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Summary: The Classic Of Herbal Medicine

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Coughs, sniffles, and sneezes surround a doctor’s office. When an individual contracts an illness, the body’s immune system kicks in to send antibodies and white blood cells to help fight the virus. The human body is a powerful self-healing machine, equipped with the proper physiological mechanisms. Although the human body possesses astonishing capabilities, interference is often needed to expedite and improve the healing process. Culture does not facilitate the body’s natural healing abilities, but it does influence the manner in which the healer intercedes (Wiley and John 2009). The notions of curing are molded by a culture’s dominant principles. Anthropology can be utilized to study how the methods of healing are formed from the beliefs …show more content…

The early period of TCM was heavily influenced by shamanism. Shamans would serve as doctors, and their sacred practices would be portrayed as a form of healing and medicine. This was a time before physicians were at the forefront of Chinese medicine. As the Qin and Han dynasty came, Taoism and Buddhism were introduced and gained a substantial number of followers. The establishment of these religions helped to modify and standardize TCM. As stated in Shennong Ben Cao Jing Shu (“The Classic of Herbal Medicine”), the reason people fall into sickness is due to their inauspicious engagements during their lifetime such as deprecating life and committing acts of evil (Shi and Zhang 2012). This notion reflects Buddhism’s teachings of karma and morals. While Taoism and Buddhism were focused on the senses and harmony, a medicine of techniques accentuated human anatomy. At the end of the Qing dynasty, TCM started to become modernized and continued to do so with the initiation of Western medicine. Despite this, TCM is still profoundly influenced by religion and spirituality and its origins (Shi and Zhang …show more content…

When that harmony is breached, the individual will fall victim to a form of illness or condition. These ideas are tied into the four main ancient beliefs embedded within TCM. The first principle originates from the beliefs of Taoism and considers the human body is as the universe. Tao is explained as, “the continuous whole entity of the universe”, in which humans and the environment interact and operate in coordination (McBurney 2012, para. 7). Humans and their environment are connected in an interdependent

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