Chinese Herbal medicine is one of the oldest forms of internal medicine in the world with use and development stemming from around the 3rd Century BC (more than 2000 years). It uses mainly natural plant substances and is most often boiled in water and drunk by the person taking the herbs. However, it can also be found as pastes, linaments and pills for both internal and external use.
I mainly provide herbs in 2 ways for internal use:
- Raw herbs in bags containing the raw herbs to be boiled at home. This can take up to 1 hour but is considered to be more effective.
- Alternatively, they can be provided as concentrated powders which are simply added to boiled water and is more convenient with today’s lifestyle.
Internal formulas are generally personally tailored to a persons condition often using more than 8 herbs methodologically combined to restore balance to the body. One of the strengths of Chinese Herbal medicine is the way it combines herbs that accentuate and complement the actions of the ingredients, whilst reducing negative side effects that the herbs might have if taken as a single herb.
In the UK, practitioners of Chinese Herbal Medicine are trained not to use banned substances such as endangered species or animal products. All herbs used are GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certified and produced to standards which ensure traceability to source, safety, efficiency and consistency of ingredients.
I also use external formulas for topical use in musculoskeletal dermatological conditions.