Herbal medicine has been used for thousands of years in cultures all over the world. Throughout history, people from various cultures have studied the gifts of nature thru the use of herbs.

Oriental people first started working with herbs to develop their longevity, as preventative medicine as well as to benefit their health and to resolve climactic issues of damp, cold, dryness, heat and wind. This went along with their thinking that we are healed by learning the secrets of nature and of life.

Today we use many of these same herbs for the same purpose. Chinese diagnosis is still based on climactic factors of wind, cold, heat, dry and damp along with too much of any of these or an imbalance therein.

Chinese herbs have many wonderful attributes. They can move out external symptoms of a cold, move and alleviate the pain and the stagnation from injury as well as build tissue and invigorate healing, soothe symptoms of digestive distress, build and tonify health in cases of deficiency and much more.

Chinese herbs are an excellent tool when used in addition to acupuncture or alone.

Moxibustion

Another form of herbal medicine is called Moxibustion. Moxibustion is a method of supplementing an acupuncture treatment by burning an herb named mugwort close to the acupuncture needle. In some instances, the herb is on a piece of cardboard and place next to the acupuncture needle. In other cases a cigar like stick is lit and the practitioner or the patient moves the moxa stick near the needle and the affected area.

Moxibustion works to strengthen or tonify the effect of the acupuncture needle on the area, where it is used by stimulating the movement of blood in that area. The effect is usually warming, and balancing to the rest of the body.

Electric Stimulation

On rare occasions, electric stimulation is used, usually with a patch on an area which needs stimulation. The effects are similar to moxibustion, which is preferred.