Today's use of traditional Chinese medicine combines hundreds of years of Chinese medical practice that includes using Chinese medicine to cure insomnia naturally. 'Traditional Chinese medicine' is a quite new term that was first coined by the People's Republic of China during the 1950s when the country was trying to build a substantial export trade for its time honored practices and medicines.

Today, traditional Chinese medicine does not merely include medicinal products, but also includes herbal preparations and a range of practices including massage and acupuncture. The basis of Chinese medicine is that the body works because of a variety of interrelated processes which are constantly interaction with the environment around us. While these processes are in balance you are healthy however, if they are out of balance, your health suffers.

There are a number of different philosophies which govern Chinese medicine including things like the theory of Yin-Yang which looks at the role of the five elements (fire, earth, water, wood and metal), energy flow along the meridians of the body and the interaction between the organs of the body that are outlined in the theory of Zang-Fu.

For years there has been conflict between those people who follow traditional Chinese medical practices and those people who believe in the science-based practice of Western medicine. Nowadays however traditional Chinese medicine, along with other forms of Asian and Oriental medicine, is increasingly being accepted in the West and we commonly refer to such practices as alternative medicine.

For the many millions of sufferers herbal remedies have long been seen as effective in curing insomnia or in relieving insomnia symptoms and such things as chamomile, lavender, passion flower and lemon balm have long been known for their medicinal properties. There cannot be many insomnia sufferers who have not taken a hot drink of lemon balm with honey at bedtime.

A rising number of people are also making use of acupuncture or, for people who do not fancy the idea of needles, acupressure. Both arts have been in use for centuries and were born out of the traditional Chinese practice of adjusting energy levels in the body by controlling its flow along the meridian lines.

In spite of its increasing acceptance there are still a lot of people who are suspicious of Chinese medicine. However anyone who has experienced it in action, especially those of us who have been lucky enough as I have to live in the Far East, will certainly attest to its effectiveness.