Qichun enjoys a good reputation as the “Chinese Herbal Valley,” “ Oriental Health City,” “ Capital of Chinese Mugwort,” and “Paradise of Health Care.” There are various methods or therapies of preserving one’s health in this magic land. Among them, medical care, pharmaceutical care, rehabilitation care and diet care are very popular, and known as the “Four Regimens of Qichun.”

Medical care

Qichun is rich in traditional Chinese medicine resources.In addition to specialized Chinese medicine hospitals and research institutes, large and small hospitals are equipped with Chinese medicine clinics while private clinics can be seen all over the county. There is no shortage of experts and famous doctors here. The streets are all connected and rows of shops regarding health, massage, and rehabilitation are numerous.Qichun Western medicine has been relatively small scale, as Qichun people rely primarily on traditional Chinese medicine to stay healthy. Each person from Qichun can narrate some Taoist methods of traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, there are many temples, many monks and Taoist disciples who have studied and passed on the medical ethics of Li Shizhen. They make use of their talents and tried their best to help cure the ill persons,particularly the ones who came from thousands of miles away.

Pharmaceutical Care

Qichun has a subtropical continental monsoon climate with four distinct seasons. The forest coverage rate is over 40%. Among the 1,892 kinds of drugs recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica, more than 700 specimens remain in Qichun, which is deemed a veritable Chinese herbal medicine library. Qi mugwort is the staple of Qichun medical care. Since ancient times,it has been believed that “If you save three years’ mugwort, then you don’t need a doctor.” Qichun moxibustion, mugwort bath and mugwort oil-care are all popular with tourists as well.

Daily moxibustion training of practitioners in Li Shizhen Vocational School李時(shí)珍職校艾灸師日常灸法訓(xùn)練

Li Shizhen Chinese Medicine Hospital李時(shí)珍中醫(yī)院

蘄春被稱為“華夏中藥谷，東方養(yǎng)生城”，有“中國(guó)艾都·養(yǎng)生蘄春”的美譽(yù)。這里的養(yǎng)生之法包羅萬(wàn)象，集“醫(yī)養(yǎng)”“藥養(yǎng)”“療養(yǎng)”“食養(yǎng)”于一身，也叫“蘄春四養(yǎng)”。

蘄春四養(yǎng)

醫(yī)養(yǎng)

蘄春中醫(yī)資源豐富，除專門的中醫(yī)院和研究所外，大大小小的醫(yī)院都設(shè)有中醫(yī)門診，私人中醫(yī)門診更是比比皆是，這里不乏專家、名醫(yī)。大街小巷這堂那堂“堂堂相連”，以保健、按摩、推拿、康體為生的店鋪不勝枚舉。蘄春西醫(yī)臨床重癥手術(shù)一直處在較少的狀態(tài)，這與蘄春人注重中醫(yī)調(diào)養(yǎng)有很大關(guān)系。每個(gè)蘄春人都可以講一些中醫(yī)的方法理論。此外，蘄春寺廟庵觀較多，僧侶和道家弟子中也多研究和傳承李時(shí)珍醫(yī)德醫(yī)術(shù)之人，他們都用畢生所學(xué)為游客診病除疾。

藥養(yǎng)

蘄春屬亞熱帶大陸季風(fēng)氣候，氣候溫和，四季分明，森林覆蓋率達(dá)40%以上?！侗静菥V目》記載的1892種藥物，蘄春境內(nèi)有700余種，是名副其實(shí)的華中藥庫(kù)。蘄艾是蘄春藥養(yǎng)的主流，自古有“家有三年艾，醫(yī)生不用來(lái)”的佳話，“艾灸療法”、艾湯沐浴、艾油保健等都是來(lái)蘄春旅游必須的體驗(yàn)。

療養(yǎng)

古風(fēng)水先生對(duì)明荊王說(shuō)：“蘄春‘龍鳳呈祥（龍峰山和鳳凰山）’、‘麒麟獻(xiàn)寶’，有‘王’字地脈”。為此，明荊王將府址從江西瑞昌遷到這里。這里靈山秀水，由此可見一斑。依山（大別山）伴水（長(zhǎng)江）的蘄春，山川秀麗，湖泊星羅棋布，古剎隱約其間，名勝境點(diǎn)多達(dá)120多處。蘄春自然環(huán)境沒有遭到現(xiàn)代工業(yè)破壞，是難得的人間仙境，首屈一指的養(yǎng)生療養(yǎng)之地。

Rehabilitation Care

In ancient times, a geomantic master said to Lord Jing (1406-1453) of the Ming Dynasty that Qichun was an ideal place to reside because it had “prosperity brought by the dragon and the phoenix (Dragon Point Mountain and Phoenix Mountain)” and“Unicorn Presenting Treasure.”For this reason, Lord Jing moved his palace here from Ruichang,Jiangxi Province. Located by the Dabie Mountains and the Yangtze River, Qichun has breathtaking mountains and placid lakes all around, with many ancient temples flecking the landscape with rich heritage. There are more than 120 scenic spots in the area,and its natural environment is being protected from destruction by modern industry. It is a veritable paradise on earth and widely considered the best choice for rehabilitation and maintaining health.

Herbal food made from TCM materials discovered by Li Shizhen李時(shí)珍藥膳美食

Li Shizhen Herbal Food Experience Center李時(shí)珍藥膳美食體驗(yàn)中心

食養(yǎng)

“蘄春以‘水隈多蘄菜’而得名，‘食養(yǎng)’不可不提?！痹谕饨?jīng)營(yíng)餐飲業(yè)21年的蘄春人袁莉芳，回到家鄉(xiāng)，挑起藥膳養(yǎng)生產(chǎn)業(yè)發(fā)展的重?fù)?dān)，“我們藥膳協(xié)會(huì)的宗旨是：積極弘揚(yáng)和傳承我縣中醫(yī)藥健康藥膳養(yǎng)生文化，使之形成知名度高、文化氛圍濃厚、藥膳菜肴精美、餐飲環(huán)境優(yōu)、體系全的理想格局，讓游客觀蘄春美景，品艾都藥膳，重養(yǎng)生之道?！薄拔覀冋Υ蛟祓B(yǎng)生藥膳一條街，以漕河一路現(xiàn)有藥膳資源為基礎(chǔ)，發(fā)揮‘李時(shí)珍’‘金三利’‘艾晶’‘皇家壹號(hào)’‘江洲寨’‘鄂人谷’‘三江’等餐飲企業(yè)的龍頭作用，科學(xué)規(guī)范管理，讓游客體會(huì)吃的講究，培養(yǎng)食療保健意識(shí)，把蘄春藥膳文化帶回家?！痹蚍颊f(shuō)，“藥膳協(xié)會(huì)將結(jié)合蘄春旅游線路特點(diǎn)和游客熱門景點(diǎn)，把藥膳餐飲融入進(jìn)去，方便游客進(jìn)餐體驗(yàn)。同時(shí)，我們還結(jié)合季節(jié)特點(diǎn)、人的肌體變化、中醫(yī)理論等，設(shè)計(jì)養(yǎng)生食譜，達(dá)到食以致用。”

Diet Care

Qichun is noted for its clean water and fresh vegetables.People here are naturally picky about their foods and diets.Yuan Lifang, who had been in the restaurant industry for 21 years before returning to her hometown here, spearheaded the development of the medicated diet industry. As head of the Qichun Herbal Diet Association,her aim is to actively carry forward and pass on the county’s TCM health diet and culture,in order to create an enduring pattern of good reputation,strong cultural atmosphere,exquisite medicinal dishes, and a nice dining environment. “We are trying to create a health medicated street based on the existing medicated resources of Caohe First Road, and to play leading roles among ‘Li Shizhen,’ ‘Jinsanli,’ ‘Ai Jing,’‘Royal No.1’ and ‘Jiangzhouzhai’‘E-ren Valley,’ ‘Sanjiang’ and other dining companies. We manage these establishments in scientific and standardized ways,allowing visitors to appreciate the food, cultivate awareness on healthy eating, and bring home the Qichun diet culture.” Yuan Lifang said, “We’ve designed healthy recipes to promote good health in accordance with the seasons, individual body changes, and traditional Chinese medical theories. The Herbal Diet Association will utilize the tourist routes and hot spots to integrate the food and beverage offerings and facilitate the dining experience for tourists.”