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CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE
ancient wisdom for modern patients
When prescribed by a highly trained practitioner, particularly one well-versed in classical theory and practice, herbs enact strong therapeutic effects that can treat multiple symptoms at once by addressing their shared root cause. Rather than suppressing symptoms to offer relief, herbs impart a gesture to the body that reminds it how to function properly again on its own.
While it can take time to heal the body in a way that shifts it out of a symptomatic pattern, herbs are never intended to be taken for the rest of one's life. Acute ailments tend to resolve quickly, while some chronic conditions that have been developing for decades can take months of consistent treatment to lift the body out of its illness process. In these cases, herbal formulas are modified frequently to continue matching a patient's current presentation, continuously inviting it toward greater states of health. Eventually, herbal treatment will stop when a person's system indicates that it is capable of remaining in the healthy state it has achieved.
Chinese herbs are always prescribed in the context of a formula, which usually contains between 5 and 15 ingredients that work synergistically to shift interrupted processes that give rise to symptoms. I like to think of formulas as imparting an innate wisdom to the body to help it remember how to function as it did before illness began.
Chinese herbal medicine strategically guides the body back into alignment with itself by promoting optimal physiological function.
How to Take Herbs
Formulas can be administered in a variety of formats. I have shifted away from using starch-bound granules (the most common form of herbal prescribing), opting instead for whole, raw, bulk herbs that have been combined into a formula and then pulverized into a powder. This is the most cost-efficient, physiologically effective, and delicious way to consume herbs. Your formula comes to life when you place your designated dose of herb mixture into a thermos, cover with boiling water, and let it sit overnight to allow the medicinal qualities to be extracted. In the morning, you have your medicine for the day.
I also prescribe encapsulated formulas from Classical Pearls, which contain the highest quality starch-free herbal concentrates on the market. If and when there is a Classical Pearls formula that perfectly suits a patient's needs, or if there is a desire for the ease of consumption that pills offer, I will prescribe a formula from this line.
Beyond Chinese Medicine
While classical Chinese medicine serves as the foundation for my approach to internal healing, people in the 21st century require a more diverse type of care than those in ancient times. For this reason, I often prescribe supplements tailored to a patient's specific needs.
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