The Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine on

Anxiety Diagnosed Patients

Tommy Zhang
Independent Research GT
May 10, 2017

Advisor: Ms. Julia Bakhru

Abstract
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Using the herbs of Traditional Chinese Medicine would help benefit people who are

diagnosed with anxiety disorders. This will show how anxiety can be treated for any individual.

Furthermore, individuals would be informed about how anxiety can be developed and the types

of anxiety. Also, this would be a guide to people about Traditional Chinese Medicine and how it

can be used to treat anxiety. Adding on, this would challenge the use of modern medicine as a

way to treat anxiety and clarify the issues with it (Fleming 2011).

In a recent study published in Time magazine, 6.3 million adolescents between the ages

of 13-18 had an anxiety disorder in 2015 (2016). Anxiety is a mental illness that a person has
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because of the accumulation of stress or post traumatic events (Longe & Blanchfield, 2002).

Over many years, diagnosing anxiety in the US has increased exponentially (Schrobsdorff 2016).

The Western medicines that treat anxiety are sertraline, benzodiazepines, and citalopram

hydrobromide (Fleming 2011). These drugs target the problem, but are accompanied by

unwanted side effects. Many of the side effects that come with these medicines include major

withdrawal, suicidal thoughts, and drowsiness (Springen, 2003). With the increase in the side

effects of memory loss and mental cognition in anxiety patients caused by the intake of Western

medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine is the alternative because it can treat anxiety without the

negative side effects. The purpose of this paper is to advocate the advantages of Traditional

Chinese Medicine and how to use them to treat anxiety.

Anxiety is referenced as a, multisystem response to a perceived threat or danger. It

reflects a combination of biochemical changes in the body, the patients personal history and

memory, and the social situation(Longe & Blanchfield, 2002). This means that a persons

experiences in the past can cause some type of stress. This type of stress would result in many

types of anxiety disorders, such as phobias, obsessive- compulsive disorder, and Cushing

syndrome (Longe & Blanchfield, 2002). To clarify these terms, phobias are fears that a person

has, obsessive- compulsive disorder is when a person cant calm down in a really stressed

situation, and Cushing syndrome is the overproduction of cortisol (stress hormones) in the body

that allows the person to gain excessive fat in the facial and midsection of the body (Longe &

Blanchfield, 2002). Furthermore, there are many causes that would help develop these types of

anxiety disorders. By these definitions and examples, teenagers today are at a greater risk of

having an anxiety disorder. By high school, social anxiety -- which centers on being accepted

by others -- may take over. This can include worries about saying and doing the right things,
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dressing the right way, or otherwise behaving in an acceptable manner, (Stevens 2015). For

students, some of the major stress among students would develop from school (Stevens 2015).

The influences around people in their daily lives have impacted people from all ages, as well

(Longe & Blanchfield, 2002). With all of the evidence presented above, anxiety is clearly an

issue that needs to be brought to light and know the details about it.

To treat anxiety, many doctors prescribe anxiety medications to calm the patients

symptoms (Blachford & Krapp 2003 ). These doctor prescribed medications are also so called

Western Medicine (Fleming 2011). Often, these medications are powerful in treating diseases or

calming down the symptoms of the disease (Blachford & Krapp 2003 ). However, most of the

time people experience extreme symptoms such as severe withdrawal, memory loss, and

cognitive impairment. Newsweek states Drugs like Xanax can cause mild amnesia and

impairment of physical coordination. Some people can also become dependent on Xanax, with

severe withdrawal symptoms like panic and shakiness, even seizures (Springen, 2003). Having

mild amnesia and severe withdrawal are one of the symptoms explained in the quote above.

Based on these sources, doctor prescribed anxiety medications can determined that they can have

symptoms that can be severe for the patient.

One of the more effective alternatives to modern medicine is Traditional Chinese

Medicine (TCM). The true definition of Traditional Chinese Medicine is, In TCM, both

philosophically and medically, moderation in all things is advocated, as is living in harmony with

nature and striving for balance in all things. Prevention is also a key goal of Chinese medicine,

and much emphasis is placed on educating the patient to live responsibly (Bruno, 2015).

Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on changing the diet of the patient with some remedies to

cure the disease (Kecskes 2014). Many people use this type of medicine to treat diseases on a
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normal daily basis. For example, a woman from Cleveland, Ohio was diagnosed with Mono is

cured by Traditional Chinese Medicine (Chinese Herbs Relieve Woman's Pain., 2014). Dr.

Young used acupuncture, dietary supplements, and herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine

to treat the womans disease (Chinese Herbs Relieve Woman's Pain., 2014). This example

clearly describes a situation that Western Medicine failed to cure the patient. Also, there are

many forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine, such as acupuncture, and herbal plants/roots are

used. For example, Astragalus (huang qi) is used to build up the immune system (Five popular

Chinese herbs used in the United States. 2015). In rare cases, orchids can be used in Traditional

Chinese Medicine, Vanillin, also found in Gastrodia. is presumably an anti-convulsive agent.

Gastrodin acts as a sedative in mice and human, lt seems to be a safe and effective drug for

treating anxiety, insomnia, neurasthenia (weak condition of nerves) and mental hyper-

excitation,(Choy Sin, H., & Jean W. H., Y. 2006). Gastrodia is a type or orchid, mentioned in

the source above, has vanillin, which is a natural, chemical substance that helps combat mental

illnesses such as anxiety. Furthermore, in an experiment of using rats to test out the use of

Danggui-Shaoyao-San, In the open field test, CUMS rats exhibited decreased ambulation and

rearing which indicated reduced exploration and apathy respectively in these animals, ( Xu, F.,

Peng, D., Tao, C., Yin, D., Kou, J., Zhu, D., & Yu, B. 2011). Based on the information above, it

can be concluded that Traditional Chinese Medicine can treat anxiety without the negative

symptoms in doctor prescribed medications.

Data Collection

The data collected in this research is through meta-data analysis. This type of data

collecting process requires experiments or lab data that have been conducted in the past and

analyzing them. In this research, many of the journals obtained all have to do with experimenting
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the herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine on rats. In each experiment, there is a control and non

control group. Along with that, the tests done on the rats are the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and

Morris Water Maze (MWM). These tests measure the time where rats stand at one location or

move around to determine if they have anxiety. Sometimes, they used extraction tools to

examine the cells in the hippocampus of the brain for any cell damage from the stress caused by

the experiments.

The hypothesis and research question is addressed throughout the research. In each of the

journals or experiments, the hypothesis is answered by the comparison of TCM and doctor

prescribed medications. Also, the results of the experiments helped determine if the herbs used in

TCM helped the patients/rats in the experiments. As a result, this key part answers the research

question. Later on, the hypothesis is addressed by an experiment that requires both the use of

doctor prescribed medicine and TCM and comparing the two.

Data Analysis

Article #1 (Lee, Article #2 Article #3 Article #4

Shim, Lee, & Hahm,
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Purpose In this experiment, A journal about a To see if the A- To see if the rats
the objective is to summary of the injection/Anxiet can adjust to
find out if BF can antidepressants/a y in rats can be taking Berberine
lower the anxiety ntianxiety helped by to treat anxiety
level in rats and help medications used Astragalus like behaviors
their memory in today hamosus and after morphine
stressed situations. Allium withdrawal
Hirtifolium. Also symptoms.
to show that a
symptom
(anxiety) in
Alzheimers
disease (AD) can
be cured by
Astragalus
hamosus and
Allium
hirtifolium.

Methods Using the Elevated A diagnosis of Using the Experiments on

Plus Maze (EPM) the medicines Elevated Plus male Sprague
and Morris Water that many patient Maze (EPM) and Dawley rats
Maze (MWM) to with mental Morris Water
(260-280 g)were
simulate a stressed illnesses take. Maze (MWM) to
environment for the simulate a in morphine
rats. A control group stressed dosed groups,
and non control environment for about 50 mg to
group; Without and the rats. 10 mg depending
with TCM. Rests Removing and on the rats
between analyzing of weight. After
experiments. After cells in the
ingesting
the rats are done hippocampus for
with the any damages morphine, the
experiments, test caused by the test subjects
subjects (rats) were stress in the rested for 72
then deeply experiments. hours. Negative
anesthetized and had control was a
their brains removed. group of rats
After being
going through
incubated for 90
minutes, the cells in morphine
the rats withdrawal being
hippocampus (the treated with
center of emotions, Berberine and
memory, and
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involuntary actions) increase the

were analyzed and dosage of
proved to be more Berberine
undamaged/calmer
depending on the
when BF is taken
before an groups they are
experiment. assigned (10 mg,
Neuronal Choline 20 mg, 50 mg).
acetyltransferase Positive control
(CHat) and was the same
Acetylcholinesterase group of
(ACHE) levels are
withdrawal
maintained by BF
and the rats were rats but was
calm when BF was treated with
ingested. another
antidepressant,
Fluoxetine
(FLX).

Results The herbs had an The medicines Astragalus Berberine is

effect on the rats that many patient hamosus and effective in
brain after digesting uses contain Allium treating
BF before each test. many symptoms Hirtifolium did morphine
The cells in the that might help the rats with withdrawal rats.
hippocampus clash with their anxiety. The rats have a
showed little to no other Many of the cells better
signs of damaged medications. examined in performance in
nerve cells. TCM treated rats field experiments
had undamaged than FLX treated
cells. rats.

Research Did the herbs in the Did the herbs in Did the herbs in Did the herbs in
Question experiment helped the experiment the experiment the experiment
the patient with their helped the helped the helped the
anxiety? patient with their patient with their patient with their
anxiety? anxiety? anxiety?

Conclusions Yes, the herbs No, the herbs Yes, the herbs Yes, the herbs
helped the patient was not used in helped the helped the
with their anxiety. this journal. patient with their patient with their
However, this anxiety. anxiety. Not only
can be evidence did it helped, but
That the it showed how
medicines in the doctor prescribed
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report have to be medicine

taken with (morphine) was
caution. not effective as
TCM

Discussion & Conclusion

All four articles clearly show that Traditional Chinese herbal Medicine has treated

anxiety/anxiety symptoms efficiently. Many of the herbs outperformed modern medicines in the

experiments above. Alongside, many of the drugs analysed have been proven that there are a lot

of negative side effects that are harming the body. Also, many of the experiments used to

simulate the stressful environments on the test subjects are the same in the experiments. Later in

the future, these studies would allow professionals to reconsider treating anxiety with the

medications prescribed now.

The usage of Traditional Chinese Medicine has benefited diagnosed anxiety patients

without the harmful side effects in Modern Medicine. After knowing what anxiety is, it is helpful

to know the severity of it to determine if one has an anxiety disorder. Knowing Traditional

Chinese Medicine and using the roots or herbs of plants would help to treat a patient who has

anxiety. The knowledge about the effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine in our bodies would

help people in the near future to realize that Western medicine can have harmful side effects on

the patient.With this alternative medication, people can now rest assured if their anxiety disorder

becomes uncontrollable.

References

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anxiety like behavior reduction of Allium hirtifolium and Astragalus hamosus in the A-injected

rat. Research Journal of Pharmacognosy, 3(4), 39-49.

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