Though there are so many medical systems in the world, the most sophisticated among them all is Chinese medicine. This has been there for more than thousands of years and one could rightly say that this is the outcome of experience and research of three thousand years.

The focus of this medical system is on health rather than on curing. The overall wellness of people is focused. The approach of western medicine is towards curing diseases and symptoms of illness. But this medicine is not concerned with curing but healing. Restoring complete health is the main motto and not simply reducing the symptoms of diseases.

Chinese medicine makes use of plants as remedies. The foods you eat are obtained either from plants or from animals. The plants are used as medicine and to enhance your health. To put in right words, the number of medicinal plants is more than the number of plants used for food. There are no great differences between food and medicine.

Every single plant is considered to have its own specific function in the health and well being of individual. Therefore herbal plants are valued greatly by the Chinese physicians. Almost all the parts of the plant such as roots, stem, bark, fruits and leaves are used as medicine.

The benefits of Chinese medicine are known to the world only in the last decade. Initially, the regular medical practitioners were skeptical about this new medicine that focuses on herbal cures and massages. They thought that this is suitable only for grandmas and not for professionally trained medical doctors.

But after testing the effectiveness of this food based medical science, everyone is wondering at it. The medicine of China is not folklore anymore. The western medicine makes use of chemical drugs that often cause adverse side effects. The growth of pharmaceutical industry has led to the focus on Chinese medicine. Though new medicines are discovered everyday new diseases are also emerging. Therefore to ensure the overall health becomes essential.

Western medicine is all concerned with treating the symptoms of the diseases rather than eradicating it completely. Therefore the chances of recurrence are more. But in herbal remedies you get complete cure. The herbs like aloe Vera, garlic, green onion, licorice and fever few are most popularly used. Another great difference between these two philosophies of medicine is that the western medicine does not allow Chinese medicine to enter into it.

But the Chinese medicine incorporates western medicine into its medical system. For example, when are surgery carried out, though the surgery is done as per western system, the anesthetist often uses acupuncture and other herbal products for treating preoperative and postoperative troubles.

Chinese medicine has a history of more than 4000 years. This is entirely different from that of western philosophy. The energy forces are running along our body. These pathways are called meridians. You can cure diseases by stimulating the energy points. The yang and yin are the two opposite forces that have to be neutralized to get rid of health problems. The life expectancy of people living in China, Japan and Hong Kong where this medicine is in