On the Terminology of Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM)

Due to historic reasons, the medicinal materials, or materia medica, used in Chinese Herbal Medicine were inappropriately and mistakenly translated into “herbs” in English. Some of the reasons of this translation were probably due to the language barriers, cultural differences, as well as incorrect comprehension and misunderstanding about Chinese Medicine in the early stage when Chinese Medicine was introduced into the English speaking countries.
　
Based on this inappropriate translation, the medicinal materials used in Chinese Herbal Medicine are mistakenly classified into FDA foods and dietary supplement category.
　
This is a serious mistake, which has caused much confusion about Chinese Herbal Medicine. It is also a root cause that led to the ephedra event in which more than 100 people died due to public abuse of ephedra – a medicinal material used in Chinese Herbal Medicine.: 　
2. New Translation for "Herbs" -- Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM)
　
In order to avoid above confusions and to stress the medicinal functions and properties of the medicinal materials used in Chinese Herbal Medicine, the author feels that it is necessary to stop using the term "herbs" in referring to the medicinal materials used in Chinese Herbal Medicine. Instead, the author recommends that a new translated term: "Chinese Herbal Medicine" is necessary to be introduced to refer to the medicinal materials used in Chinese Herbal Medicine.
　
The new translated term "Chinese Herbal Medicine" is better than the old translated term "herbs" because:
　
(1) The medicinal materials used in Chinese Medicine have strong, clear, unambiguous, and time-tested medicinal properties, functions, indications, and usages. These have been tested clinically for thousands or even million years. So these medicinal properties, functions, indications, and usages should become an integral part of the medicinal materials used in Chinese Medicine.
　
(2) Any translation of these medicinal materials used in Chinese Medicine should keep all these integral meanings, should ensure fidelity during translation, and should not lose any of these important medicinal meanings.
　
(3) However, because the term "herbs" in English belongs to dietary supplements, and does not contain any medicinal meanings in it, the translated term "herbs" has lost the medicinal properties, functions, indications, and usages of the medicinal materials used in Chinese Medicine.
　
(4) On the contrary, the translated term "Chinese Herbal Medicine" has emphasized and maintained the medicinal properties, functions, indications, and usages by incorporating the term "Medicine" in the translation. Therefore, the translated term "Chinese Herbal Medicine" maintains the original meanings of medicinal properties, functions, indications, and usages of the medicinal materials used in Chinese Medicine. So "Chinese Herbal Medicine" is a clearer, more accurate, and more appropriate translation term with high fidelity for the medicinal materials used in Chinese Medicine.
　
(5) In Chinese, the medicinal materials used in Chinese Medicine are called "Zhong Yao". Here, the "Zhong" means "Chinese", and the "Yao" means "Medicine" in Chinese. Therefore, the original term in “Zhong Yao” also contains and stresses the "Medicine" part of the meaning in it. Any translation should keep the original meaning intact. Dropping the "Medicine" part of in the translation will completely lose the medicinal properties, functions, indications, and usages contained in the original Chinese term.
　
　
3. Regulation of Chinese Herbal Medicine
　
Due to above reasons, the FDA should not treat the "Chinese Herbal Medicine" the same way as the "Pharmaceutical Drugs".
　
As explained in details in the "Letter to the Congress", a new, independent category: Chinese Herbal Medicine category (i.e. the "Herbal Medicine" category mentioned in the "Letter to the Congress") should be established. This new "Chinese Herbal Medicine" category should be different from both the Foods Dietary Supplements category and the Pharmaceutical Drugs category.
　
Corresponding to the establishment of the new Chinese Herbal Medicine category, a new "FDA Division of Herbal Medicine" should be installed in order to regulate this new Chinese Herbal Medicine category.
　
Many people, especially practitioner of Chinese Herbal Medicine, probably will concern that the term "Medicine" introduced in the translation of "Chinese Herbal Medicine" will cause the FDA treat the "Chinese Herbal Medicine" the same way as the "Pharmaceutical Drugs".
　
This concern, however, should not exist because what we introduced the "Chinese Herbal Medicine" is actually the "Herbal Medicine" category mentioned in the "Letter to the Congress". In other words, the "Chinese Herbal Medicine" is natural, safer than "Pharmaceutical Drugs". Although this term contains the word "medicine", the prefix "Chinese Herbal" represents a class of natural, holistic, safer, herbal products. While the prefix "Pharmaceutical" represents a class of artificial, allopathic, more dangerous, chemical products. With the establishment of the new "FDA Division of Herbal Medicine", the Chinese Herbal Medicine will be regulated more appropriately following its own rules and regulations. Applying the pharmaceutical drug's rules and regulations to Chinese Herbal Medicine is inappropriate and wrong.

　
4. Significance of the New Term "Chinese Herbal Medicine"
　
In the past, Chinese Herbal Medicine were simply called "Herbs" and were classified into the dietary supplement category. This dietary supplements classification of Chinese Herbal Medicine is inappropriate, misleading, and wrong (For more info on these, please go to the White House Recommendation and the Letter to the Congress section).
　
By introducing the new term "Chinese Herbal Medicine", we can send a clear message to the public that Chinese Herbs Medicine belong to medicinal materials, and should not be abused by taking them in the same way as dietary supplements. As a result, other herbal incidents similar to the ephedra event could be prevented in the future.
　
Furthermore, Chinese Herbal Medicine will distinguish Chinese herbs from dietary supplements, distinguish Chinese Medicine from other CAM, and enable Chinese Medicine to establish a professional medicine status in America.