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March 13, 2015

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Finding a cure at major TCM exhibition

By Wu Huixin | March 13, 2015, Friday | Print Edition

TRADITIONAL Chinese medicine has been considered a national treasure through the centuries. People today still turn to TCM if Western medicine doesn’t cure them thoroughly.

TCM includes various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, exercise (qigong) and dietary therapy. The quality of herbs determines the effect of the prescription. Thus herbal medicine is at the root of TCM.

An ongoing exhibition displaying more than 300 herbal medicines at Zhejiang Nature Museum is designed to teach people how to identify the quality of herbs and better understand TCM.

The growth of herbs is closely related with climate, soil, environment and other natural elements. Hence herbal medicine is categorized into 14 varieties, ranging from Tibetan and Uygur herbs to Cantonese and Mongolian herbs.

This so-called regional concept of TCM developed in the late Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) when the famous TCM book “Sheng Nong’s Herbal Classic” emphasized the importance of where herbs grow.

Zhejiang Province also boasts herbal medicines known as zhe yao, which literally means Zhejiang medicine. Among the local herbs grown in Zhejiang, eight local herbs, including famous Hangzhou chrysanthemum morifolium, are considered at the top-level in the TCM field. People refer to them as zhe ba wei, which means eight herbs from Zhejiang.

These eight herbs began to appear in TCM prescriptions early in the Han Dynasty. In noted TCM pharmacies like Hu Qing Yu Tang TCM pharmacy, Shanghai Leiyunshang Pharmacy and Beijing Tongrentang TCM Pharmacy, these herbs are still chosen first by TCM doctors with vast clinical experience.

Another display provides tips on how to differentiate quality herbal medicines from low-quality or fake ones.

For instance, the exhibition shows both genuine and artificial pearls, allowing visitors to see the difference. In TCM, pearl powder is believed to smooth the skin and cure insomnia.

Compared with artificial pearls, real ones take on different shapes and sizes. If you use a small flame to burn a genuine pearl, the surface turns black but returns to its original color after being wiped. An artificial pearl gives off a plastic smell and will become scorched when held to a flame.

The exhibition also tells people how to distinguish wild ginseng from planted ginseng. The former is more expensive than the latter by virtue of its high medicinal value. Ginseng is widely used in simmering soups and teas due to its high concentration of nutrients.

However, some pass farmed ginseng off as wild ginseng. Learning to distinguish the difference will benefit those who add ginseng to various soups and teas.

Herbal teas occupy high status in TCM. People value it for lowering blood pressure, helping loose weight, stimulating the appetite, and nourishing the throat depending on the prescription.

The exhibition displays a dozen herbal tea prescriptions that can help strengthen the body.

In addition, four lesser-known properties of herbal medicine are also included in the exhibition — herbal cuisine, herbal beauty therapy, herbal lavipeditum, and herbal sachet.

Sometimes, Chinese people add herbs into foods to boost their health. Famous herbal cuisine includes ginseng stewed with pig organs and medlar stewed with chicken.

In ancient times, Chinese women used herbs with anti-aging and skin whitening properties to remove wrinkles. A dozen ancient herbal beauty recipes are still widely used by Chinese women.

TCM emphasizes taking care of the feet because practitioners believe the acupoints there connect with organs. Soaking feet in hot water with herbs helps improve circulation and allay tiredness.

Herbs can also be shredded and dried and put into sachets. Sachets can be placed under pillows or in bags. In the summer, such herbal sachets keep mosquitoes away while the refreshing scent re-energizes people.

 

Date: Through March 31, 9am-
5pm (closed on Mondays)

Address: West Lake Cultural Square, 581 Zhongshan Rd N.

Admission: Free

Hangzhou


 

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