Chinese Herbal Medicine

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“Chinese herbs” are plants that are recognized to have medicinal value.

Herbalists are doctors who specialize in knowing how plants and bodies interact. The way herbs are used in combination with the unique Chinese philosophy and medical perspective of the herbalist is what makes it “Chinese Herbal Medicine”.

 

Many of the most commonly used Chinese herbs are plants that are plainly recognizable to Americans: ginger, cinnamon, peppermint, and various citrus peels, to name a few. There are also many Chinese herbs that are used in medical traditions outside of China (though, called by different names): Angelica, Artemisia, Astragalus, Schizandra, Hawthorne, and Salvia, for example.

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Plants make potent and effective medicine. An experienced herbalist can guide you to the plants that are most appropriate for you, in what dosage, and will make sure to prevent unintended side-effects and interactions with pharmaceuticals.

Herbs can treat anything that you’d go to your regular doctor for, and many things that you wouldn’t. With herbal medicine, we can boost immunity and fight cold and flu symptoms, treat headaches, insomnia, menstrual pain, menopause symptoms, digestive problems, autoimmune diseases, allergies, skin problems, pain... the list goes on!

 

Herbal medicine especially shines for the “weird” symptoms that may be dismissed by other doctors, and for the problems that conventional pharmaceuticals haven’t been able to resolve.

Our Herbalist, Sarah, uses anywhere from 3 to 15 herbs to create an herbal formula that will focus on your symptoms and resolve the root of your problem. Your medicine will be updated to match your progress as symptoms improve and the disease is resolved.

All formulas are additionally customized to accommodate any allergies or preferences, and to avoid unintended side-effects or negative interactions with pharmaceuticals.

You will need to “cook” your herbs about twice a week. This is a simple process: soak the herbs in a thermos overnight (we have some available in clinic for purchase if you need one!). The next day, strain the “tea” and keep it in the refrigerator. You’ve made 3-4 days worth of medicine.

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A follow-up consultation is usually scheduled after a week or so to see if any formula tweaks are necessary. After that, most patients will schedule once every 3-4 weeks, until the problem is solved. Updated formulas and herbal refills can be picked up at your convenience during office hours.

Chinese Herbal Medicine focuses on getting to the root of the problem. Your herbalist is working not only to relieve the symptoms today, but to make sure they don’t come back once you've completed taking your herbal formulas. The specific nature of the condition will determine how long herbal medicine is needed.

 

Acute conditions (that appeared suddenly or have only been an issue for a few days or weeks) can usually be resolved quickly, while more severe or chronic diseases may require longer term care. In the end, your herbalist’s goal is to re-balance and heal the system so that your body maintains health on its own without the need of ongoing herbal treatments.