The difference between Chinese medicine and Western medicine

Once a disease occurs in the human body, timely treatment should be sought, but each person's condition should be different, so the treatment methods used are also completely different. According to the severity of the disease in the human body, it can be found that there is a big difference between using Chinese medicine to treat the disease and using Western medicine. So people should pay attention to the method of using medicines. So what are the differences between Chinese medicine and Western medicine?

1. Differences in concepts

The concept of Chinese patent medicine is to use Chinese herbal medicine as raw materials, which is processed into various dosage forms of Chinese medicine products, including pills, powders, pastes, and pills. It is the essence of effective prescriptions created and summarized by Chinese medical scientists of all generations after thousands of years of medical practice. The instructions do not contain specific chemical composition and content of the active ingredients.

The concept of Western medicine is relative to traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to drugs used in modern medicine, which are generally made by chemical synthesis methods or extracted from natural products. Western medicine refers to organic chemical drugs, inorganic chemical drugs and biological products. The instructions clearly state the chemical composition and content.

2. Different raw materials

The raw materials for the production of Chinese patent medicines are natural or artificially grown Chinese medicinal materials. At a certain growth stage of the medicinal materials, the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. of medicinal plants are picked and processed through special medicinal material processing techniques. Some are crushed into single or multiple medicinal materials and directly poured into capsules. Some of these powders are then mixed with appropriate preparation excipients to make granules or tablets; or single or multiple medicinal materials are extracted through boiling or other processes, and the resulting liquid is concentrated and dried to make granules, tablets or capsules; or the extracted liquid is filtered through modern technology and made into liquid preparations, or injections with higher requirements, etc.

The raw materials for the production of Western medicines are organic or inorganic raw materials with clear components. Under specific reaction conditions, complex chemical reactions such as catalysts are used to synthesize the target compound, and the structure of this compound is clearly known. The raw materials of medicine obtained through these industrial steps are then made into oral preparations, injections, external preparations, etc. according to the needs of treating diseases and special populations. Of course, some of these chemical raw materials also come from active ingredients extracted from natural minerals, animals and plants. The composition, structure and content of these active ingredients are very clear.

3. Different theoretical systems

The use of Chinese medicine or Chinese patent medicine is based on the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine, and the medicine must be used under the diagnosis and guidance of a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. The basic theories of TCM are a theoretical summary of the laws governing human life activities and disease changes. They mainly include theories of yin and yang, the five elements, qi circulation, viscera and meridians, as well as causes of disease, pathogenesis, diagnosis, differentiation of symptoms, treatment principles and methods, prevention, and health preservation. It treats diseases from a holistic perspective, and the components of Chinese patent medicines are differentiated into main, auxiliary, and adjuvant ingredients.

Western medicine or chemical medicine is based on the treatment system of modern medicine, which is a new medical system developed on the basis of physics, chemistry, biology and anatomy. The use of Western medicine is under the guidance of human anatomy and physiology, the theory of drug metabolism kinetics, and the guidance of pharmacodynamics. The effects of drugs have clear processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion, as well as clear pharmacological mechanisms of action and clear studies of adverse drug reactions.

4. Comparison of treatment effects

Both Chinese and Western medicine are used to cure diseases and save lives. There is no essential difference between them, and there is no absolute distinction between good and bad. We just hope that Chinese medicine can be evidence-based. In addition, according to the interpretation of the State Food and Drug Administration, whether it is Chinese patent medicine or Western medicine, there is a possibility of adverse reactions in the process of treating diseases.

Finally, the official believes that if both are used reasonably, they can treat diseases well. However, if used improperly, it will cause harm to the body! Although some people are opposed to traditional Chinese medicine or Chinese patent medicine, the current official attitude is still very supportive of the development of traditional Chinese medicine, hoping that the two can play to their respective strengths and bring good news to the health of the people.