What is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)?
As the name implies. TCM herbs have been used for centuries in Asian medicine to treat every medical condition, often in conjunction with acupuncture. Traditional Chinese herbs enhance the effects of acupuncture. As with Western herbs, they need to be used properly. There are concerns with Chinese herbs as to their purity and manufacturing quality. Some have been found to be contaminated with heavy metals like lead, mercury, and arsenic. Others have been tested and found to contain illegal and unlisted pharmaceutical drugs like acetaminophen. We only recommend herbs that meet North American manufacturing standards for potency and purity such as Golden Flower Chinese Herbs, Blue Poppy, Health Concerns, and Women’s Treasures.
Read more about why you would want to choose an ND for Acupuncture and TCM herbs here.
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Pamela Frank
Sample Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Infertility
- Xiaozhi decoction can be used to treat infertile women with mycoplasma infection: Lou YF, Yang XF, Liu LC. Study on changes in cytokines of infertile women with mycoplasma infection and intervention with traditional Chinese medicines. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2012 Oct;37(20):3158-60.
- Jiutengzhuyu was effective in treating infertility caused by tubal infertility with a Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis of blood stasis: Pang B, Pang Q, Pang H, Song G. Clinical effect of Jiutengzhuyu tablets on promoting blood circulation in women with oviducal obstruction. J Tradit Chin Med. 2012 Dec;32(4):549-53.
- Our review suggests that management of female infertility with Chinese Herbal Medicine can improve pregnancy rates 2-fold within a 4 month period compared with Western medical fertility drug therapy or IVF: Ried K, Stuart K. Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine in the management of female infertility: a systematic review. Complement Ther Med. 2011 Dec;19(6):319-31. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2011.09.003. Epub 2011 Oct 5.