Chinese Herbology in the West

An Ancient Healing Tradition Brings
New Opportunities to the West

In recent years, the healing properties of natural herbs have received wide public attention and medical validation in the West. In China, on the other hand, the therapeutic powers of herbal remedies have been universally accepted and applied for thousands of years. Medicinal herbology has been developed and refined by Chinese doctors over many centuries.

Now with a growing recognition in the West of the healing powers of Chinese herbs, there is an increasing demand for trained herbal practitioners. This dramatic increase in wanting an alternative to western medicine has created new career opportunities. In fact there is such a growing demand to use herbal medicine that these days, patients expect health practitioners (in all fields) to have at least some basic knowledge of herbs. Of course, a working knowledge of Chinese herbal medicine would be ideal.

Providing Comprehensive Education in Chinese Herbology

Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture comprise the two pillars of Chinese Medicine and naturally complement each other. However, the practice of Chinese Herbology is a healing system complete within itself. Chinese Herbology can also be used effectively with Western medical practices, both conventional and alternative.

Learning Chinese Medicine involves thinking about health and disease in ways that are unfamiliar to our common medical understanding. Unlike conventional Western medical practice which typically treats symptoms without addressing underlying causes, Chinese Medicine uses sophisticated assessment techniques to understand the deeper levels of systemic imbalance that create the symptoms. The goal of treatment is to bring the entire organism back into harmony.

The Institute of Chinese Herbology is uniquely qualified to bridge the two cultures and make this Eastern wisdom understandable and practical in the West. ICH was founded in 1986 by two Westerners with a combined 50 years of experience in the study and practice of Chinese medicine.

The proven effectiveness of the ICH educational approach is the result of the founders' extensive backgrounds in Chinese Medicine, their ability to impart their knowledge using Western teaching styles, and their familiarity with the patterns of health and disease common in our society.