TCM: Made in China

This is an article published in the Nature magazine. Professor Craig Hassel recommended this article to his students at the University of Minnesota.

TCM:  Made in China

  

Traditional medicine — a system of ancient  medical practice that differs in substance,  methodology and philosophy to modern  medicine — plays an important role in health  maintenance for the peoples of Asia, and is  becoming more frequently used in countries in the West. Despite their growing popularity, there are misunderstandings about what these traditional medicines comprise and the standards they conform to. Here we aim to clear up some of the common misconceptions.

Within Asia, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the system with the longest history. TCM was developed through thousands of years of empirical testing and refinement. It was the only medical practice in China before the early nineteenth century, when English missionaries arrived, bringing with them the drugs, devices and practices of modern medicine.

Outside China, in other Asian countries including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam, traditional medicine has formed its own distinct culture. In Japan, the traditional medicine is commonly called Kampo. In these countries, different traditional medicines might use different prescriptions or methods of diagnosis, but the underlying philosophy and principles are similar because they all originate in China.

TCM encompasses a wide range of practices, including some that are familiar to the West, such as herbal medicine and acupuncture, plus others that remain peculiar to most Westerners, such as cupping (heated cup therapy), tuina (massage), qigong (movement and breathing exercises) and moxibustion (burnt mugwort therapy). Investigating whether these therapies have underlying mechanisms of action is now a central task in TCM research. This Nature Outlook will focus mainly on herbal medicines, which are the most comparable to modern pharmaceuticals.

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