It was the year 1967, and the Chinese Cultural Revolution was beginning. Anti-intellectualism was at its peak. Schools and research institutes had been closed, and the nation’s great scientific minds had been sent to remote camps for their “re-education.” Most scientific research had completely stalled.
At the same time, the North Vietnamese army and the Viet Cong were suffering brutal mortality rates due to the spread of malaria among the soldiers. The North Vietnamese Prime Minister requested medical assistance from the Chinese Prime Minister, which led to a clandestine meeting of about 600 scientists at the Beijing Hotel on May 23rd.
That day marked the beginning of the secret military research program, Project 523. Pharmaceutical chemist Tu Youyou led the project’s research group at her institute and directed the screening of about 2,000 Chinese herbs. Three years of research resulted in an effective compound found in sweet wormwood, known as Artemisia annua, or Qinghao, as it is known in China.
Qinghao seemed to inhibit the malaria parasite, but after repeated failed experiments, Tu turned to the ancient classic medical manual: A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies, written by Ge Hong (284-346 AD). Ge Hong described how to soak Qinghao in cold water and squeeze out the juice. It was then that Tu realized that extraction with hot water was damaging the compound’s bioactive molecules. She suggested using ether at a low temperature for the extraction. The new extract showed 95-100% malaria inhibition in mouse models.
In 1972, Tu and her team had isolated the pure antimalarial compound, artemisinin, and its derivative, dihydroartemisinin. Tu bravely volunteered as the first subject for human trials, considering it her responsibility as head of the research group. It was proven to be safe in humans.
Tu Youyou with pharmacologist Lou Zhicen.
The discovery was one of the greatest advances in human health of the 20th century, saving millions of lives around the world. And in 2015, Tu was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Her work opened the doors to scientific research into the medicinal properties of Chinese herbs, but it is important to note that had the traditional Chinese manual of healing herbs not been consulted, it is likely that the full potential of Artemisia would remain hidden to this day.
Traditional herbal preparations and the documents of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) contain profound medical wisdom. We can currently only imagine the potential that is still waiting to be discovered.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emerged as a formal discipline about 3,000 years ago, during the Zhou Dynasty. However, the first medical writings on healing herbs are found in the texts I Ching (Book of Changes), written at the end of the 9th century BC, and the Shijing (Classic of Poetry), a collection of poems dating back to at least 1100 BC.
TCM was based on Chinese philosophy and religion, promoting holism and balance in the body. It is deeply rooted in the metaphysical concept of yin and yang, which symbolizes polarities such as cold-heat, feminine-masculine, and exterior-interior. When applied to the body, it forms a system in which physicians can diagnose imbalance (the root of a syndrome or disease) and restore balance, following the principles of Taoism. Thus, herbs with “hot” properties could be used to treat “cold” syndromes, and vice versa.
Herbs and treatments are characterized by their nature (hot, warm, cool, or cold) and their taste, and are uniquely formulated for each patient based on their specific syndrome.
Medical philosophy also incorporates the five natural elements to conceptualize the human body, as well as various constitutions and herbal remedies. The five elements are associated with the generating cycle (Wood → Fire → Earth → Metal → Water → Wood) and the controlling or dominating cycle (Wood → Earth → Water → Fire → Metal → Wood). Each element is linked to different emotions and organs of the body, which are also influenced by the season of the year, reflecting how the body’s organs are connected and can be modified with certain herbal preparations.
TCM was further developed as a formal discipline as the knowledge contained in the classic works that would become the foundation of this discipline was accumulated and documented, such as the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon (Huang Di Nei Jing, 26 BC), the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Eighty-One Difficult Issues (Nan Jing, 106 AD), the Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders (Shang Han Lun, 206 AD), and the Shennong Materia Medica (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, 220 AD).
En el siglo XIX, la MTC evolucionó hasta convertirse en una disciplina científica, y muchos remedios a base de preparados herbales pasaron a ser objeto de estudio científico también en Occidente durante el siglo XX y principios del XXI.
Ello suscitó cierto debate en el que se advertía del riesgo de la occidentalización completa de las técnicas médicas tradicionales chinas, con el fin de preservar la narrativa y las técnicas culturales tradicionales. Después de todo, la medicina tradicional china evolucionó a partir de unos 3000 años de ensayo y error y está profundamente entrelazada con las creencias y la filosofía cultural china.
Afortunadamente, el siglo pasado no ha sido testigo de la deconstrucción de la narrativa y de las técnicas herbales tradicionales chinas, sino del desarrollo conjunto de la medicina tradicional y de la medicina moderna occidental, dando lugar a una nueva rama de la medicina que integra ambas disciplinas, conocida como medicina integrativa.
Integrative medicine offers a holistic approach based on scientific evidence. It leverages the strength of each discipline to address the system in its entirety, not just parts of it. By merging both practices, we hope to continue unlocking the potential of herbal compounds for the advancement of healthcare and health for the benefit of patients around the world.
1.-Kuldeep Singh, Jeetendra Kumar Gupta, Divya Jain, Shivendra Kumar, Talever Singh, Sunam Saha, Exploring the ancient wisdom and modern relevance of Chinese medicine: A comprehensive review, Pharmacological Research – Modern Chinese Medicine, 2024 (11), 100448, doi:10.1016/j.prmcm.2024.100448.
2.-Five Elements (Chinese Philosophy) _ AcademiaLab
3.-Jia Jia LI, Xin Yu YANG, Hong Jun ZHANG, Dong Qing YIN, Jin Tao ZHANG, Jing Wen CUI, Jing Dong HAN, Yan MA, Hong Xiao JIA, The Psychosomatic Traits of “People with the Five Elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine”: A Qualitative Study, Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, 2023, (36), 11,1068-1078, DOI: 10.3967/bes2023.136.
PLANT-BASED INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE FOR ULCERATIVE COLITIS First-line treatments for ulcerative colitis (UC) usually consist of medications containing 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA). However, approximately 50% of patients
Side effects of Qing Dai (QD) Qing Dai (QD), or indigo, is an ancient remedy widely used in traditional Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis (UC), can be particularly challenging to manage in children.
Conventional treatments include anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppressants, and biologics. Nevertheless, many parents seek alternatives that are effective, well-tolerated, and safe.
A recent study published in Frontiers in Pediatrics evaluated a traditional combination of curcumin and Qing Dai (called CurQD®) in children with active UC or unclassified IBD (IBD-U).
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