When you come in for an herbal consultation we ask a lot of questions in order to figure out a pattern that is unique to you, what works well in your body, what doesn’t. We get these red flags of what’s not working and we make an X in that system to make sure we address it. A successful formula is one that addresses all your Xs and you tolerate well until your conditions improve. You may be worried only about your symptoms, but we tend to worry about what caused them (at least I do). Addressing the source of your symptoms may take longer (months or even years) because you’ve had it for a while. Some people have replaced their morning cup of coffee altogether because they are sipping on their formula and they get their boost from that, no need for caffeine. Some herbs can be bitter or have a funny taste, but those tend to be just short-term.

Chinese herbs are comprised primarily of roots, but there may also be barks, stems, flowers, minerals and occasionally legally obtained animal products. They are mixed either raw or pre-boiled and dehydrated to form a powder. A formula contains anywhere from 3-15 herbs and is generally prescribed to cover all your health concerns. After a couple of weeks it can be modified based on what has changed.

So what kind of issues are herbs useful for? Basically any condition can be helped by taking the right herbal formula so I am not going to list them all. I have used them to treat infections, pain, chronic conditions, low energy, insomnia, hot flashes, just to name a few. Herbs are usually taken three times a day, or twice a day for a maintenance dose.

A common concern is with people taking Western drugs for a particular condition and introducing Chinese herbs. A Western practitioner would advise you not to take them. This is a common advice that is based mostly on caution, not understanding how Chinese herbs work, not knowing the practitioner who does the prescribing, having read about interactions between some herb and a particular Western drug, and not wanting things to go wrong for their patient. If you are a Western practitioner or a patient of one who has these concerns then I don’t think you should be taking Chinese herbs.

On the other hand if you are someone who is not on any medication and is open to trying a formula for a while to see how it can benefit you then give me a call, let’s talk.

There is generally between 3-4 years of schooling in Chinese herbal medicine that is done alongside acupuncture. Some of us choose to study this beyond our Masters program to get even more in-depth about the specifics of herbs, interactions, dosage and specific applications.

I don’t think Chinese herbs are something to be feared. This course of action is best approached by getting to know a practitioner and asking the right questions, and giving the herbs enough time to show you what they can do.

Final words of comfort, herbs used in my practice have been tested for heavy metals, pesticides and Western drugs and passed.