When east meets west: the relationship between yin-yang and antioxidation-oxidation.
Ancient traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has effectively relied on the theory of yin-yang balance in diagnoses and treatments of diseases and disorders for more than 2000 years. However, in eastern society, yin-yang is regarded as an incomprehensible ideology without definite physical meaning. Consequently, the yin-yang balance in medicine has not been studied by modern scientific means. In the western world, yin-yang balance is often misunderstood as a religious belief or a principle of lifestyle. Herein, we attempted to define the physical meaning of yin-yang in TCM by correlating it with biochemical processes. We propose that yin-yang balance is antioxidation-oxidation balance with yin representing antioxidation and yang as oxidation. Our proposal is partially supported by the fact that the yin-tonic traditional Chinese herbs have, on average, about six times more antioxidant activity and polyphenolic contents than the yang-tonic herbs. Our hypothesis opens an avenue to systematically study the yin-yang balance and its health implications with the use of modern biochemical tools.
Ou
Boxin
B
Brunswick Laboratories, Wareham, Massachusetts 02571, USA.
Huang
Dejian
D
Hampsch-Woodill
Maureen
M
Flanagan
Judith A
JA
D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010636:Phenols / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
D000975:Antioxidants; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species