Traditional Chinese Medicine Chinese Medicine treatment for skin disease, fertility, and many internal conditions
(5)
we treat many different types of itchy skin conditions including eczema and lichen planus.
one ingredient you might see in your formula is xu chang qing 徐長卿 - radix cynanchi paniculati - paniculate swallowwort root - and it can be a great anti-itch medicinal when there are patterns of wind dampness presenting in the body. you'll usually find this ingredient packed on the side to be added during the tail-end of cooking your herbal tea.
preparing a custom acne formula for one of our patients 🌿💚
Four preparations of Hawthorn Fruit - Crataegi Fructus - Shān Zhā 山楂 - a medicinal commonly used for digestive issues - especially breaking down greasy and fatty foods. One of our favourite herbs - tastes sweet and sour…sort of like dried strawberries. With special processing, this herb will support digestion in various capacities. When in its regular dried format, it’s lovely to eat a couple of pieces on their own after a heavy meal.
Today in pharmacy we cooked dry-fried (Chǎo) and scorched (Jiāo) preparations for today’s patient prescriptions.
1. Shān Zhā 山楂 - Freshly Dried
2. Chǎo Shān Zhā 炒山楂 - Dry-Fried
3. Jiāo Shān Zhā - Scorched
4. Shān Zhā Tàn - Charred
Check out this video by Uncle Baicao百草大叔 to see how Shān Zhā 山楂 is traditionally processed and let us know in the comments what preparations you see in the video. Hawthorn processing starts at about the 5:15 mark and the final preparation begins at 8:45 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TErQlnmuI2A
The last two images on this post are smaller European and North American varieties of Hawthorn for reference, in case you see them growing this summer.
Customized herbal prescriptions are dispensed with care for our patients 💚🌿
Glad to see greater representation in medical illustrations thanks to the work of Chidiebwre Ibe - Medical Illustrator, Medical Student and Aspiring Neurosurgeon. Although the attached image has gone viral, he’s drawn representations of many skin conditions that we see regularly here in clinic.
Chidiebere Ibe said he hopes his creations will help change the field of medical illustration, which is predominately white and male.
Today we’re attending day two of the 7th Annual Skin Spectrum Summit - The Canadian Conference on Ethnodermatology. Thursday’s presentations were very informative and relevant to our practice. Many skin conditions go undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed in people of colour, so we’re here to brush up on diagnosis, the latest dermatology research, and to better serve our patients.
March 18th is Close the Gap Day - a day of action in support of achieving Indigenous health equality.
In honour of this day, we attended the first annual Indigenous Skin Spectrum Summit. There were many critical and insightful presentations on culturally safe care for Indigenous peoples led by Dr. Rachel Asiniwasis, Dr. Blair Stonechild, Dr. Carrie Bourassa and more.
❄️
Technology changed how we deal with the dark days and long nights. With new restrictions on gathering, it’s changing it again.
🌿✨
We are humbled to have been nominated for a Toronto Star Reader’s Choice Award in not just one but TWO categories! We are proud to serve our patients and community ☺️ Voting is open until this Sunday October 11th! Cast your vote! ✨
https://www.thestar.com/readerschoice-toronto/categories/health-wellness-fitness-beauty/subcategories/alternative-medicine-healing
https://www.thestar.com/readerschoice-toronto/categories/health-wellness-fitness-beauty/subcategories/holistic-health-healing
Getting to the root of complex dermatologic conditions and restoring balance with precise, individualized herbal formulas 🌿
Although most skin diseases that we see at our clinic are treated internally with customized herbal teas, there are times where we prepare freshly compounded topical medicine for our patients to support the healing process 🌿🌿🌿
Taking a short break to admire the flowers on the clinic porch.
🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺
We’re now seeing patients via telemedicine.
Visit www.thetcmclinic.com or call (416) 968-3308 to book an appointment 🌺
Malone Mukwende, a second-year at St George's, University of London, wrote Mind the Gap, to help other medics recognise life-changing diseases, which present differently on darker skin.
All set to dig into to patient case studies! 📚✨ @ Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa
We're off to San Diego to study the treatment of unusual and difficult skin diseases ! And stroll on the beach ;)
We love this thorny herb! 💚 It requires a very soft touch when dispensing though, otherwise...ouch! 😅💛✨
Did you know that there are strategies within the Chinese medical framework to treat sinus inflammation, nasal polyps, as well as cystic AND pustular skin conditions?
Part of that strategy is the use of honey locust thorns - a sharply-pointed herb called Zao Jiao Ci - 皂角剌 - Spina Gleditsiae Sinensis. It must be handled very carefully! It’s a valuable medicinal that acts as both an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial agent. It’s also been suggested that it may have anti-tumor properties.
In Chinese medicine we use Zao Jiao Ci to dispel phlegm, growths and many different skin diseases. In clinic, I routinely prescribe it for cystic acne and for dermatologic conditions that are pustular in nature.
Today I’m compounding a formula for a patient with nasal polyps. Polyps are soft, painless, non-cancerous growths that can impede breathing. They are caused by chronic inflammation - so this is a great herb to include for this condition. In addition to a customized herbal tea that is administered twice daily, I also typically recommend treating nasal polyps externally - depending on the age of the patient and presentation. Here I’ve prescribed Cang Er Zi You and Bi Yan Ling from www.dermatology-m.com - formulated by Mazin Al-Kafaji - specifically for their anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties.
Here are some links to studies that explore the medicinal properties of Spina Gleditsiae Sinensis:
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2016/3898957/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27401288
https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=ijp.2019.144.150
Talk to a Registered TCM Practitioner/Herbalist for a full assessment and herbal formulation that’s best suited to your condition. For a TCM dermatology consult, contact a member of the International TCM Dermatology Association - www.tcmdermatology.org or feel free to send me a DM if you have any questions about where to start.
💚
Here's a fun, educational and child-friendly activity happening in the neighbourhood this Friday afternoon from 3:30pm to 6:30pm at Christie Pits Community Garden - presented by Ojibiikaan Indigenous Cultural Network. It continues on a monthly basis throughout the summer and fall. 🌿🌿🌿
Join us this Friday July 12th at Mia’s garden located at the Christie Pits Community Garden Space for earthworking from 3:30 pm- 6:30 pm 🌱 🌑 🌷
💚
Donna Wolfe is searching for plants. Specific ones. Today, it’s goldenrod, strawberry bushes and red elder: traditional herbal medicines for treating skin ailments.
This article really struck me. I work with 200 or so medicinal herbs every day, but they are dried, sliced and diced. I wouldn't recognize them living, breathing, in a field or forest....
"The U.S. is running short of people who can tell the forest from the trees." So says a recent Wall Street Journal article that is at least partly indicative of the fate of science education in the U.S. in recent years.
A great initiative to help families who live in some of our city’s food deserts more readily access good quality and affordable food. If you live in the Jane Finch or Black Creek Communities, check it out.
We’ve partnered with Lyft to offer $2.50 flat fare shared rides to and from Black Creek Community Farm and two nearby grocery stores between June 1st to November 30, 2019. Apply to become one of 50 households selected to participate in the pilot program! Sign Up Please send an email with your name...
An overview of some of the herbs we use in clinic to clear many inflammatory skin conditions🌿
Inflammation is a normal immune response; but if the body’s regulation of inflammation is dysfunctional, then it will have an adverse effect on the bo…
Today we’re attending the Skin Spectrum Summit - The Canadian Conference on Ethnodermatology. Many skin conditions go undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed in people of colour, so we’re here to brush up on diagnosis, new dermatology research, and to better serve our patients.
Happy International Women's Day! 💚🌿
Did you know that Emily Dickinson created a beautiful herbarium and Beatrix Potter dabbled in mycology? Read about some amazing historical 'crazy plant ladies' whose love of botanicals made an impact on the way we view plants and the study of plants today.
There is now an international register of qualified Chinese medicine dermatologists. Our clinic practitioners, Oksana Kolibaba and Adina Stanescu are both members.
If you have friends or family who need competent skin disease treatment, encourage them to find a practitioner here:
https://tcmdermatology.org/?fbclid=IwAR2GnsK0NFoS3H8Ku4B25Z83UmntGwXHebUHbUVS7cBRu8bKpukV6XIhfbA
Bachelor of Acupuncture, ICOM International College of Oriental Medicine, 1983 Doctor of Chinese Medicine, Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1987. Specialist in Skin, Allergy, Auto-immune and Inflammatory Disease
a closer look at culinary herbs🌿✨
A photographer reveals the intricacies of kitchen herbs. The result is otherworldly.
There are two main reasons why Chinese herbs are effective for inflammatory skin diseases. First, we always treat internally, because skin diseases are manifestations of internal imbalance.
Secondly, we customize the formula according to each patient's presentation, even if they have the same disease.
Consider the two psoriasis cases below. One has very red, thicker plaque. The other is thin, pale and pink. Each of them will get a different herbal formulation. We expect to see clearing of the plaque, with normal skin appearing in the centre, within 6 weeks.
...Or any other day of the year
Chinese Medicine is both ancient and cutting-edge medicine. This National Geographic article explores various aspects of TCM and shares some insight on how Western Medicine is borrowing from a centuries-old formula we use quite commonly in clinic.
Huang Qin Tang - or PHY906 as it's now referred to in the scientific community - is being tested for use as treatment for chemotherapy-induced GI issues. For centuries, Huang Qin Tang has been used for nausea and dysenteric disorders. The formula is simple and contains very specific doses of just 4 ingredients - Huang Qin (Baical Skullcap Root), Bai Shao (White Peony Root), Da Zao (Chinese Date), and Zhi Gan Cao (Honey-Prepared Licorice Root).
We'll post some of the scientific papers in the comments section.
Long overlooked by Western science, traditional Chinese treatments are yielding cutting-edge cures.
We love herbs 💚🌿✨
In bouquets and on the plate, the workhorses of the kitchen reclaim their mystical powers.
qing dai - 青黛 - indigo naturalis is a potent herb that we use in many of our topical and internal applications to clear heat toxin and inflammation from the body. We often use it topically (in combination with other herbs) for certain forms of psoriasis, eczema, and even fungal infections. A scientific review published in 2016 suggests that indigo naturalis is a “safe, inexpensive, and effective alternative topical treatment for skin and nail psoriasis”.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26954317/
To learn more, book your free consult: tcmskinclinic.janeapp.com
Chinese medicine diagnosis is precise and brilliant! This hand eczema looks so dry, doesn't it?
But actuallly, there was too much moisture in the tissues - notice the swollen fingers - and this prevented the blood from irrigating and moistening the skin. Once this excess damp was removed with a few courses of internal herbs, the fissures closed and the skin became soft and supple. We'd show you the after picture but our advertising regulations don't allow it.
Oksana’s taking a quick breather between patients to sip on a tea for building immunity and promoting overall skin health. Did you know we have our own in-house herbal pharmacy where we blend your custom formula and topicals? Super convenient! Book your free consult online to learn more: www.tcmskinclinic.janeapp.com
We love treating skin issues with Chinese Herbal Medicine! Our Registered TCM practitioners Adina Stanescu, R.TCMP and Oksana Kolibaba, R.TCMP have trained extensively in the diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases and are members of the international Register of Chinese Medicine Dermatology.
Book online at: tcmskinclinic.janeapp.com
our topicals are hand-crafted to order based on your condition using quality ingredients. some of our herbs are ground and blended extra fine by hand, while others are carefully extracted in alcohol or organic oils for days, weeks…even months. in the spirit of optimal skin health!
bai ji li -白蒺藜 - tribulus terrestris
Tribulus or Puncture-Vine Fruit is one of our favourite herbs to use in clinic. We depend on the anti-itch and liver soothing properties of this thorny herb in the treatment of many skin diseases including eczema, lichen planus, and hives (urticaria).
Consult with one of our TCM Practitioners for a herbal formulation that is best suited to your condition. Book online at tcmskinclinic.janeapp.com or call 416-968-3308.
366 Dupont Street
Toronto, ON
M5R1V9
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The TCM Skin Clinic posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to The TCM Skin Clinic:
Toronto Integrative Medicine Centre
Spadina Avenue
Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN)
Yonge Street
#}
