[Chinese medicine as vegetative systems biology. Part I: therapeutic methods]

Chinese medicine (CM) enjoys increasing popularity in Germany despite doubts about whether the measures taken make sense and whether they are safe and effective. In quantitative terms, CM de facto has already established itself, but very often it is reduced to the level of Asian philosophy in the form of mystical philosophical remnants. In this bipartite article we present a short overview of CM as a traditional approach to stringent and complex systems biology. Only if the internal logic of CM can clearly be appreciated by the Western doctor will its increasing integration be successful.