Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a long-standing healing tradition with its own concepts, such as qi, yin and yang and meridians. This category explains those ideas as traditional frameworks and keeps them separate from what biomedical research has or has not found.
Acupuncture, tai chi and qigong have their own guides, and TCM pages link to them. Herbal products can contain contaminants and interact with medicines, so safety comes first here.
Start here: What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine? History and Overview
What would you like help understanding?
Safety first
- Complementary therapies can interact with medicines and some are unsafe in pregnancy, in children or with certain health conditions.
- Do not delay or stop medical care for a serious or worsening condition to try a therapy.
- Choose a practitioner whose qualifications you have checked, and tell every clinician what you are using.
Overview
What this section covers
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a body of health practices that, according to the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, has evolved over thousands of years. [1] It includes herbal formulas, acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, therapeutic massage (tui na), dietary advice and movement practices such as tai chi and qigong. This section explains what each of these is, how it is described in its own tradition, and what research has and has not shown. For a first overview, start with What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine?.How the pages are organized
- Foundations and context. What TCM is, and its traditional ideas (qi, yin and yang, five phases, meridians) kept apart from biomedical explanations. See traditional concepts, pattern differentiation and traditional frameworks vs biomedical explanations.
- Practices within TCM. Chinese herbal medicine, moxibustion, cupping, tui na and Chinese dietary therapy. Acupuncture has its own guide: What Is Acupuncture?. Movement practices are covered in Tai Chi and Qigong.
- Consultation and assessment. What a visit involves, and the limits of tongue and pulse assessment: TCM consultation.
- Evidence by use. What research shows for specific uses, not for TCM as a whole: TCM evidence by use.
- Safety and choosing a practitioner. Herbal product quality and interactions, moxibustion and cupping risks and qualifications and licensing.
Traditional ideas and evidence are different things
TCM has its own vocabulary. Words such as qi, yin and yang, and meridians describe how the tradition understands the body. They are not measurements from a laboratory, and the pages here present them as traditional frameworks, not as biological mechanisms. A 2008 systematic review of studies on acupuncture points and meridians found the evidence did not conclusively support the claim that they can be told apart electrically. [2]Whether a specific practice helps a specific problem is a separate question that research can test. A 2022 overview of 104 Cochrane reviews on TCM found only 5 reached overall positive conclusions, 42 said the evidence was insufficient and 54 could not draw firm conclusions. [3] NCCIH says some approaches such as acupuncture and tai chi may help certain pain conditions and quality of life, while studies of Chinese herbal products have had mixed results. [1] Each page here gives the evidence for one practice at a time, with a plain label such as promising but limited, mixed or insufficient evidence.
Safety pointers
- Some Chinese herbal products have been found contaminated with undeclared drugs, heavy metals or the wrong herbs. [1]
- Cupping and moxibustion can cause burns, skin damage and infection. [4][5]
- Tell all your health care providers about any herbs or treatments you use. NCCIH advises not using TCM to replace or delay conventional care. [1]
- Qualifications and rules differ by country and state. See questions to ask before a session and coordinating complementary and medical care.
If you have sudden severe symptoms, chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding or signs of poisoning, seek emergency care first. In the US call 911, and for poisoning call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. See poison help by country.
Explore Traditional Chinese Medicine
Foundations & Context(4)What TCM is, its history and its traditional concepts, kept apart from biomedical explanations.
- What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine? History and Overview
What traditional Chinese medicine is, what it includes, a brief and honest account of its history, how it differs from biomedicine, and what research can and cannot say.
- Qi, Yin and Yang, Five Phases and Meridians as Traditional Concepts
Qi, yin and yang, the five phases and meridians explained as traditional Chinese medical concepts, with what research has and has not found when it tried to measure them.
- Traditional Pattern Differentiation in TCM
How traditional Chinese medicine groups a person's symptoms into patterns, how consistent practitioners are in doing it, and why it should not be self-applied.
- Traditional Frameworks vs Biomedical Explanations
How to tell apart what traditional Chinese medicine says, a proposed mechanism, a physiological finding and a clinical result, using meridians and the research on TCM as…
Practices Within TCM(5)Herbal medicine, moxibustion, cupping, tui na and dietary therapy; acupuncture, tai chi and qigong have their own guides.
- Chinese Herbal Medicine: What It Is and What Research Shows
What Chinese herbal medicine is, how formulas are used, what Cochrane-level reviews say about the evidence, and the contamination, kidney, liver and drug-interaction ris…
- Moxibustion
What moxibustion is, the research on breech presentation and other uses, the burn, smoke and allergy risks, and why pregnancy needs a clinician's advice first.
- Cupping Therapy
What cupping is, what it feels like, why it leaves marks, what reviews show for pain, and the burn, scar, infection and bloodborne-disease risks.
- Tui Na (Chinese Therapeutic Massage)
Tui na is a Chinese hands-on therapy that combines massage, pressure on acupoints and joint manipulation; this guide explains what a session involves and what trials sho…
- Chinese Dietary Therapy
Chinese dietary therapy classifies foods by warming or cooling nature and flavor; this guide explains the traditional framework and what research does and does not show.
Consultation & Assessment(1)What a TCM consultation involves, and the limits of tongue and pulse assessment.
- TCM Consultation: What to Expect, Tongue and Pulse Assessment and Treatment Plans
What happens in a traditional Chinese medicine consultation, how tongue and pulse are examined by a practitioner, how treatment plans are described, and how reliable the…
Evidence by Use(1)What research shows for specific TCM interventions, not for TCM as a whole.
- TCM Evidence by Use: Pain, Nausea, Sleep and Other Uses
What systematic reviews show for specific traditional Chinese medicine treatments used for pain, nausea, sleep and other uses, with the strength of evidence and the limi…
Safety & Practitioner Selection(3)Product quality, interactions, risks of moxibustion and cupping, qualifications and coordination with medical care.
- Chinese Herbal Products: Quality, Contamination and Medicine Interactions
What research and health agencies report about contamination, substituted herbs, hidden drugs, aristolochic acid and medicine interactions with Chinese herbal products.
- Moxibustion and Cupping Risks: Burns, Smoke and Skin Injury
The reported risks of moxibustion and cupping, including burns, smoke, allergy, infection, skin marks and bleeding, who should take extra care, and when to stop and seek…
- TCM Qualifications, Licensing by Jurisdiction and Coordinating With Medical Care
How Chinese medicine practitioners are regulated in the US, Australia, Ontario and the UK, what we could verify, how to check credentials and coordinate with your doctor.
Related comparisons
Related Wellness Goals
Research connections
Our pages cite the studies and official sources behind each statement. For the underlying records, see the evidence page for this goal and the Research Library.
Therapies Research and Evidence: How Much Research Exists and How to Read It Research Library Wellness Goals
Frequently asked questions
Is traditional Chinese medicine one thing?
No. It is a group of practices (herbs, acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, massage, diet and movement) that are studied separately, because each has different evidence and risks. [1]
Does research support traditional Chinese medicine?
It depends on the practice and the use. A review of Cochrane reviews found evidence for TCM overall largely inconclusive, so each practice needs to be judged for a specific use. [3]
Are qi and meridians proven to exist?
They are traditional concepts. A systematic review found the evidence did not conclusively show that acupuncture points or meridians are electrically distinguishable, and the studies were generally poor in quality. [2]
Are Chinese herbal products safe?
Not automatically. Contamination, wrong herbs and drug interactions have been reported. [1] See Chinese herbal products: quality and interactions.
Can I use TCM instead of seeing my doctor?
NCCIH advises not to use TCM to replace or delay seeking conventional care, and to discuss it with your health care providers. [1]
How do I find a qualified practitioner?
Rules differ by place. In the US, NCCIH says most states and the District of Columbia regulate acupuncture practice. [1] See qualifications and licensing.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH, US). Traditional Chinese Medicine: What You Need To Know. Last updated April 2019. Read 2026-10-22.
- Ahn AC et al. Electrical properties of acupuncture points and meridians: a systematic review. Bioelectromagnetics 2008. PubMed 18240287. Read 2026-10-22.
- Cochrane systematic reviews on traditional Chinese medicine: what matters, the quantity or quality of evidence? Phytomedicine 2022. PubMed 35104758. Read 2026-10-22.
- NCCIH (US). Cupping. Last updated November 2018. Read 2026-10-22.
- Adverse events of moxibustion: a systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Medicine 2010. PubMed 21056845. Read 2026-10-22.
Content last updated . This section has not been medically reviewed.