By Eric Brand

In ancient times, Ci Wu Jia and Wu Jia Pi were poorly differentiated from one another. It is likely that Ci Wu Jia has been used historically in Chinese medicine for a long time, but it was used traditionally grouped together with Wu Jia Pi. Now Ci Wu Jia and Wu Jia Pi are regarded as separate medicinals from the same botanical family. Our modern understanding of the medicinal potential of Ci Wu Jia was inspired by Russian research, and now Ci Wu Jia has become incorporated into mainstream Chinese medicinal as a distinct medicinal on its own. Ci Wu Jia is thus considered to be a new medicinal in Chinese medicine, even though it was probably used as early as the Han dynasty as a variant of Wu Jia Pi.

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By Eric Brand

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about the organic herb situation in China. As we’ve mentioned before on this blog, about 50% of the product on the Chinese herbal marketplace by weight is wild-crafted, and the rest is cultivated. About 150 herbs are exclusively available in their cultivated form, with an average combined production of about 300,000-350,000 metric tons per year.

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By Eric Brand

China is a large country with a diverse ecosystem and a long history of trade in medicinal products. China’s early development of a common written language and efficient transportation routes allowed herbs to be employed in regions far from the original production areas. Over time, certain regions came to be known for producing certain herbs, and the best quality of a particular product was often thought to come from one particular region.

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By Eric Brand

The other day we had a guest blog that brought up the issue of Chinese medical terminology. Some people feel strongly about the issue of Chinese medical terminology and others could care less about it. Does it really matter?

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By Eric Brand

Human placenta, known in Chinese medicine as Zi He Che, is not permitted for use as a dietary supplement in the United States. The official FDA position on Zi He Che is that human placenta is not a food or a dietary ingredient. They say that it can transmit disease and thus cannot be included in dietary supplement products. The disease transmission theme aside, it appears that the FDA actually has a very bizarre interpretation of why placenta can't be considered as a dietary substance.

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