Chinese Medicine Herbs

Herbs and Formulas

An herb can be found in many different forms: flowers, stems, twigs, leaves tree bark, you name it. Taking Chinese medicine herbs may sound exotic and New Age, but often times people live closely knit lives with many herbs found in Chinese medicine. In fact, a large portion of TCM herbs is common grocery store food. From cinnamon and mint to chrysanthemum and goji berries, herbs can cover a vast breadth of medicinal usages that are range anywhere from mild daily consumptions such as green tea to once-in-a-while energy boosters such as ginseng.

Though herbs can be powerful on their own, TCM herbology really shines in the knowledge of combining herbs together to address complex conditions. These combinations are referred to as formulas and their usages often obtain results that single herbs struggle to reach. Formulas can range anywhere from an herb pairing to a concoction of more than 20 herbs. Many famous and delicious soups in Chinese cuisine actually adopt TCM theory and herbology to combine gourmet flavor with health consciousness.

What does an Herbalist Do?

Herbs are multifaceted and have many functions that require a multi-dimensional understanding to correctly balance a formula. An herbalist must understand the properties of each herb in every formula to maximize the treatment efficacy and minimize potential side-effects. Alternatively it's important for an herbalist to educate patients on foods that may jeopardize the effects of their medications. A well known example is that fresh grapefruit juice can affect many prescription medications. What most don't know is that herbs can also cancel out the effect of other herbs. For example, cloves can function to invigorate the digestive system and turmeric can have calming anti-inflammatory effects on the body, however when put together in the same formula, the beneficial effects of both are reported to be antagonistic. In other words, they cancel each other out. Herbalists can help set up a treatment plan that can avoid herb antagonism and maximize the benefits of your formula.