# Traditional Chinese Medicine



## pjmc (Jan 11, 2006)

Recently, I have been engaging in the study of numerous chinese herbal rememdies for help with my anxiety. I have noticed a HUGE change in the way I feel, so just thought I would share my results with the sufferers on this board.

Here are the different formula comibinations I have been using:

-Wen Dan Tang
-Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li 
-Jia Wei Xiao Yao
-Long Dan Xie Gan
-Tian Wang Bu Xin

If you need any help in regards to getting on the correct chinese formula, contact me, I'd be glad to help.

Each one of these remedies can be found online at http://www.acu-market.com/

IMO, chinese medicine has been the most successful treatment for me thus far. I have been on numerous anti-depressants in the past, aswell as taken a LOT of CBT sessions. TCM has brought my anxiety level down to a 1-2 from where I used to be at 9-10. I no longer react to situations as my former self used to, and no longer anticipate things. As far as social anxiety there is still some there, however I think this has more to do with personal struggles and demons from my past.

OVerall tho, I would say that I'm honestly 80-90% better. TCM also states that there is a high CURE rate among mental disorders, and I need to wait atleast 2-3 more months until I can say that I have been 'cured'.

On an ending note, I would urge each and every person here who struggles with anxiety to try out this route of treatment.

Good luck to all, keep me posted on your progess.

EDIT: 1 important thing I would like to add, just because western medicine has no cure for specific ailments, this doesnt mean that a cure does not lie elsewhere in the world. Chinese medicine has been used for thousands of years, and has a high success rate.


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## funkypresident (Sep 17, 2005)

This sounds interesting. But i suppose it depends on the severity of anxiety? I personally don't leave the house much and when i do im overcome with severe anxiety and tense feelings the second i step out the door.

How would you say that this medicine helped your thoughts, and behaviour? OR does it simply reduce nervousness?

I see you're from Toronto!


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## pjmc (Jan 11, 2006)

Hey funky, 

If that is the case then these medicines are meant moreso for people like you. I USED to be that way aswell, intense free floating anxiety as soon as I stepped in the car to go somewhere. However, these feelings have slowly subsided with the use of these medicines and I can look back a few months and laugh at how weird I used to feel.

The transiiton I have made has been incredible. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you start taking TCM. The formulas I suggested earlier will definitely make a huge difference, guaranteed.

Trust me.. I too was skeptical at first but its almost as if a miracle has taken place. Life for me now seems exciting, mind you I still have a lot of issues to deal with like my self image and certain social hangups but other than that my anxiety is pretty much non-pathological now.

Yeah, im in the Greater Toronto Area.. small world 

What part of TO are you at?

Regards


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## funkypresident (Sep 17, 2005)

That does sound interesting, i'll have to keep this in mind and hopefully soon visit a naturopath.

Im from the the west part of the GTA. 

Yourself?


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## Caedmon (Dec 14, 2003)

Glad to hear you're feeling well. 

What sort of study is this? (Pilot study, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial, etc?) When will the results be published?


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## lilly (Mar 22, 2006)

I'm glad Chinese medicine has helped you. Did you work out what to take on your own? If so wouldn't it be better to check with a practitioner first?
I had acupuncture, cupping and Chinese medicine for insomnia & it worked while I was going in for appointments. I never tried it for anxiety yet though... you've now reminded me to give it a go. Thanks for telling everybody about it... it may help someone.


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## pjmc (Jan 11, 2006)

Hey guys, sorry its taken me a little bit long to respond.. work has been pretty hectic lately. Lilly, I actually went through a free online consultation with a TCM doctor whom I found online at a TCM message forum. He asked me what my symptoms were and then listed me a bunch of differente formulas and said to try them all until I found the right one.

I have listed them above in my first post.. Acupuncture is supposed to work wonders on mood disorders by itself however I have a problem with going into a clinic and getting needles stuck into me. I may consider going through an acupuncture session down the road however..

I think you should seriously consider it for your anxiety disorder, just the fact that TCM was able to help you in another area proves that it agrees with your system. Good luck and let me know how things are coming, would be nice to hear some positive results!

Take care


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## lilly (Mar 22, 2006)

Thanks pj - I'm glad you had a consultation first. Thing is Chinese Medicine consultations are so expensive here I'd have to wait a while or win tatslotto I think! :0) You don't get much back here on health insurance either but I will remember TCM as an option.


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## butterflygirl (Jul 21, 2006)

*check out an acupuncture school*

Lilly,
Acupuncture schools are much, much less expensive. I go to one here in Los Angeles where I live and it's fabulous. I've gotten better care and more attention at the school than at private TCM offices. An hour session is only $30. The herbs can add up ($$)though, but you can always shop around once you know what herbs work for you.

Take care of you! You're worth it!!!

Renee


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## lilly (Mar 22, 2006)

Thanks butterflygirl - I had never even thought of that idea before. I'll have to see if they have that kind of service in Melbourne.


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## b18c1 (Feb 23, 2006)

Just got my Wen Dan Tang in the mail. I'll tell you guys/girls how it goes. It's also cheaper to order it on maxnature.com


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## pjmc (Jan 11, 2006)

Hey guys, thought before I crash tonight i'd post this useful site link on Wen Dan Tang and psychiatry:

'Gong Ding-xian¡¯s Use of Wen Dan Tang in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders'
http://mededucation.bjmu.edu.cn/Miscell ... .asp?id=65

----------------------

Other related articles:

'Phobic Disorders & Chinese Medicine'
http://mededucation.bjmu.edu.cn/miscell ... .asp?id=81

'A Chinese Medicinal Protocol for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)'
http://mededucation.bjmu.edu.cn/miscell ... .asp?id=57

Will post some more on this thread tomorrow,

Gnite all!


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## funkypresident (Sep 17, 2005)

Thanks for the useful links!


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## moon37 (Feb 27, 2006)

Please keep us up to date. I just moved out to LA and am looking for Chinese Herbs for my anxiety as well.


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## jakejohnson007 (Jul 27, 2006)

is this stuff expensive?


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## bent (Aug 4, 2005)

Interesting, i hope you keep us posted. I tried TCM for many years in relation to bronchial issues. I would say that there was a mild therapeutic effect but it never lasted more than a few hours for each herbal package. I was also told that my condition could be cured by TCM but that proved to be an overstatement. Since it is not covered by health insurance i stopped and resumed conventional treatments. 

I never thought to explore the potential of TCM for psychological disorders though, so i hope it proves valuable for you.


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## lanyards (Aug 15, 2006)

*Interesting!*

:afr 
After searching the internet after many years of having my "problem" I think I can safely say that what I suffer from is "Social Anxiety Disorder".

I am in my mid 40's now, male and I can remember as far back as 6 years old suffering the same feelings everytime I am to deal with social situations. This is really the first time I seriously decided to see if I can do something about this. I always blush, sweat, heart beating super fast etc when in any social situation. Sometimes it's ok, maybe 10% of the time.

I have never told anyone about this but it has caused me to not do as well as I should in my career due to "shying" away from anything that would require me to talk in public etc.. (you all know if ur here).

I am not sure if Chinese TM is for me but if it does no harm I am willing to give it a try for sure.

Just not sure if I should go with the list that was mentioned in the beginning of this thread? Perhaps I need something slightly different. How would I know?

Does anyone have insites in how to determine what the best combination is given what I have mentioned here?

thanks so much! :hide


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## bruno2006 (Jul 21, 2011)

I have become interested in TCM as well as orthomolecular medicine. I believe both can help, but to what extent? I had to get off the drugs bc the side effects were too bad and they make me reckless and cold hearted. 
I think you all need to watch where u get your TCM medicines from as some of them may be laced with heavy metals. 

I look forward to more posts on TCM! I will also provide me feedback if my current orthomolecular approach does not work.


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## Gwen1234 (Sep 6, 2011)

pjmc,

I know your posts were from back in 2006, but I'm wondering if you are still active on the forum and could tell us how the Chinese herbs ended up working for you. I started Chinese herbs 3 days ago. It's too early to see a difference, but I have a follow-up appointment with the TCM practitioner who prescribed them to me this weekend. I'm wondering how long it took you to feel a difference in your anxiety? And did it end up helping you with your social anxiety?


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## csrpj (Feb 24, 2010)

pjmc,

you listed five formulas... did you go one-by-one until you found what works or do you use all in combination?


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

Most drugs either come directly from plants used in traditional medicines, or are variations of the active substance in a plant, and it is certainly possible that a lot of traditional medicines have substances in them that we have yet to discover/study. If people can find relatively cheap and effective treatments in traditional medicines, without any major side effects, or even if the effects are merely a strong placebo effect, if it helps than why not try it/use it? 

With that said, even though a few people may find a "miracle" cure, I don't think it's realistic for most people to expect, or rely on, that, nor should they shun trying pharmaceuticals for their not being natural when they are very effective for some people. People should be open minded both ways, and make their goal finding what works best for them, instead of being over focused on an ideology.


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## HanginInThere (Nov 5, 2012)

The results sound awesome if it improved your anxiety that much. Is it in liquid form? Do the herbs need to be in equal amounts in the formula?


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## bruno2006 (Jul 21, 2011)

I did tcm for a few months and felt great. But I was given the herbs to boil and then drink the tea. I also used acupuncture. It worked well and would like to start again.


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## Gwen1234 (Sep 6, 2011)

Bruno2006,

How long were you on the herbs until you felt a difference? I too am consuming the herbs as a tea. I've been on the herbs for 4 days and this morning was the first morning in a few weeks when I didn't wake up with anxiety attack. It put me in a much better mood for the day! I'm wondering if I will continue to feel better and better. What was your experience on those few months?


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## hoddesdon (Jul 28, 2011)

Gwen1234 said:


> Bruno2006,
> 
> How long were you on the herbs until you felt a difference? I too am consuming the herbs as a tea. I've been on the herbs for 4 days and this morning was the first morning in a few weeks when I didn't wake up with anxiety attack. It put me in a much better mood for the day! I'm wondering if I will continue to feel better and better. What was your experience on those few months?


What herbs in particular are you taking? I also do Traditional Chinese Medicine, but for something else.


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## cordyceps (Nov 10, 2012)

I took reishi mushroom (or LingZhi) and reishi spore oil and it definitely makes me feel a lot more calm and relaxed...Probably the best thing anyone can take to feel better and everyone can take it. not only that but it's officially listed by the Japanese government as a substance for treating cancer


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## Gwen1234 (Sep 6, 2011)

cordyceps,

Did you get these herbs from a TCM practitioner or did you find them on your own? Those two herbs are not in my mixture...I'm going to ask my TCM practitioner about them.


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## Gwen1234 (Sep 6, 2011)

Hoddesdon,

There are A LOT of herbs in my mixture. I will type out the list for everyone below.

So far the benefits of the herbs have been the following: 1) No more morning anxiety attacks 2) it gave me my appetite back which I lost due to anxiety, (and at the risk of giving "too much information") 3) it cured my diarrhea, 4) and gave me my period back which pretty much stopped because of my body's reaction to my birth control. And this all happened within a week or less! 

My TCM practitioner changed up my herbs a little for the second week to help further with my social anxiety (which is still there). The first time I drank the new concoction it made me calm and comfortable around people. I didn't experience that the second time, though. Argh. She also added in herbs to help give me more energy and to encourage hair growth (looking forward to those benefits!)

Anyway, here are the herbs I'm on. It's a long list. I will give the English names:

Bupleurum Root
Dong Quai Root
Peony Root (fried)
Fried Atractylodes
Ligusticum Root
Rehmannia Cured Root
Longan Seed Cover
Sacred Lotus Seed
Fossilized Bone (oh dear...I just realized I'm drinking bone!!! oh well...)
Silk Tree Bark
Fo-ti Root Tuber
Poria Root Sclerotium
Condonopsis Root
Chinese Amomum Fruit
Costus Root
Cyperus Rhizome
Astragalus Root
Oyster Shell
Jujube Seed
Anemarrhena Rhizome
Mother of Pearl
Magnolia Bark


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## cordyceps (Nov 10, 2012)

Gwen1234 said:


> cordyceps,
> 
> Did you get these herbs from a TCM practitioner or did you find them on your own? Those two herbs are not in my mixture...I'm going to ask my TCM practitioner about them.


Hey Gwen,

Reishi and lingzhi are the same herb (it's actually a mushroom); they're just different names. Reishi mushroom is a "tonic" herb meaning that it's a superior herb that it can and should be taken everyday by almost anybody. I learned about reishi from a health book and many people agree that it's probably the most beneficial food/herb on earth. The best reishi I know of is sold by a company named Dragon Herbs (get the reishi oil if you can afford it)


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## Gwen1234 (Sep 6, 2011)

Thanks Cordyceps. How long were you taking Reishi before you started to feel better? And have the effects worn off? I find that anything I take that helps to calm me (thats not a benzo!) ends up not working after the first few times I take it.


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## cordyceps (Nov 10, 2012)

Gwen1234 said:


> Thanks Cordyceps. How long were you taking Reishi before you started to feel better? And have the effects worn off? I find that anything I take that helps to calm me (thats not a benzo!) ends up not working after the first few times I take it.


You're welcome Gwen....I take reishi everyday in reasonable doses multiple times a day in different forms (powder and extract)...I honestly started feeling better from the first day I started taking it. I noticed that it's more potent when I take the alcohol extract or when I mix the powder with raw cacao powder (which helps drive the nutrients into the cells deeper) and some coconut oil or cacao butter in a smoothie. However the trick is not to take something else that cancels it out. So to notice the full effect of reishi don't take any sugars or sweets or anything unhealthy before or after taking it that day, if that makes sense.

The effects won't wear off but after a few weeks you'll get used to the good feeling you get from reishi so you'll feel that they are wearing off but if you stop taking it for a while you'll notice a difference in your calmness and mental focus and feel like you need to get back on it again. It's one of the very few things I can't afford to miss.

As for the herbs you're taking, most of them (from my experience and what I know) should not be taking regularly, but rather sporadically. The astragalus, dong quai and fo-ti are the only things I would take regularly, the others are best taken irregularly (so rotate them and switch it up a bit)...better yet, try to research "tonic herbs" and get those instead as they can be taken everyday and have a more profound effect than the ones you're already taking (I would stick with astragalus for sure though)

I would also stay away from all sugars, fruits and sweets for a while and see if that helps with your anxiety...birth control may be causing problems too so I would cut that out as well...

this is just my personal experience and what I learned and studied throughout the years, but I encourage everyone to go to sites like PubMed or scholar.google.com and do their own research on these herbs to confirm the claims about them

And feel free to PM me if you have any questions


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## Gwen1234 (Sep 6, 2011)

Cordyceps,

The practitioner said that I am only supposed to take the herbs for a limited amount of time (don't know how long that will be). So I shouldn't be using them long term. 

I looked into Reishi oil, and holy moly it's expensive! I assume the good stuff is $150-$350. But I found on the Vitamin Store website that they sell Reishi in liquid and tablet form for $13-$29. Do you think it's worth trying the cheaper stuff? 

-Jenny


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