The word for 'physician' in Chinese is yi sheng (healer of life) which denotes "a holistic herbal approach as contrasted to the western view of the physician as a curer of disease."
Dr. Mah adds that "traditional Chinese 'medicine' consist not of injections, pills and elixirs" but largely of plant based ingredients brewed into a tea, a soup or a stew.
Much like Ayurveda, the traditional Chinese approach is that food is medicine. A healthy diet prevents disease and illness from emerging and when there is an imbalance in the body, it can often be corrected by a dietary change.