Root and Branch Treatments in Traditional Chinese Medicine: How Chinese herbal combinations address both the root cause and outward symptoms
- Dr. Kim Drolet L.Ac.
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
One of the most fascinating and essential ideas in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the concept of Root and Branch treatments, known in Chinese as Ben and Biao (本 & 标).
Understanding this idea explains why Chinese herbal medicine can be so effective in treating complex, long-term issues that keep coming back even after temporary relief.
🌳 The Body as a Tree: A Metaphor for Healing
Think of your body as a living tree.
The roots represent your internal organ systems, your deeper physiology and systems. The branches, leaves, and flowers represent your symptoms in areas of the body, such as headaches, fatigue, rashes, digestive problems, anxiety, insomnia, or pain.
When a tree looks unhealthy with yellowed leaves, broken branches, or wilted flowers, trimming the top might make it look better for a short while. But if the roots are weak or the soil is poor, the same problems will return.
This is how Chinese medicine views health: symptoms are visible expressions of a deeper imbalance. To truly heal, we must eventually attend to the roots, while caring for the branches.
🍂 What Is a “Branch” Treatment in TCM?
A branch treatment focuses on relieving symptoms and addressing what you feel right now. It is like pruning the tree to make it healthier and more comfortable in the short term. It's not getting to the roots but can be very helpful to relieve immediate symptoms. Sometimes also, there is so many issues in the branches and leaves, you must clear them out before you can even get to, or see, the roots.
Examples include:
Herbs that clear heat to calm a rash or reduce a fever
Formulas that stop coughing or ease sinus congestion
Digestive herbs that relieve bloating, nausea, or acid reflux
These treatments are important and compassionate. When you are uncomfortable, you deserve relief. Branch treatments help stabilize symptoms quickly, bringing you back into balance so your body can heal more easily.
However, if we only trim the branches and leaves, the imbalance that caused those symptoms often remains hidden in the soil, waiting to grow back.
🌱 What Is a “Root” Treatment in Chinese Herbal Medicine?
A root treatment aims to correct the underlying cause(s) of your symptoms, the imbalance(s) beneath the surface. This is like fertilizing the soil and strengthening the roots so the entire tree thrives naturally.
For example:
Strengthening Spleen Qi to resolve chronic bloating, fatigue, and sinus congestion
Nourishing the Kidneys to improve sleep, hormonal balance, and vitality
Calming the Liver to ease irritability, stress, and tension headaches
Root treatments often take a little longer to show results, but they create true and lasting healing. Over time, symptoms fade because the system itself is stronger and more balanced.
🌺 Why Many TCM Treatments Combine Both Root and Branch
In my clinical practice, most Chinese herbal formulas I use treat both the root and the branch at the same time. But not always. Sometimes people need a branch treatment first, because there is a need to clear out the branches first, to open up avenues to the root. This flexibility in approach is what makes TCM so intelligent and adaptive.
For example:
A person with eczema might receive herbs that calm itching and clear heat (branch) while also supporting digestion and nourishing blood (root).
Someone with anxiety and insomnia may take herbs that soothe the mind (branch) while restoring Heart and Spleen Qi (root).
By supporting both levels, the patient feels better quickly and builds long-term stability, just as a gardener might prune and fertilize at the same time.
🌤️ Same Symptom, Different Root Causes
Here’s where Chinese medicine truly shines: the same or similar symptom(s) can have different root causes.
Imagine two trees with yellow leaves.
One is overwatered, creating too much dampness.
The other is too dry, lacking nourishment.
Leaves are dying on both.
Both are having leaf problems (imagine, for example, different kinds of headaches), but the treatment must be completely different. This is why Chinese medicine does not just treat “the symptom.” It treats what we call the Pattern, the unique combination of signs a person has that point to your personal root imbalance. (Or, often, more than one imbalance.) While two people with the same condition such as headaches, acne, or fatigue, they may receive very different herbal prescriptions. The goal ultimately is to find the root pattern that connects all the symptoms together and treat from that deeper level.
This is also why it can be difficult to apply oneself, without some expert guidance. There's a reason Chinese Medicine school is 4 or more years after first getting a bachelor's degree.
🌼 How I Use Root and Branch Treatments in My Practice
When I describe an herb or a formula as a branch treatment, I mean it is aimed at fast symptom relief, trimming the uncomfortable parts of the “tree.” When I call something a root treatment, it is designed to correct the underlying imbalance that caused the symptoms to grow in the first place. Depending on your situation, either is a viable approach. And sometimes combining both approaches is the best approach.
When I suggest combining 2 different formulas/products, it is often to get the synergy between addressing both the branches and the root issues together.
🌿 The Wisdom of Treating the Root Cause
Ultimately, though, health is not just about eliminating what is wrong. It is about restoring balance and resilience. Sometimes the right approach is to prune the branches, sometimes to fertilize the soil, and often both together.
That is the power behind Chinese herbal medicine (and acupuncture treatments as well!). It helps us understand and navigate the relationship between root and branch, between symptom and source, and between short-term comfort and long-term vitality. I want you to feel better now. I'd also like to help you walk a path of better health over time so you can feel your best and enjoy your life!