Types of herbal medicine systems

Use of medicinal plants can be as informal as, for example, culinary use or consumption of an herbal tea or supplement, although the sale of some herbs considered dangerous is often restricted to the public. Sometimes such herbs are provided to professional herbalists by specialist companies. Many herbalists, both professional and amateur, often grow or "wildcraft" their own herbs. Many common weeds have medicinal properties (e.g. dandelion).
In traditional Chinese medicine herbs (which may include animal and mineral parts) are divided into "Superior" (food grade), "Moderate" (to be taken for disease for a short time) and "Inferior" (toxic, short term) grades[citation needed]. Disease is attributed to imbalance between yin and yang energy. Yin and yang refer to polarities that may either support or undermine one another. An example would be rest and activity. Herbal formulas are based upon the organ system which is out of balance, with chief herbs addressing the main complaint, deputy herbs which reinforce the actions of the chief or address other affected organ systems, and servants which may harmonize, balance temperatures or tastes of the herbs, direct them to various parts of the body or assist penetration[citation needed]. Herbal formulas tend to have five to 15 herbs[citation needed].
Some researchers trained in both western and Chinese medicine have attempted to deconstruct ancient medical texts in the light of modern science. One hypothesis that has emerged is that the yin-yang balance, at least with regard to herbs, corresponds to the pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant balance. This interpretation is supported by several investigations of the {ORAC ratings of various yin and yang herbs.[Antioxidant activity of 45 Chinese herbs and the relationship with their TCM characteristics.][BOXIN OU, DEJIAN HUANG1, MAUREEN HAMPSCH-WOODILL and JUDITH A. FLANAGAN (2003). "When east meets west: the relationship between yin-yang and antioxidation-oxidation". The FASEB Journal 17: 127-129.]
Eclectic medicine came out of the vitalist tradition, similar to physiomedicalism and bridged the European and Native American traditions[citation needed]. Cherokee medicine tends to divide herbs into foods, medicines and toxins and to use seven plants in the treatment of disease, which is defined with both spiritual and physiological aspects, according to Cherokee herbalist David Winston.[Safety & Regulation--Who's Watching the Herbal Store?, Tillotson Institute of Natural Health]
In India, Ayurvedic medicine has quite complex formulas with 30 or more ingredients, including a sizable number of ingredients that have undergone "alchemical processing", chosen to balance "Vata", "Pitta" or "Kapha."[http://oneearthherbs.squarespace.com/language-of-herbs/ ]
In addition there are more modern theories of herbal combination like William LeSassier's triune formula which combined Pythagorean imagery with Chinese medicine ideas and resulted in 9 herb formulas which supplemented, drained or neutrally nourished the main organ systems affected and three associated systems[citation needed]. His system has been taught to thousands of influential American herbalists through his own apprenticeship programs during his lifetime, the William LeSassier Archive[William LeSassier Archive website] and the David Winston Center for Herbal Studies[David Winston Center for Herbal Studies website][From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_page]