THE TAO OF CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE

DAVID MAINENTI, C.A., L.AC., DIPL. O.M.

 2002-2008 Eco-Med LLC (Second Edition) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without prior written permission from either Eco-Med LLC or the author. All photos 1999-2007 David C. Mainenti Published by Eco-Med LLC 18-16 Jordan Road Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 Tel : +1 (201) 850 0824 Email : ecomed@lava.net

Introduction
Hawaii is a land of healing for it contains so many different plant species found in nature. Other places in the world also contain pristine natural specimens that can be used for medicine, but the majority of mankind has forgotten how to forage for them. As a professional herbalist, one must learn to collect primal energy from these living and breathing botanical varieties no matter where you reside. Today, most herbalists order dried herbs via mail and lack a true understanding of the plants they prescribe to clients in a clinical setting. To become a true Daoist healer, one must connect with nature to ensure that the transfer of primal Qi take place, resulting in powerful healing for both patient and practitioner alike.

Understanding Herbal Medicine

When beginning your studies in Chinese herbal medicine, the first area to be cultivated is ones general understanding of principles in the field itself; the true Daoist healer must know how to utilize the medicine in a professional manner, since it is what you have selected to pursue as a discipline and career. Unfortunately, herbal medicine requires great training and skill in order to understand the nuances of its vast universe. Since so many people in the modern world are brought up in a way that is often out of touch with nature, deciding to study herbal medicine requires the understanding that there are millions of plants in the wilderness that you will not be able to identify at the onset. Every different hike in the mountains has a specific Feng Shui quality or qualities, based on its location in time and space, which results in a unique ecosystem of plant foliage and primal energy. Regardless of how long one studies in the field, whether for one or one hundred years, it can never be completely mastered. There are so many simultaneous changes happening within natural life that new plants and strains are constantly being discovered. Thus, one must be content with knowing nothing at all, working instead towards a general understanding of nature and its basic complexities. To begin, learn how the individual herbs are classified by taste and temperature; various combinations of these elements produce different qualities that result in specific effects and actions on the human body and its general surroundings. The natural colors and parts of each species are also important, for they symbolize the quality and personality of the plant, representing its individual specialty. Preparation of herbs should be reviewed as well because of

their impact on bodily effects; for example, one must cook the taro root before consuming it, while a sweet potato can be eaten raw or cooked. To firmly understand these basic traditional medical concepts is the first step towards becoming a professional herbalist, allowing one to navigate through the oceans, mountains, and rivers of life.

In todays world, students are expected to know, at a minimum: 300 herbs; 150 classical formulas; individual herb identification of tastes and temperature; herbal combination theories; contraindications; and methods of preparation. However, the accrediting bodies fail to cover the softer, more spiritual side of herbal medicine, where it becomes essential to go hiking often, collecting herbs based on what you know at your particular level.
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When walking in the mountains, the question of how to properly collect primal energy quickly arises. As an introduction, it is important to realize that differently presenting plants have specific purposes when analyzed in a medical context: Fragrant, Flowering Plants Herbs that are fragrant and smell good are very effective in treating depression and other psychological problems due to the pharmacological content of their particular essential oils. These plants, such as the Gardenia flower, clear away and heal emotional disorders. Thorny Plants Plants that have sharp points, such as stinging nettles or thorny spinach, are able to treat primal and chronic diseases, often inherited from ones ancestors, parents, or through karmic means. Hairy Plants These plants, such as Pi Pa Ye (Loquat Leaf), connect to the Lung and effectively drain mucous and phlegm. The body must be trained to ingest hairy plants, for their energy is very primal in nature; otherwise, allergies will result. One can use them, with practice; just be aware of your particular space and time and proceed at a slow, steady pace. Fragrant, Leafy Plants Plants that possess fragrant leaves (such as big leaf Eucalyptus) can be used to treat pain from arthritis, winddampness, and bone or joint deterioration. Their tree stumps can be used to increase medicinal effects, but a chipper is needed to process such dense wood.

Spiritual Plants These plants, such as Sandalwood (Tan Xiang), are used to enhance enlightenment. One must seek these plants out and communicate with them to learn about their missions. Usually you do not ingest these varieties; instead put them in important places, such in a waiting room, on an altar, or within the treatment space. One must learn how to collect primal energy from these plants in order to perform high levels of diagnosis and healing, particularly of the self.

Soft plants These varieties are often used to treat the skin, as they are soothing in nature. They can be crushed prior to use or quickly steamed and applied directly on the superficial layers of the body. Milky Plants These botanical species, like the Pencil Plant, are very toxic and poisonous; if used incorrectly, their strong actions can cause the skin or Intestines to rot and decay. Be sure to only use these plants topically and with extreme caution; apply a small quantity of the remedy directly over a specific, often viral, ailment (e.g., a wart). Once applied, wrap or tape up the local area to seal in the dangerous properties of the substance. There are many more categories of plants that can be analyzed; for instance, plants that grow across large regions of space in the forest, such as Eucalyptus, are effective in treating problems with flexibility, as they promote movement in the body. Overall, remember that when you begin your studies, you must tread carefully, building up a knowledge base over time until such characteristics become second nature to you like the palm of your hand.

Communicating with Plants

Understanding how to communicate with plants is the second key aspect that must be cultivated in a professional herbal medical practitioner. There is a highly technical spiritual connection between human beings and plant life, a link that stems from ones own heart. Plants love to talk to people, so long as one learns how to listen, using your heart

as a guide. That is why chanting in the mountains is so much more effective than near town; the plants act as a choir to support the overall flow of sound waves through the air. Thus, one must make contact with plants and learn how to get in touch with them; each has its own individual nature waiting to be discovered. One must look for the specific features of plants, such as the hair, face, and teeth that can be seen on a coconut, along with their delicate inner composition of Hun and Po, which correspond to red and white blood cells in human beings, respectively. Plants can be dressed up, taken out, fed, and enjoyed in ways that go beyond nutrition. Using a methodology that comes from the heart, one can develop the ability to communicate with plants in a manner similar to the Daoist sages of long ago.

When speaking with plants, it is important to treat them very preciously, like newborn infants, being sure to provide them with lots of love and care. Yet, in the same way as children, plants can be very active and entertaining; the idea that must be understood is that ones connection with plants must go deeper than just through their physical use in a prescription. All plants contain the spirits of immortals and fairies (similar to the human construct), each embodying a particular quality of primal energy that can be used for healing or enlightenment purposes. When herbal medicine is practiced in accordance with the traditional Daoist system of natural living, the sage uses the understanding gained through plant communication to create patient remedies that are beyond the standard treatment strategies discussed in medical textbooks. One must realize that herbal medicine, being a part of the Daoist tradition, is alive; as such, it is natural to think that plants can almost speak to humans, albeit in a way that transcends academia. Thus, be sure to remain empty inside so that the 10,000 things can grow and take life in the body landscape. Once you have emptied the self, it becomes natural to look inward so that one can begin to cultivate your internal garden; this is why the Daoist master always travels to the mountains before they perform a healing ritual or write a prescription in the clinic. Every plant is so full of life that it has all the same components within as people do - they are living things in nature, just like us. When one learns to communicate with plant beings, they will soon be singing to you in the forest, helping you write prescriptions, and providing influence as to which remedies should be selected for inclusion in a patient formula. It is always important to consider that plants have individual
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personalities and qualities, often working together as teams. Substances ranging from small, tiny flowers to tall, vast trees are used because of their corresponding spirits and qualities. To write a prescription, one must have more than just a piece of paper (e.g., license) herbs work differently than other modalities in that you must feel nature to understand and utilize their intricate properties. One must learn to spiritually download information from the leaves and branches of plants in order to understand and receive fresh, primal energy. As one grows up with plants, they become a part of you and your practice; in fact, they walk alongside you because their spirits connect to places deep within ones heart. When the art is mastered and one hikes in the forest, it is like walking with immortals because the Dao lives inside of you. Because of the hearts connection with god and nature through the spirit or Shen, different parts of the body develop in ways that are similar to nature, ranging from the sun and moon to oceans, rivers, stones, etc. The points and articulations of the body even correspond to the days of the year to connect with the universe. In the ancient times of old Hawaii, the heiau (image, left) represented the healing hospital and sacred altar; the ancient Polynesian voyagers knew that all under the sky was available and willing to engage in some type of primal communication. One can follow the advice of Dao de Jing, Chapter 33, and use plant communication as a means of self-therapy, looking inward instead of outward to
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strengthen ones connection with nature. Once mastered, this energy can act as your inner guide through the twists and turns of life here on earth. Because nature is so vast, it can be quite overwhelming when you realize truly how hard it is to master herbal medicine; as such, one must take it seriously and understand that things go far beyond textbooks and academic pursuits. It is truly a spiritual practice. Since it is impossible to catch up with the ever changing qualities of nature, one must keep the self changeable and fresh, ensuring that one remains empty, for it is through emptiness that one can allow the 10,000 things in life to flourish. This is especially important when it pertains to Americans and other human beings from industrialized nations, because many of these individuals have lost their connection to nature. However, by not knowing anything about herbs when at the onset of ones studies, the mind is empty in a way that can allow for a person to learn a great deal about plants and primal energy. Even if you do not know the difference between a mango (big seed) and a papaya (tiny seeds), by remaining empty, one can connect to the primal energy of the universe by strengthening ones personal bond with nature. Plant communication is a vitally important practice that links ones inner emptiness with the emptiness of the universe, allowing for one to see far in life. It is because of this far-reaching principle that traditional healing modalities are now resurfacing in the modern world and may one day become everyday medicine, with western medicine being used only on an as-needed basis or in emergency situations. Natural traditional remedies can powerfully restore harmony and balance to a patient, similar to the way in which the roots of large trees grow through the earth in patterns that follow the flow of the meridians in the human body.
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Once the body is empty and one has weeded the garden, it will be possible to see where your spiritual body stands in the construct of universal space and time. Through plants, one can learn about age and how old one is, for certain plants live forever, while others have a short lifespan. Because of the measurable lifecycles of plants, the perspective of time and space actually revolves around the botanical and animal kingdoms, containing the records of the many sages who have walked the earth. One can pretend to transcend time and space by eating the pages of an herbal textbook, but it will not provide you with the essence of what is being discussed here. The idea to grasp is that ones life, and its position in time and space, is connected to herbal medicine because plants remember your spirit and past lives. Thus, when one walks in the mountains, sit back and think about how long certain plants have been present in certain sections of the forest. The ancient sages would stay up in the mountains for so long with the plants that when they returned to their villages, no one was alive that remembered them; however, the plants still remained, escaping the grasp of time and space. All things in life happen for a reason; it is like when one has a difficult neighbor, such as one who has a rooster that crows loudly at the crack of dawn each morning. One must ask why the universe would send such a neighbor and contemplate the deeper meaning of the situation, using theories developed by Sun Tzu and General Quan. This contemplative nature of the Daoist stands in opposition to modern warfare, where innocent states are bombed until they surrender or are destroyed. General Quan, for instance, sees his enemy and himself; thus, a good battle means one wins both wars, representing the internal and external natures of a situation. One must also think about what will happen
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after the war is over to ensure that the people can continue to go about their business. To conduct such types of combat, soldiers must be strong and meditate for long periods of time to reach enlightened states. In this way, during combat one can watch how the leaves fall in the river, along with the density of dirt near the shores, to calculate where the enemy is, based solely on ones ability to observe the natural surroundings. In the same way, one can select specific days for classes or treatments as a means to maximize ones connection with time and space and to accommodate healing or learning. Through self-realization, one can truly empty the self, allowing for new things to come in that produce positive results in ones life and internal body landscape.

The Path of Enlightenment

Although the discussion above has detailed a number of areas to study, to become a professional herbalist one is still not yet cooked. The final component to ones inner development as a Daoist herbal medical practitioner is to learn that by combining emptiness and awareness, one can develop a symphony of understanding that transcends physical life. The first level that one must attain is to obtain a general wisdom about nature, which must contain everything between heaven and earth. To develop inner wisdom, one must first hone the senses of ones whiskers, which spring from Ren Zhong (DU-26) and correspond to the expressions of the Du Mai (Governor Vessel), which represents the Dragon-like aspects of a human beings internal spirit. One can use these whiskers to study herbs; be sure not to use ones horn, because it is important to be delicate with herbs and their primal energies, as noted above. If one does not use their

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special senses, as manifested in the whiskers, plants will laugh at you as you walk through the mountains, swim through the oceans, and turn with the rivers of life. You see, plants observe you throughout your journey through time and space in life; in this way, when one does not know how to use ones innate senses, other natural beings, like plants, will tease you. For instance, while some plants are used for healing, others are poisonous; the trick is that many may look the same (e.g., taro leaf and elephant ear). In order to distinguish between life and death, one must have wisdom to understand the manifestations of nature. In the early days of China, Qing Su Wan was able to accomplish the extraordinary feat of uniting China; understand that at the time, China consisted of more than 100 countries, each with a specific languages and standards of measurement. Qing Su Wan wanted to standardize China, so he entered into war and defeated his enemies by killing everyone who stood in his way, including doctors, teachers, and spiritual leaders. All the ancient books were burned as well in the Great Wall, except for the Yi Jing, and a single unified system of measurements was adopted. Once Qing Su Wan accomplished his external desires, he looked internally and decided that he wanted to live forever. In order to accomplish this, he sent herbalists and soldiers to scour the entire land for the precious Ling Zhi, which is the symbol for immortality or life after death, due to its ability to grow from dead trees in pristine, moist conditions. While searching for the Ling Zhi across China, Japan, and Korea, Qing Su Wan tried to make other people, including children, eat the foraged mushrooms first to determine their effects, for collecting mushrooms is a very dangerous endeavor, unless one is highly trained in the field. In the Tian Shih tradition at Long Hu Shan, the Master is permitted to teach everything
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but mushrooms, since they killed both Qing Su Wan and Buddha himself. When walking through the forests of nature, do not mind these precious fairies and immortals simply leave them alone. In the ancient times of mushroom gathering, many people were killed while tasting various types of wild mushrooms. The effects of some mushrooms do not become active until years after eating them, developing as large viruses inside the body. Thus, the most important aspect of developing herbal awareness is to learn information with wisdom attained through the use of ones whiskers; however, this type of inner development should not be confused with enlightenment, which is a higher level of practice that should be pursued as well. As one develops the spirit, wisdom will unfold naturally along with it. Thus, wisdom is the Daoist adept who understands that he or she will not gather celery varieties or mushrooms in the wild, due to the potential dangers associated with these botanical varieties. When one has reached enlightenment, one can pick wild celery and mushrooms because such a person is a sage who embodies the concept of Dao, living in accordance with the laws of the natural universe. These people know which varieties are edible and which ones are poisonous. The development of ones whiskers is an important step towards enlightenment because they represent the connection with reality, representing ones experience in life. When using ones whiskers, the body often proceeds with caution, using its sensitivity as a way to develop awareness of the universe, creating an attentiveness and creativeness that embodies the qualities of primal energy. One can use the whiskers to determine herbal toxicity without ever ingesting the botanical species itself, using ones primal and innate abilities to develop a wisdom that goes beyond time and space.
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Once the whiskers of the internal Dragon are developed, the inner world will experience a rebirth with life springing forth from inside the emptiness of the bodys landscape, linking to a dimension in which one can easily move through time and space. This phenomenon occurs in nature as well; after an earthquake or forest fire, over time, rain will allow for botanical species to rise from the ashes and return to their glorious form. Thus, even though plants can be destroyed, they can return unscathed. How is something like this possible? The rationale is that primal energy exists in nature, connecting to the source, e,g, the Dao, which transcends human existence. Thus, the textbook for Daoist herbal medicine is nature itself, consisting of its many elements and lifecycles. Remember that there are immortal spirits living in plants; such beings cannot be harmed in physical ways. Thus, one must experience rebirth inside the body to connect with the constant rebirth of plant life in the natural environment; its essence is contained within Chapter 25 of the Dao De Jing:

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Something is born before Heaven and Earth, In the silence and the void, Impenetrable and everlasting, silent and undisturbed, alone and unchanging; It moves gently and inexhaustibly in all directions. It is the mother of the 10,000 things. I do not know its name, So for lack of a better word I call it Dao. I do not know what it is, So I am forced to call it Great. Being great, it extends itself without limit. Being able to extend without limit, it is far-reaching. Being far-reaching, it ultimately returns. Hence, Dao is great. Heaven is great. Earth is great. All living things are great. All living things follow Earth. Earth follows Heaven. Heaven follows Dao. Dao follows that which is natural. When one goes into the mountains on a routine basis and becomes familiar with plant life, one can actually gather primal energy for use inside the body landscape. Then, one can study the many varieties and types of plants; for instance, some plants only live for a year, coming up each year in the springtime. From an elemental perspective, growth is induced by a combination of rain/thunder ( ), wind ( ), and sunlight ( ), which coincidentally happen to represent the first three trigrams in the cycle of elemental energy in the post-heaven arrangement of the Ba Gua (Wood to Fire). The question thus becomes what the human body needs to experience rebirth: in laymans terms, it means allowing things living to continue to live and removing things that are dying, much like how one tends a garden.

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It is interesting to note that as an herbalist, taking trips to the mountain will help you achieve rebirth, even though it is not necessarily a religion. This is because nature is renewing to the body for it is a way in which to ingest primal energy from the universe. What is so wonderful is that the ability to achieve a rebirth within the self occurs regardless of ones social status, monetary wealth, or degree of study. One does not need to have a Ph.D. to be reborn in the natural beauty that is the integration of heaven and earth.

The last aspect that one must focus on, as a professional herbalist, is ones mission in life. In nature, different plants have different missions; some bloom each year, while others, like Jiang Huang/Yu Jin, sleep underneath the soil, only coming up occasionally, often in grandiose fashion. These
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plants are very different from the pine, which stays evergreen and is a constant, always standing, whether you are or not. Banyan trees have a unique mission in life; their roots travel miles to accumulate energy, growing beards that descend to the ground, forming yet another plant, which then sends out whiskers, ultimately creating a new colony of plants. The Eucalyptus family has over 200 relatives; the Hibiscus family is also very large. Thus, one can see that the forest is a symbol of many things happening simultaneously, just like life itself; however, it represents natural existence, which is contrary to modern living. One must discover his or her inner mission in life and strive to accomplish what can be attained, remembering that, as an herbalist, your main mission will be to heal people medically. As a Daoist practitioner, however, one understands that plants are alive; each has a particular mission that allows for the Dao to achieve its greatness; how else could one explain how both a rabbit and cow eat grass, yet one becomes small and the other very large? Everyone has a mission in life; the question is, as an herbalist, do you hike enough? If you go into the mountains many times, you will soon understand that it is like notes to a musical piece; by learning about different ranges, one can soon create harmonious music. However, without practice, it will never sound very good at all. Like the Er Hu, a Chinese wooden vertical fiddle, from only two strings in life (Yin and Yang), a symphony of music can spring forth when ones innate creativity is channeled into a mission.

Conclusion
As a medical practitioner, one can elevate his or her status by becoming not only a traditional Chinese medical scholar, but also an individual who can transcend past, present, and

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future events, along with understanding the connection between past, present, and future lives. In order to accomplish such a subtle understanding of the nature of human beings, one must travel into the mountains and hear the plants, like celery, laughing at you. However, after a while, the plants will soon respect you and hide their poisons. This is why in China, in the early morning, there are many people in the parks hugging trees and other plants found naturally in their particular region; it is a method to understand about ones mission in life. To effectively treat disease, one must learn to collect plants that enhance the body and primal energies within it; this secret is one of the wonders of natural living. To find such plants, one must be aware of nature, using its vast resources to develop enlightenment, which will allow one to vividly see his or her personal mission or vision. Every healer can become a miracle worker though the use of plants via natural botanical medicine. When the primal energy resides inside you, it is shared with the patient the minute you touch them with your palm. Similar to the plants, the palm carries with it the primal energy of communication. Thus, one must touch trees and feel dirt in order to gather primal energy; nature is very invasive, so, if you are empty, it is going to invade the body (in a good way) and fill you up with primal energy, which brings about enlightenment, wisdom, enhanced mental functioning, and emotional happiness. By communicating with plants, one can become great at traditional Chinese medicine, understanding that nature is potent medicine so use it. One must study the elements above to go far in a professional herbal medical practice.

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About Us
ECO-MED LLC is a consulting group that unites medicine with environmental sustainability by designing and delivering world class integrative medical programs, products, and services that respect the natural state of the earth and its inhabitants. Our staff brings decades of experience in natural approaches to health and well-being, having successfully designed and directed complementary and alternative medical programs for colleges, clinics, retreats, treatment facilities, and individual clients worldwide. If you are interested in helping your customers or clients achieve optimal health, peak performance levels, and an improved quality of life, contact Eco-Med today at ecomed@lava.net.

David Mainenti, C.A. (NJ), L.Ac. (HI), Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM), President and CEO of Eco-Med, LLC, is a Board-Certified Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist, and Oriental Medicine practitioner who combines over 15 years experience in international business and integrative health. Mr. Mainenti is a scholar of Taoist philosophy and a highly-trained practitioner in classical Chinese medical arts including acupuncture, acupressure, herbal medicine, aromatherapy, nutritional analysis, reflexology, massage, bodywork, Qi Gong , meditation, Feng Shui, Yi Jing, palmistry, and medical astrology. David holds a BS from Villanova University, cum laude, and an MS from Tai Hsuan College in Honolulu, Hawai`i, with honors. The author would like to give special thanks to Dr. Chang Yi Hsiang, 64th Generation Heavenly Master from the Mountain of the Dragon and Tiger, for passing on key elements of the Tian Shi Dao lineage. Mahalo!
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