Guest guest Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 Simon Scheid mentions that the growth of the chinese pharmaceutical industry has resulted in vigorous efforts to lure patients, doctors and hospitals away from raw herbs and into profit making pills, etc. He says these efforts are succeeding in areas where people can afford to pay for the luxury. And these would be middle class urban areas. If china moves away from raw herbs as they modernize, perhaps it is unreasonable to expect postmodernist america to embrace this form ever. Japan has long since left them behind for the average patient. The fact that the chinese relied on raw herbs historically and even now in rural areas may soon be relics. We say our patients must use raw herbs because the chinese use raw herbs. But they do not want to use raw herbs, either, if there is a better option. I was thinking that a korean extractor would be very cost effective for a busy solo private practice. You would need an employee to get decoctions started for 1 patient per hour unless people often write more than 8 decoction rx per day. Then patients can return to pick up their rx later the same day or have it delivered. Chinese Herbs " Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds " -- Albert Einstein Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 I don't think that we need to follow present popular Chinese trends in our choice of herbal delivery systems. There are clear advantages (and disadvantages) to the use of raw herb decoctions, but I don't think we should let this method 'die'. There are some major concerns as you've pointed out about the economic viability of a raw herb pharmacy. . ..small individual herb pharmacies tend to lose money. I lost thousands when I had one. Part of it was hiring an employee to make the prescriptions. Now if I use raw herbs I have them shipped from Spring Wind or send them to an herb pharmacy. I dispense primarily Kan herb extracts, plus my own herb extracts both single and prescription made by a private contractor, along with KPC spray-dried extracts. There is also improvement in herb extraction technologies, and I agree that the Korean extractor makes a lot of sense. On Monday, May 19, 2003, at 10:17 AM, wrote: > Simon > > Scheid mentions that the growth of the chinese pharmaceutical industry > has resulted in vigorous efforts to lure patients, doctors and > hospitals away from raw herbs and into profit making pills, etc. He > says these efforts are succeeding in areas where people can afford to > pay for the luxury. And these would be middle class urban areas. If > china moves away from raw herbs as they modernize, perhaps it is > unreasonable to expect postmodernist america to embrace this form > ever. Japan has long since left them behind for the average patient. > The fact that the chinese relied on raw herbs historically and even > now in rural areas may soon be relics. We say our patients must use > raw herbs because the chinese use raw herbs. But they do not want to > use raw herbs, either, if there is a better option. I was thinking > that a korean extractor would be very cost effective for a busy solo > private practice. You would need an employee to get decoctions > started for 1 patient per hour unless people often write more than 8 > decoction rx per day. Then patients can return to pick up their rx > later the same day or have it delivered. > > > Chinese Herbs > > voice: > fax: > > " Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre > minds " -- Albert Einstein Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 Dear You have a "great spirit", but I am in "violent opposition" to your ideas here, so do I have a "mediocre mind". What is so difficult about cooking a decoction? They cook food, don't they? Julie Scheid mentions that the growth of the chinese pharmaceutical industry has resulted in vigorous efforts to lure patients, doctors and hospitals away from raw herbs and into profit making pills, etc. He says these efforts are succeeding in areas where people can afford to pay for the luxury. And these would be middle class urban areas. If china moves away from raw herbs as they modernize, perhaps it is unreasonable to expect postmodernist america to embrace this form ever. Japan has long since left them behind for the average patient. The fact that the chinese relied on raw herbs historically and even now in rural areas may soon be relics. We say our patients must use raw herbs because the chinese use raw herbs. But they do not want to use raw herbs, either, if there is a better option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 Just reporting what I read in response to a question Simon asked last week? All my patients receive raw herb formulas or they can go elsewhere. this has nothing to do with me. , Julie Chambers <info@j...> wrote: > Dear > > You have a " great spirit " , but I am in " violent opposition " to your ideas here, so do I have a " mediocre mind " . What is so difficult about cooking a decoction? They cook food, don't they? > > Julie > > Scheid mentions that the growth of the chinese pharmaceutical industry has resulted in vigorous efforts to lure patients, doctors and hospitals away from raw herbs and into profit making pills, etc. He says these efforts are succeeding in areas where people can afford to pay for the luxury. And these would be middle class urban areas. If china moves away from raw herbs as they modernize, perhaps it is unreasonable to expect postmodernist america to embrace this form ever. Japan has long since left them behind for the average patient. The fact that the chinese relied on raw herbs historically and even now in rural areas may soon be relics. We say our patients must use raw herbs because the chinese use raw herbs. But they do not want to use raw herbs, either, if there is a better option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 I agree with Julie, it’s not difficult. But everyone is pressed for time. Hardly anyone even cooks dinner. So once again I will mention the crock-pot method- it’s easy and I get he compliance. Even w/o a crock-pot, I make large bags that last a week. So they only cook once a week. My guess is that if the Chinese had refrigeration, they too would have cooked larger batches. That said: the herbs that work best are the herbs that pass your lips :-). Cara Dear You have a " great spirit " , but I am in " violent opposition " to your ideas here, so do I have a " mediocre mind " . What is so difficult about cooking a decoction? They cook food, don't they? Julie Scheid mentions that the growth of the chinese pharmaceutical industry has resulted in vigorous efforts to lure patients, doctors and hospitals away from raw herbs and into profit making pills, etc. He says these efforts are succeeding in areas where people can afford to pay for the luxury. And these would be middle class urban areas. If china moves away from raw herbs as they modernize, perhaps it is unreasonable to expect postmodernist america to embrace this form ever. Japan has long since left them behind for the average patient. The fact that the chinese relied on raw herbs historically and even now in rural areas may soon be relics. We say our patients must use raw herbs because the chinese use raw herbs. But they do not want to use raw herbs, either, if there is a better option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 Z'ev, , " " <zrosenbe@s...> wrote: > I don't think that we need to follow present popular Chinese trends in > our choice of herbal delivery systems. Speaking of lost arts, the process whereby the potential of medicinals is extracted (or otherwise abstracted) from the source materials and made available for therapeutic use is one that has undergone a long and more or less continuous series of changes throughout the span of Chinese medical history...until today when, to a large extent it has become a lost art. This is one of the reasons why I have spent so much time the past several years researching the materials, theories and practices related to Daoist alchemy. Many of the principles, which were collated and codified by the time of the Tang in works such as those by Sun Si Miao, are closely related to this art of processing medicinal ingredients into medicine. One important step of the alchemical process is the preparation of the " big medicine " . Language like that ought not be ignored in the study of Chinese medicine. I agree with your sentiment that we need not follow contemporary trends, whether they be Chinese, American, or from any place else on earth. Nor do we need to follow ancient trends. But we should inform ourselves of the theories and methods that have come...and gone over the years...and make our decisions and choices based upon as broad and deep an understanding of what we're doing as possible. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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