Do you like eating jiaozi? Did you know the origin of Chinese dumplings has a connection with Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM for short? Reportedly, jiaozi was first made by Zhang Zhongjing (张仲景), a Chinese doctor in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) who was known as the “medicine saint.” The ancient story goes like this: On one cold winter day, when Zhang returned to his hometown, he noticed that many people’s ears were frostbitten. Zhang was more than willing to help them. He made ear-shaped dumplings with fillings of mutton, chilies and some medicinal herbs with warm nature. He boiled them and, together with the soup, handed them out to the poor. The dumplings helped people recover from the frostbite. Zhang’s recipe “Quhan Jiao’er Tang” (祛寒娇耳汤) literally means cold-dispelling, ear-healing decoction. The original name “jiao’er” evolved into what we now know as jiaozi. TCM has been treating diseases and saving lives for thousands of years. It developed from ancient Chinese philosophies and was influenced by the theories of Yin-Yang and Five Elements (阴阳五行理论). It is believed 17 that yin and yang are two opposite forces in the body. Yin is negative and receptive while yang is positive and active. Yin and yang interact to keep a dynamic balance. Diseases occur when that balance is broken. TCM aims to treat illnesses by restoring the balance of yin and yang if it is disrupted. It has evolved to help people maintain health. According to TCM, the body is believed to contain five zang (organs), namely heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney. Each zang is paired with one of the Five Elements: heart with fire, liver with wood, spleen with earth, lung with metal, and kidney with water. Similar to the Five Elements, organs reinforce, yet counteract, each other and form a balanced cycle. Like yin and yang, a disruption in the balance of the five zang causes discomfort or illness. TCM practitioners, therefore, seek to restore the balance. To maintain health and treat diseases, TCM resorts to a wide array of therapeutic modalities, including acupuncture, moxibustion (艾灸), herbal medicines, massage, and exercise therapies like Wu Qin Xi (五禽戏) and Tai Chi (太极拳). Among these therapies, the age-old practice of acupuncture has been widely accepted as a complementary and alternative therapy at home and abroad. Acupuncture involves inserting fine needles at acupuncture points connected by meridians (经络). Manipulation of the needles is believed to improve the flow of qi or the vital energy, and thus provides relief for many ailments. The World Health Organization recommends acupuncture for over 100 conditions. Among other effects, it has been proven effective for relieving pain, lowering blood pressure, and reducing the risk of stroke. Herbal medicines made from plants are available in many forms including decoctions, tablets, capsules, powders, and fresh or dried plants. They are used for both preventive purposes and therapeutic effects, and their efficacy has been impressive. A good case in point is the use of Qingfei Paidu Tang (清肺排毒汤, Lung Cleansing and Detoxifying Decoction) in fighting COVID-19, as suggested by Zhang Boli (张伯礼), an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The merits of TCM for human civilization are embodied in the contribution of Tu Youyou (屠呦呦), co-winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Tu searched countless ancient Chinese medical texts with a view to finding a traditional cure for malaria (疟疾), ultimately extracting a plant compound – artemisinin (青蒿 素) – that has saved millions of lives. Tu’s achievement has inspired more TCM researchers and specialists to develop medicinal products based on TCM theories and literature. With the increasing recognition of Holistic Integrative Medicine (整体整合医学), TCM is gaining more attention worldwide and will make greater contributions to building a healthier society. TCM experts and researchers are taking advantage of modern technologies to study the mechanism of plant compounds, improve the efficacy of different TCM therapeutic practices, and try TCM on more diseases. Mounting evidence can be expected from such efforts so that effective products can be developed for the maintenance of health and treatment of disease. 

Words and expressions 

frostbitten adj. 冻伤的 frostbite n. 冻疮，冻伤 

dispel v. 驱散，消除 decoction n. 煎剂；汤药 spleen n. 脾脏 

kidney n. 肾脏 counteract v. 抵消；对抗 practitioner n. 执业医师 

modality n. 方式；形式 acupuncture n. 针刺（疗法） 

moxibustion n. 艾灸 meridian n. 经络 ailment n. 小病，不适

 capsule n. 胶囊 efficacy n. 有效性；功效 embody v. 代表，体现 

malaria n. 疟疾 extract v. 提取；提炼 artemisinin n. 青蒿素 

a wide array of … 各种各样的……；大量的…… 

complementary and alternative therapy 补充和替代疗法 

Proper names

 theories of Yin-Yang and Five Elements 阴阳五行理论 

Wu Qin Xi (Five Animals Exercises) 五禽戏 

Tai Chi 太极拳   Chinese Academy of Engineering 中国工程院 

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 诺贝尔生理学或医学奖 

Holistic Integrative Medicine 整体整合医学，简称整合医学，指从人的整体出发，将医学各领域先进的知识 理论和临床各专科有效的实践经验分别加以有机整合，并根据社会、环境、心理的现实进行修正、调整， 使之成为更加适合人体健康和疾病诊疗的新的医学体系