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ISBN: Print 978-1-64611-413-9 | eBook 978-1-64611-414-6
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With love to Anuj and Akshay
Contents
I love herbal medicine, no matter the system or where it originated. Plants are amazing. I started reading about and experimenting with herbal medicine on my own, using books much like this one. Before becoming a practitioner of Chinese medicine, I taught yoga therapy and Ayurveda. While completing my degree in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, I worked at a GNC store, helping people with herbs and supplements. I also volunteered my limited free time to help my teachers and supervisors by working in the herbal dispensary making formulas for patients. I just wanted to be in the dispensary, a room filled with more than 300 jars of herbs, each with a different smell, look, and feel. When I opened the door, the aroma of all those herbs mixed together would draw me in. During school, my acupuncture performance was fine, but everyone knew my true love lay in Chinese herbal medicine.
After graduation, I continued to learn more about herbal medicine by enrolling in an Ayurvedic course, and I also joined the American Herbalist Guild to learn Western herbal medicine. At the same time, I was beginning my Chinese medicine practice and working at the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture as dispensary manager, herb clinic supervisor, teacher, and eventually director. My passion is working directly with students and herbs.
Even though I know other systems of herbal medicine, 99 percent of the time I use the Chinese system to diagnose, because I find it so thorough and exacting in getting to the root of any problem. Currently, Im working with a colleague using locally grown Western herbs according to the principles of Chinese medicine. Im excited about the future of Chinese herbal medicine in the United States.
Western herbalist Rosemary Gladstar summed up herbalists and herbalism in general when she said, The only thing herbalists can agree on is not to cook your herbs in an aluminum pan. Herbal medicine comes from all over the world, forged in different cultures and used in a variety of ways. Herbal medicine has made some pretty big things happen in my life, and Ive seen it do amazing things for my clients, family, and friends. I hope this book helps you explore and find what works best for you.
My goal in writing this book is to make the vastness of Chinese medicine digestible for a beginner and to make its systems of diagnosis approachable. You will get a sense of how you can use Chinese herbal medicine to decide which herb to use and when, and how it will help you fortify your health and thrive!
Because it is a system of holistic healing, Chinese herbal medicine does not seek to cure Western medical diagnoses. Rather, its main focus is preventing illness by maintaining balance physically, mentally, and spiritually. It helps disease and illness by the same mechanism of restoring balance, being therapeutically gentle or strong depending on what is needed.
This book is designed to break down the vastness that is Chinese herbal medicine into simple first steps toward learning the system. The .
