[sampullman]

I don't think the allure of Eastern medicine has much to do with a feeling that it's ancient or secret. It's pretty normal here in Taiwan to go to a TCM clinic here in Taiwan for various treatments, including stress. The practitioners have degrees and certifications for it.

I can't say how much is placebo, but there isn't really anything mysterious about it.

[Aurornis]

The ancient and mysterious part is the idea that it’s based on wisdom passed down through generations and herbal concoctions, as opposed to synthetic medicines tested in RCTs. This is precisely what draws a lot of people to it, and why it falls in the category of alternative medicine.

It’s actually very interesting that many of the herbal compounds they use do have some quantifiable biological activities. So it’s not all placebo, but you’ll also discover that many of the herbs being sold don’t contain the ingredients they claim, don’t contain enough active ingredients to do anything, or might even be contaminated.

I once asked some doctor friends what things they’ll never do after seeing the consequences in their patients. One of the most surprising answers, to me, was that they avoided TCM and Avurvedic medicines. Apparently they see a lot of people come in with elevated liver enzymes or signs of kidney problems and discover that some TCM or Ayurvedic herbal remedy is causing the damage. Discontinuing the supplement can stop the damage. This happens with megadoses of other supplements too, especially some of the things peddled to gym bros. However, TCM and Ayurvedic supplements seem to catch people by surprise because they assume it’s safer.