Chinese Herbal Medicine is the premier form of medical therapy in China and Taiwan today. It outranks both Acupuncture and Massage within the medical community, and Doctors of the Chinese Medicine are first and foremost Herbalist, often going their whole professional careers without using a needle. It is a system of medicine involving hundreds of plant species and forms, and requires a lifetime of diligent study to master. While many indigenous cultures of the world have traditions of herbal medicine, the Chinese are unique in their development of pattern and formula diagnosis. When a patient comes in for treatment of a condition, the primary goal is to establish what this patient’s pattern is, that is to say, why is this individual patient sick with this particular disease. While many people may suffer from the same ailment they have all contracted that illness for different reasons. Herbal Medicine practitioners seek to discover the root problem behind the symptoms of the disease, with the goal of herbal therapy being not only relief of the primary complaint, but also relief from the causative factor in that person’s life which allowed the body to be weakened in the first place. The second factor that makes Chinese Herbal Medicine unique from other herbal systems is its use of formulas, groups of herbs that are complimentary to each other, to treat complex patterns. While a specific disease may call for a standard formula, the well versed practitioner will modify that formula so that it meets the individual needs of the patient’s symptoms and presentation. Chinese Herbal Medicine is a powerful and effective mode of medical care, and should only be undertaken with the supervision and care of not only a licensed practitioner but also true lifelong student of the art.
At Marinwood Community Acupuncture, we only buy products from companies that have the highest standards of production and quality. Our Chinese Medicine products are purchased from Blue Poppy Herbs, a American company from Boulder, Colorado. We chose to work with this company because they ensure that all medicinal products are accurately sourced in China, tested multiple times for authenticity and purity, and found to be clean of all heavy metals and contaminants. Plant authenticity is a major issue in China, and one of the primary reasons why we encourage patients to not by herbal products from local grocery stores, and especially not from online public retailers. The purity of products form China is a very real concern, and our patients should feel confident in the company we have chosen to be our supplier.
Herbal Medicines can offer powerful benefits when used under the supervision of a licensed professional. Just as one would not, hopefully, go and buy their own pharmaceuticals online just because they found a better deal, one should not buy untested and unverified plant products online for the sake of a few dollars. Please always buy any medicinal product from someone thoroughly trained in how to administer them safely and effectively.
