Ginseng, Green Tea, and Artemisinin: An Analysis of Boundary Objects Between Chinese Medicine and Biomedicine

Abstract

Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, or "biomedicine," are vastly distinct philosophies that are both valuable in the way they have shaped medicine over millennia. Integrating these fundamentally different approaches has the potential to improve medical interventions in addressing health and disease, but presenting a cohesive worldview that transpires from both can be tenuous and inconsistent. One way to mediate these differences is through the identification and analysis of boundary objects, or entities which retain meaning through cultural translation. Using ginseng, green tea, and artemisinin as epistemological boundary objects, this thesis examines the philosophical and epistemological themes of reproducibility, prevention, and synergy at the border between Chinese Medicine and biomedicine. This thesis utilizes chemical and biomedical literature, secondary sources on the traditional applications of Chinese Medicine, and the reflections of Chinese Medicine practitioners and anthropologists, to identify the ways in which herbal medicines help to mediate the understanding of Chinese Medicine and biomedicine. A secondary portion of this thesis uses interviews, conducted with individuals who have significant experience with both Chinese and Western Medicine, to underline the themes of reproducibility, prevention, and synergy in practice. These themes are often points of divergence between Chinese and Western Medicine but also provide points of comparison to seek coherence between these two differing worldviews. Understanding the subtle fluidity at the boundary of Chinese Medicine and biomedicine allows for greater cooperation within institutional and individual definitions of health and wellness.