I recently went through an article just to find out what chinese traditional medicine is all about, i really enjoyed it and hope you will enjoy this, this is what i got:

Chinese Traditional Medicine( TCM) is believe to have originated in antiquity based on two legeds:

1.Shennong who tasted hundreds of herbs and got poisoned several times

2.Fuxi who made the nine needles, that could be used in several surgical processes

The implication of yin-yang and categories of things according to yin and yang

Qi( original state of universe) divided int two, that is;

The side facing the sun is yang and opposite side is yin

basically the bright, active up-flaming, warm is considered to be yang while water cold, dim ,down moving are considered to be yin , for example hot summer and warm spring are yang while cold spring and cold winter are yin.

interaction between yin and yang

1 opposition between yin and yang- when yin repel yang restrain to maintain the equlibrium e.g cold deseases we use drugs hot in nature and vise versa(heat which is yang to control cold whichi is yin)

2. mutual transformation between yin and yang- yin changes to yang e.g extreme cold generates heat and viseversa

Explanation of pathogenesis

a) relative predominance of yin and yang

1.relative predominance of yang

syndrome- excess heat

clinical symptoms- fever,sweating, rapid pulse, redish complexion

Relative predominance of yin

syndrome-excess heat

symptoms-aversion to cold, cold limb,cold abdominal pain,slow pulse, whitish complexion

b)Relative decline of yin and yang

1) insuficient of yin fluid

syndrome-deficiency heat syndrome

clinical symptoms-night sweating, rapid pulse rat, rediish complexion, tidal fever

2)insufficient yang-qi

syndrome-deficiency cold syndrome

clinical symptoms-aversion to cold, spontaneous sweating,whittish complexion,slow pulse rate

NOTE; The principle of treatment is one and that is; the excess should be reduced and deficiecy should be supplimented