or months. As a general rule, the longer an illness has been present, the longer the treatment will take.

Chinese herbal medicine mainly uses dried plant parts — roots, bark, fruit, seeds, flowers, leaves or stems — as well as minerals and a few products of animal origin. Traditionally these herbs are decocted and drunk daily as a tea. In Switzerland, modern forms are preferred: granules, extracts, tablets and hydrophilic preparations. Protected animal and plant species are no longer used.

Prescriptions at the practice are based on the Jing Fang tradition, that is the classical formulas inherited from the Shang Han Lun and the Jin Gui Yao Lue, adapted to each patient. This approach has been studied in postgraduate courses since 2015 with Prof. Huang Huang (Nanjing) and Dr Andreas Kalg.

Areas covered in postgraduate training

• Classical Jing Fang formulas (Prof. Huang Huang, Dr Andreas Kalg)
• Gastrointestinal disorders and conditions of the nose and sinuses
• Gynaecology and menstrual disorders
• Dermatology with Chinese herbs
• Warm diseases — Wen Bing Xue
• Thyroid and cardiac conditions