Chinese herbal medicine is one of the great herbal systems of the world, with an unbroken tradition going back to the 3rd century BC. In most Asian hospitals, it is practiced in conjunction with Western medicine and thus is sustained by current scientific research. Its development continues today alongside the development of modern medical diagnostic technology.

Because of its systematic approach and clinical effectiveness it has had a great influence on the theory and practice of medicine in the East, and more recently has grown rapidly in popularity in the West.

The historical roots of modern western pharmacology are embedded in herbal medicine. Aspirin was originally derived from the bark of willow trees, morphine from the seeds of poppy flowers, penicillin from fungus, and quinine from the bark of the cinchona tree. Pharmaceutical laboratories continue to extract active ingredients from plant materials (a quarter of modern prescription drugs include plant extracts) as well as prepare wholly synthetic compounds. Yet by the time we see the white aspirin tablet imprinted with a brand name , or a vial of morphine, the willow tree and poppy field have slipped from view.

"Herbology is the art of combining medicinal herbs"

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The TCM practitioner usually designs a remedy using one or two main ingredients that target the illness. Then other ingredients are added to adjust the formula to the patient's specific condition. The latter step requires intensive training and knowledge, and distinguishes a good Chinese herbal doctor from an amateur. Unlike western medications, the balance and interaction of all the ingredients are considered more important than the effect of individual ingredients.

The herbal formula is designed to cure the entire condition - it is not simply aimed at masking symptoms. Western pharmaceutical drugs capitalize on a single active ingredient to produce a specific physiological effect. This accounts for their potency, and also, their side effects. Although drugs may control symptoms, they often do not treat the pathological process (for example, antibiotics may eliminate bacteria but do not improve a person’s resistance to being infected). Sometimes further adverse side effects result (for example, yeast infections may follow a course of antibiotics). Chinese medicine recognizes that health is more than just the absence of disease. The key to success in TCM is the treatment of each patient as an individual.