Chinese herbal medicines are bocoming a popular alternative to orthodox treatments... and you don't have to travel far to try them. Kate Bowman reports.

SANDWICHED between old favourites like Woolworths and Clarks shoes in Darlington's Cornmill shopping centre, is a surprising newcomer. Shelf upon shelf of colourful jars with equally colourful contents beckon the shopper inside. Lists on the window explain how the wonderful oriental potions sold there can treat everything from eczema to backache.

Dr & Herbs is one of more than 50 outlets nationwide run by the company Tian Tian. Dr Nigel Han, a qualified doctor in traditional Chinese medicine, is the manager.

"In China, nearly all the people believe in this kind of medicine," he says. "It has the advantage of treating people from the root. Western medicine is better in emergencies, but for functioning problems of the body, such as stress and infertility, Chinese medicines definitely have the advantage."

Dr Han believes herbal medicine should be used to complement the work of our GPs, but many in Britain remain sceptical and are reluctant - unlike doctors on the continent - to integrate the prescription of herbal remedies into their orthodox practices. In China, people have the option to be treated for illness at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital.

The fundamental concept behind traditional Chinese herbal medicine is the balance of yin and yang in the body. The yin represents such qualities as cold, stillness and dark. The yang represents warmth, activity and light. An unhealthy state is characterised by an imbalance of the yin and yang, so herbs are prescribed according to the imbalance.

The Chinese doctors diagnose their patients by examining in four ways - looking, smelling, questioning and touching. Between 12 and 15 different herbs can be used for each prescription and most are boiled in water to infuse.

Says area manager Dr Wen Ye: "Normally, after four days, a patient will see an improvement. Our statistics show that, on average, between 80 and 90 per cent of people feel better after taking a course of Chinese treatment".

There are other places in Darlington which offer herbal treatments. The Structure and Function Clinic, in Duke Street, specialises in both Chinese and English herbal medicine.

Dr Timothy Corbishley, who works with English herbal medicine at the clinic, says that it is also used to treat the patient for "functioning" problems. "Whether people come to us and use English or Chinese herbal medicine normally depends on who is available at the clinic to see the patient," he says. "There are differences between the two, but if you look at the prescriptions, there is also a lot of overlap. Our diagnostic methods are different. They are based on normal Western pathology and a detailed case study."

Dr Corbishley admits that the traditional Chinese medicine involves more than just taking herbs. Full benefits are only achieved by incorporating a good diet, acupuncture and exercise, traditionally tai chi, into the daily routine. He also stresses the importance of consulting a specialist before choosing any herbal course of treatment and says the mixing different herbs should not be left in the hands of the inexperienced.

But Chinese herbal medicine is well known successfully to treat skin problems, such as eczema and acne. There is also less chance of the unusual or dangerous side-effects attached to chemical drugs.

The number of people wandering into the Dr & Herb store to examine the packets and jars of weird and wonderful concoctions is proof in itself that our scepticism about alternative ways to health is waning. Perhaps the days of popping pills could be numbered in favour of something more inscrutable.

* Structure and Function Clinic, 62 Duke Street, Darlington. Telephone (01325) 466022.