The Mysteries of Oriental Medicine

Two of the world’s oldest, richest, and most successful forms of what can be classified as oriental medicine are rooted in China and India. Both traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda differ sharply from the approach used in modern Western therapy. Western therapy adopts an objective approach which first establishes the name of the disease and then prescribes treatment specific to that disease – treating the disease and not the patient. TCM and Ayurvedic practitioners give special attention to the patient’s complaints and pains and then prescribe a general treatment on a subjective basis before even identifying the disease by name – treating the patient and not the disease.


Western medicine emphasizes diagnosis while oriental medicine systems emphasize treatment.

What is Qi?

According to Chinese medical theory, illness arises when the cyclical flow of Qi in the meridians becomes unbalanced or blocked. Symptoms of various illnesses are often believed to be the product of disrupted, blocked, or unbalanced qi movement through the body's meridians, as well as deficiencies or imbalances of qi in the various organs. Traditional Chinese medicine often seeks to relieve these imbalances by adjusting the circulation of qi in the body using a variety of therapeutic techniques. Some of these techniques include herbal medicines, special diets, physical training regimens (qigong, tai chi chuan, and other martial arts training), moxibustion, massage to clear blockages, and acupuncture.

In this section you will find a series of DVDs that were developed as part of the curriculum for the East West School of Planetary Herbology. Michael and Lesley Tierra define Planetary Herbology as the study and practice of medicinal herbalism combining Western, east Indian Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese healing systems. You can get more information about the East West School of Planetary Herbology and oriental medicine - click here!

Preview these DVDs teaching about TCM and Ayurveda