Herbal medicine is a major component of traditional Oriental medicine, a comprehensive health care system used for over 3,000 years in China and throughout the world today that includes acupuncture, herbal medicine, and spiritual exercises.  It is the oldest, professional, continually practiced, literate medicine in the world. It is estimated that there are between 30-40,000 books on Chinese medicine written before the turn of the century.  Since then, thousands more books and articles in professional journals have been written and published.

Chinese medicine views the body as a dynamic, interrelated whole possessing a vital energy or life force called Qi (pronounced chee)  Health depends on the free flow of this energy and the interplay of the body, mind and spirit.  When disease occurs, specific herbs are chosen to rebalance the energy and allow the body to heal itself.