Traditional Chinese medicine is a system of traditional Medicine that developed in China and has continued to evolve throughout its long history. It encompasses theories explaining the human body and Disease, diagnostic methods, and practices such as Chinese materia medica, acupuncture, and moxibustion. It is both a form of medical practice and part of the transmission of medical knowledge and techniques. Traditional Chinese medicine includes different schools of thought and types of intervention. The clinical effectiveness and safety of each method must be assessed separately; the system cannot be treated as a single entity with uniform therapeutic effects. (nccih.nih.gov)
Historical Development and Transmission
Knowledge in traditional Chinese medicine was gradually accumulated and organized across different historical periods, rather than founded by a single person or a single work. The Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic), compiled during the Qin and Han periods, systematically discusses the human body, disease, diagnosis, and treatment, and is a foundational text of traditional Chinese medical theory. Zhang Zhongjing’s Shanghan Zabing Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases), written toward the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, provides a systematic account of diseases, patterns, prescriptions, and medicinal substances. Its principal surviving versions are the Shanghan Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage) and the Jingui Yaolue (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet). The Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), compiled by Li Shizhen during the Ming dynasty, collected and organized a substantial body of knowledge about medicinal substances. (english.www.gov.cn)
Traditional Chinese medicine has been transmitted through family instruction, master–apprentice relationships, and the study of books. In modern times, an institutional system has developed that combines education in colleges and universities, clinical teaching in hospitals, and research institutions. Modern colleges of traditional Chinese medicine also teach courses in modern medicine, so contemporary education and practice are not simply unchanged continuations of ancient knowledge. (ich.unesco.org)
Theory and Conceptions of the Human Body
Traditional Chinese medical theory uses concepts such as yin and yang, the five phases, qi, zang-fu, and meridians. Yin and yang describe interrelated, opposing attributes. The five phases organize explanations of the human body and natural phenomena around wood, fire, earth, metal, and water and their relationships. Qi is used to explain vital activities and their changes. These concepts belong to a traditional theoretical framework and do not correspond directly to modern scientific terminology. (iris.who.int)
Although the “heart,” “liver,” “spleen,” “lung,” and “kidney” in zang-fu theory share their names with bodily organs, they encompass functional relationships defined by traditional theory and cannot be equated directly with the organs described in modern Anatomy. For example, the traditional meaning of “kidney” also includes functions associated with reproduction and growth. Meridian theory describes pathways connecting different parts of the body and provides a traditional basis for selecting acupuncture and moxibustion points and explaining diseases and patterns. (iris.who.int)
Diagnosis and Pattern Differentiation
Traditional Chinese medical Diagnosis primarily uses four methods: inspection, listening and smelling, inquiry, and palpation. Inspection examines such features as demeanor, physique, and the appearance of the tongue; listening and smelling assess sounds and odors; inquiry gathers information about symptoms and medical history; and palpation includes pulse examination and other forms of examination by touch. The information gathered must be analyzed together, rather than allowing a judgment to rest on a single finding. (iris.who.int)
Pattern differentiation and treatment is the process of identifying a “pattern” from symptoms, signs, and other information according to traditional theory, then selecting treatment on that basis. Common classification frameworks include the “eight principles”—yin and yang, exterior and interior, cold and heat, and deficiency and excess—as well as zang-fu pattern differentiation. A “pattern” is a category of pathological states in traditional medicine. Its meaning differs from that of a disease defined in modern medicine by its cause, pathology, or other criteria; disease names and pattern names do not correspond on a one-to-one basis. (iris.who.int)
Main Forms of Practice
The use of Chinese materia medica involves selecting, processing, and combining medicinal substances. These include materials derived from Plant and Animal sources, as well as minerals and other substances. Traditional classifications use concepts such as medicinal properties and flavors, while prescriptions commonly combine several substances. (english.www.gov.cn)
Acupuncture typically uses fine needles to stimulate specific sites on the body. Moxibustion applies heat generated by burning moxa or similar materials to selected sites. In traditional terminology, the two are collectively known as zhenjiu, although their procedures differ. Exercises such as tai chi and qigong, which combine movement, breathing, and focused attention, also feature in health practices and research associated with traditional Chinese medicine. (ich.unesco.org)
Clinical Evidence and Safety
Under the requirements of Evidence-Based Medicine, evaluating a traditional Chinese medical intervention requires clear definitions of the specific method, indication, comparator, and outcome measures. The Randomized Controlled Trial and research reviews have been used to investigate acupuncture, tai chi, and Chinese materia medica. The United States National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that acupuncture may help relieve certain types of pain, and tai chi may improve balance or function in some populations. Findings from research on Chinese materia medica are mixed, and many studies have limitations in quality, preventing broad conclusions about effectiveness. (nccih.nih.gov)
Safety likewise depends on the specific product and procedure. Some Chinese medicinal products have been found to contain heavy metals, pesticides, or undeclared drugs, or to involve misidentified medicinal materials, and may cause organ damage. Improper acupuncture technique or the use of unclean needles can cause infections, pneumothorax, and other injuries. Being “traditional” or “natural” does not, in itself, establish that an intervention is safe or effective. (nccih.nih.gov)
International Classification and Cultural Heritage
The World Health Organization publishes terminology standards for traditional Chinese medicine and has included a supplementary classification for traditional medicine in the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases, enabling relevant diagnostic data to be recorded, compared, and studied. The WHO explicitly states that this classification does not endorse the scientific validity of traditional medical theories or the effectiveness of any specific intervention. (who.int)
In 2010, “Acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine” was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The element documents knowledge and techniques associated with acupuncture and moxibustion, along with methods of transmission through master–apprentice relationships, families, and educational institutions. (ich.unesco.org)