A Historical Perspective of Chinese Herbs
Chinese medicine began many years ago and has more than 4,000 years of history, when medicine served as the medicine of emperors mainly, the emperors invested in it, gave money to research and discovery, invest in chemists and their herbalists who went to find, explore and know the various plants and experiment to find the potion for immortality that will ensure their health and eternity.
The beginning of TCM is attributed to the Yellow Emperor known as HUAND DI, this Caesar was a physician who researched the human body, physiology, anatomy and surgery performed in his yard. His love was medicine, especially medicinal plants and their virtues. To this emperor is attributed to the book: “The inner medicine of the Yellow Emperor” – an important classic dealing with the philosophy of Chinese medicine, diseases, disease factors, diagnosis and treatment – a book that is the basis for every Chinese doctor since then. The book has been translated into many languages and was studied at the universities of China 3,000 years ago.
The Yellow Emperor was the one who first conceived the idea of herbal formula so if we put together a number plants – their effect will be better.
Followed by emperor SHEN NONG, who was considered the father of Chinese agriculture and his nickname was the divine / exalted farmer – this emperor is considered to be the one who taught people to hold a plow, work the soil, sow the five grains, and the ability to distinguish between dry or moist soil, fertile or rocky soil, land located on the plain or in the hills. He himself tried the plants, drank and identified their taste and categorized their taste as bitter, sour, salty, sweet and spicy.
He studied Chinese pharmacology in depth and determined what was safe to use, what is important to be careful or avoid from. He tasted many plants every day and determine which ones are toxic and which are good to use.
He wrote books that are considered classics of medicinal plants – one of his major books is “THE DIVINE FARMER’S MATERIA MEDICA” which is an important basis for medicinal plants, and has been passed down from generation to generation and is still used as a primary textbook.
In the past, people did not use herbal formulas, they would just eat from the plant. People notice that when you eat a certain fruit then it has certain properties that affect the food, for example, it noticed was that Goji Berry strengthens the stomach, balance and release air. One of the phrases that characterize the Chinese plant world is YAO SHI TONG YUAN – which means food and plants come from the same source.
Over the years the Chinese continued to investigate and advance in the field of healing, they tasted, smelled, cooked, brewed, stirred, tinctured (a method of soaking the plant with alcohol and extracting its essence), and tried various methods to make the most of the plants for better use.
The emphasis on medicinal plants was on the energy quality of the plant:
- Taste: bitter, salty, sour, spicy, sweet.
- Direction of movement: up, down.
- Associated with a specific internal organ and energy channels: liver, heart, spleen, stomach, kidneys, etc.
- Temperature: hot, warm, cold, cool, neutral.
- Check for effects and contraindications, doses, warnings, and toxicity levels.
- The use of plants is varied and wide – they can be taken in boiling water like tea powder, capsules, pills or extract.
Causes of fertility problems through Chinese eyes:
in Chinese medicine infertility is caused by from various factors – the factors can be combined or separate, each of these will manifest in another way:
- Very intense lifestyle.
- Bad nutrition: Cold, fried, fat, sugary, processed and fast food.
- Advanced age.
- Strenuous work that eliminates the JING: the energy of the kidneys responsible for fertility and the hormonal situation in general. Excessive activity may damage kidney fluid whose function is to support endometrial thickening and provide good blood supply. In men this may result in overheating of the scrotum, which would be detrimental to sperm quality.
- Over thinking: leading to over-worrying, obsessive thinking and internal restlessness.
- Bad mood: anxiety, fear, anger, frustration, pressure, stress and hypersensitivity.
Effectiveness of Fertility Herbs:
The plants are used in various types of diseases, but this article focuses on the effectiveness of herbs in fertility treatments. We can see it to be very effective in:
- Stress reduction: the path to conception is often fraught with mental and emotional states, disappointment, frustration, sadness and pain. With the proper use of medicinal herbs along with acupuncture and nutrition the patient will feel immediate improvement in mood, and emotional elation – which increases the chances of good implantation of the embryo in the womb.
- Great relief from side effects: in most cases where women and men undergo fertility hormonal treatments they have all kinds of side effects. Herbs and acupuncture are very helpful by lowering the symptoms and relieving swelling in the abdomen, headaches, hot flashes, nausea, mood changes, rashes and more. Chinese medicine helps in these struggles and maintains that the body will not collapse under the hormonal load.
- Thickening of the endometrial wall lining: significant improvement applies with the use of medicinal herbs and acupuncture in achieving better lining thickness, for better fetal implantation.
- Warming the uterus: in order to preserve the fertilization, the uterus must maintain a good temperature. “Cold womb” caused by diet or taking many hormones, which may be one of the reasons for the problem of implantation. Chinese medicine has a possibility to warm the uterus and bring it to the state of a better and more prepared womb.
- Reduction of high FSH levels: women with low ovarian response in the third day of the cycle, are captured in the perception that their chances of becoming pregnant almost zero. This belief is not necessarily true due to the fact that women who have changed their lifestyle through Chinese diet (which warms and strengthens the uterus and the quality of the eggs), took Chinese herbs according to accurate and professional diagnosis done for them and acupuncture – led to a decrease in FSH levels, and more importantly were able to conceive and keep the pregnancy, even those whose with advanced age – this is due to the fact that medicinal plants with hormonal balance, strengthening and nourishing, and integrating correctly with the rest of the things I mentioned above, as well as the practice of female yoga will help change the situation which seemed impossible before.
- Prevention of repeated miscarriages: Chinese medicine believes that a cold womb, Qi weakness (energy) and when blood does not nourish the fetus – therefore the pregnancy “falls”. In Chinese, the word womb (ZI GONG) means the child’s temple. The womb should be fed, be strong and fertile like soil that grows flowers. When combined with plants, acupuncture and nutrition a more strong and fertile womb can be achieved to prevent repeated miscarriages.
Effect on male reproductive fertility:
The known reasons for infertility in men derive from many factors: low FSH level, damage to the adrenal axis, pituitary gland and testicles, genetic problems and internal diseases (diabetes, CF, sexually transmitted diseases, infections), exposure to radiation and various chemical toxins, smoking, alcohol and drugs, testicular fever for various reasons (saunas, fever, strenuous physical work, wearing tight pants or pants, infection in the body), sexual dysfunction, erection, ejaculation, stress and pressure, which cause mental imbalance.
Chinese medicine has developed a therapeutic treatment to solve male infertility, with diagnosis and treatment based on assessment of the condition of the internal organs, which are involved in semen production, sperm count and its mobility.
The diagnosis is usually related to Chinese medicine in: lack of kidney Yang or lack of kidney Ying, heat and humidity, blocked qi and blood. The diagnosis could be one of them or different combinations of some or all of them.
By means of a comprehensive inquiry that also includes a pulse diagnosis, tongue, and meridians involved, the treatment strategy is usually chosen and we will almost always use Chinese herbs, which provide solutions to many sperm problems. Combined with conventional medicine and its solutions, if the sperm test results are relatively reasonable and are suitable for enhancement or near it, it is recommended then to try to improve the sperm with Chinese herbs, which will enable higher chances of treatment success and implantation.
If the man suffers from other health problems which can further weaken sperm such as: back pain, urinary problems, poor sleep, nervousness, tiredness and exhaustion, excess weight and poor nutrition – in these cases Chinese treatment will help both for the rehabilitation and strengthening of sperm as well as to the overall emotional and health condition.
Food which strengthen and is beneficial for fertility:
For strengthening sperm:
- Vitamin E: wheat germ, whole grains, seeds, nuts and almonds, green vegetables.
- Vitamin C: melon, citrus, juices, berries, tomatoes, papaya, mango, pineapple, avocado, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, radish, mustard, red cabbage, sprouts, parsley and green peppers.
- Vitamin B: Eggs, yeast, fish, avocado, soybeans.
- Vitamin A: yellow fruits, yellow vegetables, apricots, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, peas, spinach, cabbage.
- Zinc: Seafood (non-kosher food), meat, sunflower seeds, pumpkin, nuts, dairy products, whole grains, fermented yeast.
Harmful for sperm:
Alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, medications, steroids, radiation (x-rays), tight underwear, stress, genital heat (jacuzzi, sauna, electric sheet, hot tub).
Recommended:
- To both women and men it is recommended to eat diet rich in vegetables and whole grains.
- Moreover, it is recommended to eat clean food from sprays and pesticide, eat more organic food, and purify non-organic food (rinse with warm water).
- Avoid as much as possible fast and processed food: sausages, hamburger, kebabs, smoked food, seasoning, fried food, canned food, fast and ready.
- Eat chicken, fish, meat and eggs: without antibiotics (only cooked fish, not raw).
- Home made cooked food with vegetables and made with olive oil or canola.
- Legumes: red beans, black, white, azuki, mung beans, lentils, and beans (for those who are not sensitive). They are good for strengthening the energy of the kidneys and nourishing the uterus and blood, and therefore are highly recommended.
In Chinese medicine, the observation of every woman and/or man is personal and specific. The treatment will be different for each person, with reference to the specific person and his uniqueness. It is evident that Chinese herbal medicine has many years of proven experience, and significant improvement of the factors that lead to male or female infertility.
