ABSTRACT
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has never been seen as an illness solely of the mind and brain. Rather, various depression-like syndromes have been considered to be manifestations of more fundamental body-wide imbalances of Chi, or life energy. Unlike mainstream Western psychiatry, TCM has never considered MDD to be a single specific illness to be treated with a single class of medications. Another characteristic of TCM is seen in the fact that most of the ancient Chinese treatments of depression are combinations of herbs. One of the most fascinating and significant of events has been the use of modern neuroscience technology by Chinese scientists to evaluate the efficacy and determine the neurochemical mechanisms of action of the classical herbal remedies of TCM. A 2008 study in China found Yueju and venlafaxine to be quite similar in antidepressant effect in depressed patients, but with Yueju having fewer side effects.
