The Origins of Traditional Chinese Medicine

The exact origins of traditional Chinese medicine are vague as much of its development occurred before written history. Human activity in China began over 1.7 million years ago. The use of plants as medicine can be dated back to origin of mankind. As early man experimented with new plants in search of food, he also began to discover the effects these plants had on the human body. The exact origin of acupuncture is not known, but the use of medical tools dates back well into the Stone Age.

As written history began, much was written about Chinese medicine. The words doctor (yi) and medicine (yao) appeared in written Chinese language at about 2500 BC. Many medical texts were written in ancient history, but most did not survive the test of time. We are not sure how much was really known about acupuncture and herbal medicine in very early times. The first medical books to appear were quite advanced and indicate that there was probably a great deal of medical development before them.

Although the use of herbal medicine and acupuncture tools began much earlier, the origin of the Chinese medical system is probably about 2,500 years old. The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic (Huang Di Nei Jing) was written in about 200-300 BC and it included the first explanations of the pathological concept, diagnostic method, and treatment strategy. The theories described in this book and others to follow make up the system known as traditional Chinese medicine.

The History of Chinese Herbal Medicine

The use of plants as medicine is certainly as old as man itself, but the emperor Shen Nong (3494 BC) is accredited as being the first herbal doctor. He spent his entire lifetime in the pursuit of discovering new uses for plants. Unfortunately, his discoveries pre-date written record and his legacy was carried only through oral history. By 1500 BC, references to herbal medicine were inscribed onto bone. In the 3rd century BC, silk medical texts described the use of over 250 natural substances as medicine. The Chinese word for herbal medicine, 'ben cao', appeared in the Chinese language at about 500 BC. Very early in the Western Han Dynasty, the Pharmacopeia of Sheng Nong (Sheng Nong Ben Cao Jing) was written, detailing all the known herbal medicine of the time. In the 2nd century AD, Hua Tou was using herbal anesthesia to conduct surgery. Li Shizhen (AD 1517 - 1593) wrote the General Outlines and Divisions of Herbal Medicine (Ben Cao Gang Mu) which is the greatest contribution to Chinese herbal medicine in history. The original work contained nearly 12,000 recipes including 1,900 medicinal substances. The modern Chinese pharmacopeia now includes nearly 6,000 medicinal substances.

Early writing on tortoise shells.
History of Acupuncture
Medical tools made of stone called 'bian stones' were used in ancient China. These tools were used to apply pressure or puncture areas of the body. Archeologists have recovered tools of this sort which date back well into the New Stone Age (8000 - 2000 BC). Hieroglyphs describing the use of bian stones and early methods of moxibustion appeared about 3,000 years ago. Books over 2,000 years old also make reference the medical use of such tools. With the advent of metalcrafting, metal needles began to be created. A set of nine distinct acupuncture needles made of silver and gold dating back to 113 BC was discovered. The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic (aforementioned) was the earliest book that described the precise use of acupuncture as we know it today. Throughout history, the technique and the tool of acupuncture have become further refined.

Early depiction of the Liver meridian