Don’t be alarmed. Depression is quite common in our community. But there is a big difference on how Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at it from how an ordinary person from the West regards this oftentimes debilitating disease. While Western psychiatry considers it as a chemical imbalance in the brain, Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at the chest & liver instead. To wit, the natural flow of Qi in the human body is imperative for anyone to fulfill his or her dreams. However, certain moments of loss or repression can keep the flow of Qi from reaching other vital organs like the heart & liver. That is why a person who is suffering from depression commonly feels a tightening of his or her chest.
Qi is stuck in the chest which results in anxiety or depression & to treat depression with Traditional Chinese Medicine is to allow this energy to inundate other parts of the body & mind. To laugh is to literally “lighten up.” It goes without saying that a careful kind of optimism solves most, if not all, of our problems today but herbal medicine can also assist us in our road to well-being, or being well.
Bupleurum (or chai hu) is one of the most common herbs that guide Qi out of the chest & allow it to touch the entire individual. The Mimosa bark (or he huan pi) is another example of an herb that soothes the spirit & nourishes the heart. To treat depression with Traditional Chinese Medicine is to keep our options open.
Alternative Treatment, Depression, Traditional Chinese Medicine