Key West, Florida herbs and nutrition

Dr Michel Gehin
D.O.M. A.P. L.M.T.

1217 White Street
Key West, FL 33040
(305)304-5891

HERBS

In China, herbal remedies are used as much as acupuncture to treat

energy

imbalances and illness. When considering the appropriate herbal

remedy for

a patient, practitioners of TCM apply medical theory-the

Five Elements and

Eight Guiding Principles-along with tongue and pulse

diagnosis.

Herbs have four basic qualities and properties:

nature, taste, affinity and primary action.

Nature:

A herb's nature is often described as cooling or heating, however it can

also

be described as moistening, relaxing and energizing.

For example, the herb peppermint has a cooling energy and is used to

lower

the metabolism or reduce gas and bloating.

Taste:

Herbs are categorized by the following five tastes:

sour, bitter, sweet or blend, spicy and salty.

For example, the herbs dandelion and goldenseal are bitter and used for

their

drying properties in treating upper respiratory conditions.

Affinity:

This is the relation that a herb has on a particular organ network.

Primary action:

This is the effect of a particular herb, which can be described as dispel

(move), astringe (restrain), purge (expel), or tonify (strengthen).

In creating the herbal formula for a patient, the TCM practitioner

considers

the effect or outcome of the remedy, such as aiding digestion,

clearing

mucus, or strengthening the immune system. Applying the Eight

Guiding

Principles, they also consider the energy of the illness, such as

hot/cold,

damp/wind, or some mixture of the principles.

The herbal remedy can be found in three ways:

Tea decoction.

Powder form solved in boiling water.

In pill or tablet form.

Herbal remedy can also be apply topically, as a poultice or as a herbal

soak

for acute/chronic injuries of joints pain and/ or lack of mobility

NUTRITION

Based on TCM medical theory described above for the herbal remedies.

Also available are detoxification/cleansing and immune system program

booster.

Herbs & Nutrition