Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), also known as Chinese medicine (Chinese 中醫, zhōngyī xué, or 中藥學, zhōngyaò xué), is the name usually given to the set of traditional medicine practices in use in China, developed over the thousands of years of its history.
It is considered one of the oldest forms of Oriental medicine, a term that also encompasses other Asian medicines, such as the traditional medical systems of Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Mongolia.
TCM is based on a systematic and comprehensive theoretical framework of a philosophical nature. It includes among its principles the study of the yin/yang relationship, the theory of the five elements, and the system of energy circulation through the meridians of the human body.
Based on the recognition of the fundamental laws that govern the functioning of the human body and its interaction with the environment according to the cycles of nature, it seeks to apply this understanding to both the treatment of disease and the maintenance of health through various methods.