Medicine and Healing
Medicine was practised
and studied in China in ancient times. Yin (female elements) and Yang (male
elements) were believed to be present in the human body. Chinese medicine
was used to balance out these gender elements, so they would be able to
determine a person's health properly.
The Chinese used herbal
remedies which included the expensive herb ginseng. Acupuncture was also
a very good way of controlling these gender elements. Acupuncture is the
process of sticking needles into the patient (apparently painlessly) to
bring on a cure, or relaxation or a sense of peace. Moxibustion was used
too. Moxibustion was the act of placing specially mixed herbs on the skin
and burning them into the flesh. Minerals such as iron and copper were
used in special ways to rid a suffering person of disease such as beriberi,
which is a vitamin deficiency.
Ancient Chinese medicine
is the oldest in the world, and medical books and encyclopaedias have been
written containing purely Ancient Chinese remedies for crippling and horrific
diseases, as well as the simple cough, cold, or any other common virus.
The Ancient Chinese
people were very superstitious, and believed some diseases were brought
on by evil spirits. If this was the case, a special doctor called the tao-tze
was brought to the house, where he strolled around the premises making
loud noises to drive away the spirit or evil presence.
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