Where does Chinese medicine really come from?
Chinese medicine has a long history and has been developed for thousands of years. In today’s life, we may inadvertently have a lot of relations with Chinese medicine, but if we ask where it comes from, many people may be confused.
I. Ancient times
We often talk about the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, which includes the 5,000-year history of Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine was born in the ancient times, and there is no way to know exactly when it was born. However, during this time, different tribes were formed on the Chinese landscape, and the first inhabitants lived in the wild and had to fight against nature to survive. In their search for food, they discovered that some foods could ease their discomfort, but some foods were toxic and could cause death.
The use of fire made an important difference to the cave dwelling tribes at that time, as cooked food not only shortened the process of digesting food, but also improved living conditions by keeping out the cold, lighting, and dispersing dampness in caves, which naturally reduced illness. At that time, when people used hot stones for heating, they found that baking different parts of the body with stones could relieve certain discomfort, and they also found that using bone needles to pound on specific locations could relieve pain in certain areas. These experiences laid the foundation for herbal medicine and acupuncture treatments.
Although there was no such profession as a doctor, some members of the tribe who specialized in these skills were called “wizards” because they often combined witchcraft in their treatments. At the same time, there were two legendary figures in this era, the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor (also known as Shennong), both of whom are considered to be among the originators of Chinese medicine and have contributed much to it.
II. Shang Dynasty
The Shang people lived in the Yellow River Basin in China and are considered to be one of the earliest ancestors of China. They practiced medicine in a very primitive way, often applying a combination of superstition, legend and healing experience. According to oracle bones of buffaloes and turtles excavated at that time, several diseases were described and treated, and people even used wine and hot water as medicine and needles and bronze knives as surgical instruments. It is said that the use of soup and liquid to treat illnesses started from this time.
The merchants believed that their existence was closely related to all things in heaven and earth, and that everyone was in a position where the sky was above their heads, the earth was below their feet, and people were in between . Their belief was that “the earth is flat and made up of three concentric squares”, and they used this method to explain all the laws of nature, which led to the establishment of many connections between man and the universe. For example, the skin of the human body is identified with the flat qualities of the earth; and the five organs are related to the five elements of wood, fire, water, earth and gold; the eyes and ears are related to the sun and moon in the sky, etc. This also laid the foundation of the theoretical system of Chinese medicine.
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