Although acupuncture is the best-known treatment modality used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), for the last several hundred years the Chinese have considered the practice of Herbal Medicine to be the most important treatment in the repertoire of TCM.

Chinese Herbal Medicine differs from many other herbal traditions in several important ways. To begin, single herbs are rarely used in TCM. Rather, Chinese physicians almost always prescribe herbs in complex formulas that contain anywhere from 5 or 6 to dozens of single herbs each chosen and balanced in dosage amount for the specific patient. Herbal formulas take several things into consideration, including the symptom being treated, the cause of the disease, the patient’s constitution and even seasonal or environmental factors.

Chinese herbs come in many different forms. The professional standard of herbal medicine in China today is the use of raw or bulk decoctions. In a raw decoction a patient is given bags of the actual herbs (twigs, branches, roots, etc) that comprise their formula. The herbs are then cooked into a tea for the patient to drink. These raw decoctions are the most potent form of herbs available. They can also be easily modified to address the exact nature of an individual’s condition. For some patients herbal powders and tablets are another treatment option.  Another option is to have the herbs pre-cooked by an herbal pharmacy, vacuumed packed and shipped directly to you.  This option provides the patient with the strongest, most effective herbal treatment while leaving a lot of the work to the pharmacist or practitioner.