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| Prof. Yung-Chi Cheng |
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About Prof. Yung-Chi Cheng
Henry Bronson Professor of Pharmacology
Q1. How do they think about Oriental pharmacy and medicine in America?
There are more, more people taking herbal medicine for supplement to prevent certain aging associated or immunologically related symptom development. So, that is because of the unmet clinic needs. As a discipline in the mainstream medicine, it is not really accepted because there’s a lack of evidence to support the claim. Also, the quality control of herbs or herbal medicine is not satisfactory. Unless those are issue being addressed, it will be very difficult to expect the mainstream medicine to accept.
Q2. Don’t they accept herbal medicine as a mainstream medicine?
They do not accept as of this moment. So our approach is with hope to provide the enough evidence with high quality material for them to get accept. Once it’s accepted, you will see more to be accepted.
Q3. Why did you choose to study Chinese herbal medicine?
Yeah. Because I choose, it’s due to the needs. It’s not because I choose, because I’m Chinese. The needs are mentioned in the lecture, is I felt the current mainstream approach will not be sufficient to address the unmet health needs.
Q4. Why did you choose to study 황금탕(黃芩湯)?
Because for me to solve the issue. Which Huang Qin Tang is solving clinical needs. One single chemical cannot achieve, there’s no such thing. So, Huang Qin Tang has done a job no single chemical can do.
Q5. What was the hardest part as you chose to study 황금탕(黃芩湯)?
The hardest part is how you get consistent material, how you evaluate the consistency. It is not just simply, the approach is not simply based on some so called the traditional medicine scientist’s use. You have to be in approach which is accepted either by mainstream. What could be the approach? So, that’s one of the hardest parts. Once we have achieved and showed the consistency to me, the rest is much simpler.
Q6. Then, what do you think is the most important part to... or herbal medicine or oriental medicine?
To demonstrate the consistency of your preparation. And to demonstrate the clinic utility.
Q7. What do you think is the most important thing for the college students to do before they graduate?
Build up their strength in basic science. If they are strong in basic science, they are ready to attend any applied science. And no matter it’s Chinese medicine or Western medicine, this will all apply.
Q8. Can you advise students who are studying the pharmacy for herbal medicine how to study?
Learning from experienced Individual. I think it’s useful. For instance, they should do internship at those classic, very experienced pharmacists. Not with professors. I was surprised to see that result.
You don’t have to trust them. Just experience with them, what they are looking at. Then when they come back, working with professors, learn the modern technology, then combine. Otherwise, you cannot judge which herb is good or bad, or you can tell them that there’s a marker there, then it’s good. And that is not necessarily correct. They don’t have those markers but they have to judge it’s good or bad. You think in their twenties, their teacher will not let them go unless they have enough experience. It’s experience based training.
I would say you’re younger one. Either you invite those experienced ones to the school and ask them to talk something how they do their (work). You don’t have to beneath them, you have to Listen to them.
I think students will enjoy it. Those people you invite, they will have their own very biased opinion. It’s okay. You just want, “Hey, for this, why you say this is good?”, “because...”, “okay”. The same herb, you don’t even need to give to anybody. You invite the second guy. Will they say the same? Once you invite 3 or 4, students will be interested in finding out. “Hey, my professor Kim said we should discriminate good or bad, we should find a marker. We will test whether the marker fits,” maybe fit, maybe not fit. That is actually also a good proposal for you to put forward to education department. How do we use experienced-based training fits herbalists?
Can we translate the knowledge into subjective form. First, you have to see whether it’s something to be... here, okay, you say good. The next guy say it’s no good. Then you characterize what’s the meaning of this.
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