I think a controlled study is ONE form of empirical study but not
necessarily the most authentic one.

But that is how they have been doing it for centuries!  

Well, let me give you an example.  Semantics oftentimes gets into the
way and makes intellectual confusion.

Last year, I was diagnosed of having high cholestrol level.  So my
American  doctor in HK Adventist Hospital suggested me to take mineral
medicine, lipitor, etc..  But being scared of its 'talked-about' side
effects, I did not take it.  Instead, I went to a herb doctor and
asked him if it was possible to improve my liquid profile using herbs.
After diagnosing me through feeling my pulse, observing the color of
my tongue, he took out a formula from a book.  He then reduced the
quantities of certain ingredients and raised that of other
ingredients...

My lipid profile was vastly improved after 10 bows of herb tea.  Each
bow was taken on one day and each bow was made by boiling a whole pile
of herb leafs in 6 bows of water.  So my lipid profile was brought
down to a 'safe' level.

Then I told the people in my office in HK.  And one guy took the
recipee and tried it.  He ended up with severe diahrea the following
day after taking the herb tea made from the same recipee.  And he
stopped!  I then encouraged him to go and find a herb practitioner to
'modify' the recipee.  He did.  The he tried again and this time those
herbs that caused him diahrea had been either reduced or taken out.
He did ok the second time.

Making herb tea takes quite a bit of time.  That is why so many people
just want their reliefs from herb pills.  But the proper way to do it
is using herb tea.  Here in British Columbia of Canada, many white
people know how to make herb tea themselves, while the younger
generation of the Chinese go for herb pills.

FP