Eye of Newt & Toe of Frog ...

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.


Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
(Macbeth by W. Shakespeare; Act IV, Scene 1)

I think that there is a general impression that Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) are made from all sorts of super-icky things (and there's no dispute on the errors of overuse of tiger bones and rhino horns!) Actually, about 85-90% of the most commonly used herbs in the Chinese materia medica (which is roughly counted as 1500 items) are plant-based. We have roots, twigs, leaves, flowers. I often like to joke when dispensing bags of raw herbs that they are "lawn sweepings" -- but good for you!

Because it is a traditional cultural use medicine, some of the theories that CHM is organized around include the "signature effect" (not unique to the Asian materia medica), the thinking that an herb source's form will indicate its use. Some reflections of this are theory are:

• flowers & plants that succesfully struggle to grow high on mountains are more "yang" & can tonify such a deficiency
• aerial plant parts, or branches are used to treat a patient's limbs
• "bleeding flees from black" (charred herbs are styptic)
• dense and juicy tubers or fruits can nourish "yin"
• small, wriggly bugs (yes, bugs) can seek out blood stagnation in the tiny channel collaterals.

These types of theories partially inform the theory of the herbal medicine that we practice (other theories and classifications of herbal substances are more based on empirical observation of their uses). Interestingly, a lot of the modern pharmacological research being conducted in Asia is meant to "prove" in biochemical terms the veracity of these old theories (and seems to frequently do so).

Chinese herbs don't hold the franchise on the"ick" factor -- some modern pharmaceuticals have gross origins too! Some of these include fish semen (used to treat heparin overdoses), rat poison (Coumadin), pregnant mares' urine (Premarin).

bulbous buttercup

Note: Please, those of you who are taking Coumadin, please do become familiar with its side effects, as this drug can have very serious risks (gangrene or death).

p.s. It is actually thought that some, or most of the ingredients in the witches' brew listed above were actually names of plants. "Eye of newt" may have been mustard seeds; "toe of frog" a reference to bulbous buttercup; "tongue of dog" a plant in the borage family, and so forth!