Author: Ye Nay Htet (Henry)
Artist: Emily Vialls
Editor: Hannah Balane
Since ancient times, Mother Nature has provided an abundant variety of healing materials. Curiosity led people to understand the importance of nature’s properties and history has shown that we have learned how to manipulate the complex mixture of phytochemicals and use them for our health and wellbeing. The documentations of these treatment modes in traditional medicine have led to major breakthroughs in the field of medicine such as novel drug discovery and its derivatives.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), herbs play a crucial role. Each of them have their own unique preparations and modes of consumption, ranging from powders, balms, extracts, and soups; most of them involve consuming its compounds in a liquid form. The main concept for TCM is to restore the balance of the body by providing external and/or internal stimuli. One of the herbs is the white peony root (Paeonia lactiflora), called Bai Shao in Mandarin. It was considered a women’s herb since its dried roots are brewed into tea or soup and consumed to relieve dysmenorrhoea, and menorrhagia – menstrual pain and excessive bleeding. Even an old Chinese proverb said: “A woman who consumes peony root regularly becomes as beautiful as the peony flower.” Research found that paeoniflorin is the primary bioactive material in this herb (>90%) as it holds anti-inflammatory effects. It restricts the production of multiple inflammatory mediators: proinflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide, tumour necrosis factor-α and others, making it a suitable component to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. In addition, paeoniflorin is also found to inhibit the production of interleukin-1β which is involved in cancer progression, meaning that it has a potential to provide future cancer medications.
You might (or might not) wonder: How are traditional methods still relevant in current society? Well, traditional herbal medicine is still being used and most of them are even under the UK/EU legal licence: “Traditional Herbal Registration”. In addition, they have led to major discoveries. For example, Professor Youyou Tu uncovered a Chinese medical manuscript from 340 AD, which led to her winning a Nobel Prize for the malaria drug discovery. It was based on the sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua), referred as Qinghao in Chinese. The book stated to take a handful of qinghao drenched in two litres of water, straining out the juice and drinking it all. Prof. Tu and her team structured their research on this remedy, by trying to extract the active compound in low temperature since the text does not mention heating. After multiple trial and error, they finally discovered the lead compound, artemisinin, which we now base to make malaria medicine. It is found that artemisinin reacts with iron to form artemisinin-derived free radicals which attack the Plasmodium parasites (causative agent of malaria). Conveniently, this parasite is abundant in hemozoin – an iron-containing pigment due to the digestion of haemoglobin leading to the parasite being exclusively targeted.
As for physical therapies in TCM, it mainly relies on the philosophy of regulating the body’s energy “Qi”, in which TCM believes that imbalance of Qi is what causes infirmity. For instance, acupuncture inserts needles in specific parts of the skin and it is thought to orchestrate the spread of qi throughout the body. The proposed mechanism behind this method is caused by stimulating the nervous system to produce our own painkillers: melatonin and serotonin, proving its benefits by enhancing sleep and relieving pain. In addition, Gua sha, a method of scraping the skin, deliberately causing ecchymosis – bruising due to ruptured blood vessels on the skin, is said to even out Qi throughout the body to relieve pain and tension. The science behind says that it induces microcirculation which is beneficial for regulating blood flow and detoxification. These can be studied and developed to create innovative therapies that mimics this concept to apply in modern practice.
Outside of TCM, we can also learn from other cultures such as drum circles which have shown to improve mental and physical health. These herbal and physical remedies are still being practised in countries around the world, as well as among present physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals since they have proven to improve the lifestyles of people. It is important to preserve this knowledge and learn from it, especially the herbal, since it is a known fact that some of the major drugs such as aspirin, morphine and many more originate from nature. It is just a matter of further research and development to expand our resources for medicine and integrate sophisticated ancient practice with a modern point of view that will definitely inspire the next generation of drug discovery and innovations.
References:
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