Ageing is a natural process that is irreversible. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history of exploring aging issues. For example, many ancient sages were able to live to a ripe old age. If we know how our body goes through the degenerative process, it is possible to slow it down.

TCM views ageing functionally and physicians believe that age-related changes are mainly due to:

• Organ Degeneration

  Body loses the ability to repair and regenerate itself, with most significant changes occurring in the “kidney”.

• Exhaustion of Fundamental Substances

  Bodily activities slow down when the source of fundamental substances (which include vital energy (Qi), essence (Jing), blood, body fluids and spirit (Shen) weakens. These lead to common signs of ageing such as muscle shrinkage, fragile bones, loose skin and grey hair.

• Accumulation of Metabolic Wastes

  As their functions slow down with ageing, the internal organs can no longer eliminate bodily wastes effectively. Typically, blood stasis caused common signs of ageing such as skin pigmentation, cataract, numbness, muscle pain, varicose veins, abnormal pulse or hypertension.

TCM anti-ageing treatments are aimed at achieving three objectives:

• Keeping Skin Young

  Herbs are mainly used to promote blood production and nourish Yin and Qi. They help to maintain a soft, lustrous and spotless skin.

  Acupuncture is used to stimulate acupoints - the sites through which the Qi of organs and meridians can flow to the body surface. Stimulation of these points can regulate the function of organs and meridians, and enhance circulation in the skin.

• Delay Physical Ageing

  Acupuncture is used to regulate internal organs, improve circulation, strengthen constitution organs, build up immune systems and produce a feeling of well being.

• Delay Mental Ageing

  Auricular Acupuncture is used to contact the “energy” of the body and target specific organs by placing tiny needle in certain points of the ear.

Anti-ageing treatments cannot rely on any single prescription. You are unlikely to stay young by simply focusing on skin or physique or mental conditions. Only a comprehensive and holistic approach can help you achieve any substantial effect.

TCM Herbs And Food Supplements For Anti-Ageing

Here are some TCM herbs and food supplements which are often prescribed for Anti-Ageing:

• Common ingredients: Ginseng, Solomon's seal rhizome (huang jing), wolfberry fruit, gynostemma pentaphyllum (jiao gu lan), ginkgo leaf, dates, raspberry fruit, angelica root, fleece flower root, fragrant Solomon's seal rhizome (yu zhu), black sesame, ganoderma lucidum (ling zhi), Siberian ginseng (ci wu jia) and pollen.

• Ingredients used in combination: Giant typhonium rhizome (bai fu zi), peach kernel, dahurian angelica root (bai zhi), Ledebouriella root (fang feng) and Biond Magnolia flower(xin yi).

• Other ingredients for long term use: Siberian ginseng (ci wu jia) Gynostemma pentaphyllum (jiao gu lan), Ginkgo leaf (yin xing ye)

• For beauty, anti-ageing and rejuvenation: Sesame, honey, mushrooms, milk products, pumpkin seeds, lotus root, water melon, cherry, wheat and radish.

• For skin health: white fungus, lily buds, wolfberry fruits, red dates, bird's nest, sea cucumber, fish sound, oyster, conch, soft-shelled turtle, eels, pig skin, animal bone marrow and pond loach.

• For nourishing yin and promoting blood production: white fungus, lily buds & lotus seeds, mung beans.

Common ingredients: pearl, notoginseng, motherwort herb, aloe, common bletilla tuber (bai ji), dahurian angelica root (bai zhi), almond, and ginseng (in forms like creams, jellies, lotions, masks and powder).