Your Guide to Holistic Beauty: Using the Wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) approaches the concept of achieving and maintaining beauty from the inside out. A tree can't have beautiful foliage unless it has a strong root system, and likewise the human body can't show beautiful radiance unless its internal organs and systems are kept healthy and nourished. This exemplifies the core concept of yi nei yang wai—to nourish the inside so it shines outside.

In the West, exterior conditions such as wrinkles are often just seen as a mark of the ravages of time, and are treated topically and, therefore, superficially. TCM believes these conditions communicate a message about something happening inside the body. For example, spots or wrinkles that appear on a spleen meridian line may indicate dysfunction of that organ, and when the spleen is nourished and rebalanced, it can help correct problems such as edema, cellulite and sagging skin.

Therefore the TCM approach is holistic, striving to solve the root cause, looking at the particular organ system that is affected and bringing it back in harmony through diet and other natural means. By introducing vital TCM concepts—such as the Five Elements, qi, meridians and organ systems—this book will help you unlock the secrets to optimizing natural beauty. Using a traditional Chinese approach you can improve your skin, hair and nails, increase fitness, help stop aging, and so much more.

Zhang Yifang received her MS qualifications in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1986 from China's Nanjing TCM University. With more than 25 years of clinical and teaching experience in the United States, China, and England, she is an expert TCM practitioner, as well as an associate professor, consulting doctor in TCM, licensed herbalist, and acupuncturist. Her website, acherbs.com, is a resource for understanding and utilizing TCM to achieve a healthy lifestyle.