Traditional Chinese Medicine Supports China’s Crewed Space Missions
Acupuncture, herbal remedies and ancient practices for regulating vital energy have become an integral part of China’s space programme. At a specialized aerospace medicine conference in Tianjin, experts reviewed a decade of applying traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in orbit. Specialists confirmed that ancient Eastern medical techniques effectively protect astronauts’ health under microgravity conditions and help prepare crews for long-duration flights into deep space.
Under weightlessness, the human body is subjected to considerable strain. The absence of familiar gravity leads to reduced muscle tone, disruptions in the digestive and cardiovascular systems, as well as sleep disturbances. In such situations, the comprehensive approach of TCM has demonstrated high effectiveness.
As explained by Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the main strength of Eastern medicine lies in its gentle regulation of the body as a whole. Instead of using aggressive chemical drugs, Chinese specialists employ herbal therapy to restore internal balance, improve blood composition and harmonize the vital energy known as qi.
The practical benefits of these methods are also confirmed by specialists at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center. According to expert Wu Bin, acupuncture directly aboard the space station helps astronauts combat insomnia and slow muscle atrophy. Specially developed and patented Chinese medicines help maintain stable cardiovascular function, enabling the body to adapt more quickly to weightlessness.
The effectiveness of these techniques is also confirmed by participants in space missions themselves. Taikonaut Zhang Lu, who completed long-duration flights as part of the Shenzhou-15 and Shenzhou-21 missions, said that during the final stages of the crew’s seven-month stay in orbit, they actively used special TCM devices for electrical stimulation of nerves and muscle tissue. This helped prevent dangerous muscle loss.
In addition, a comprehensive herbal medicine kit has been developed aboard China’s Tiangong space station. It includes medicinal tablets to support the heart muscle, as well as special functional drinks that reduce the adverse effects of space radiation and strengthen the body’s immune defenses. Studies show that TCM methods can effectively address space motion sickness and vascular disturbances, while significantly reducing the risk of loss of consciousness during re-entry to Earth.
The use of Eastern practices is becoming particularly important now that the Tiangong space station has entered a mode of continuous human presence. During the upcoming Shenzhou-23 mission, one of the crew members will remain in orbit continuously for an entire year. In addition, the medical experience gained will serve as a foundation for protecting the health of crews during China’s planned lunar landing mission, scheduled for 2030.
China’s experience clearly demonstrates how combining cutting-edge technologies with centuries-old traditions can help humans withstand extreme conditions beyond Earth.
ORIENT
