Chinese Herbal Medicine

What is Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM)

Although Acupuncture is the practice most associated with Traditional Chinese & East Asian Medicine (TCEAM) here in the West, the Chinese herbal tradition goes back thousands of years with extensive texts that detail the presentation & treatment of both internal & external medical disorders. Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) is traditional, yet through research on individual herbs & formulas, it continues to evolve & prove to be a valuable source of medicine.

It is a sophisticated system of health care that focuses equally on the prevention of illness and its treatment. It uses the same diagnostic and treatment principles as Acupuncture & can be used alongside acupuncture or in isolation to treat an individual’s unique signs/symptoms & underlying causes of illness/imbalance. For over 2,500 years CHM has been used to treat many conditions involving the respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, skeletal, muscular, digestive, urogenital, reproductive, endocrine & immune systems.

 CHM carries fewer or no side effects, treats the actual cause of illness rather than suppressing the symptoms, and provides a more affordable treatment option.

To schedule an Herbal Medicine consultation, please contact Jess directly at 410-562-2051 or by email at jess@jessfaulkner.com

CHM Rates: Chinese Herbal Medicine Services

Chinese Herbs: Plant, Mineral, Animal

There are more than 450 medicinal substances in the Chinese Materia Medica. They are largely of plant origin, but also include some animal and mineral-based substances. Unlike most medications used in Western medicine, Chinese herbs are highly unlikely to produce undesirable side effects when properly administered. They are also entirely non-toxic and free from chemicals when sourced from reputable suppliers like the ones I use.

The majority of Chinese herbs are vegetable based: foods, spices, nuts, seeds, fruits, roots, berries, leaves, flowers, stems, rhizomes, and barks are some of the many vegetable parts used. Plants contain a diverse chemical complexity that makes them so useful as medicine. Chinese herbal formulas are designed as multi-herb combinations. This approach takes advantage of the multiple compounds found in each herb, that when combined together produce an enhanced & specific therapeutic effect. 

Quality and Safety of Chinese Herbs

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is a safe and effective treatment when administered by a professionally trained herbal practitioner. Under expert supervision, your practitioner carefully selects herbs tailored to your individual health needs, minimizing the risk of adverse reactions. It is essential, however, to inform your practitioner about any medications or supplements you are currently taking to avoid potential interactions. Additionally, sharing any known allergies to foods, plants, minerals, or herbs helps ensure that your personalized formula is free from allergens. This collaborative, informed approach makes Chinese herbal medicine a safe and complementary option for your health care.

Many Americans approach Chinese herbal medicine with caution due to unfamiliarity or concerns about quality and safety. That’s why I choose to work with Evergreen Herbs—a company dedicated to purity, safety, and potency through rigorous ‘seed to shelf’ practices aligned with FDA and WHO standards. Each product undergoes advanced testing for authenticity, free from contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides, and is crafted by experts like Dr. John Chen, who blend Eastern and Western traditions for today’s needs. Evergreen’s commitment to eco-sensitive farming and sustainable practices ensures that each product is not only effective but also responsibly sourced. With these standards in place, you can feel confident in the quality and safety of the herbal medicine I offer as part of your care.

Herbal treatment process

The herbal prescription/formula is adjusted and modified as your symptoms change over time. Modifications to your herbal formula are common and will correspond to your reaction/response to the herbs. Depending on your particular ailment, and how well your body is responding to treatment, CHM treatment may take a few weeks or months to be fully effective.

Herbal Treatment Stages

There are three stages to wellness

1. The first is symptomatic care, in which your TCEAM practitioner focuses on alleviating your main & secondary symptoms. This stage can be 1 to 3 months.
2. The second is corrective care, in which your practitioner will target the underlying cause of illness/imbalance. This stage can last from months 2-6.
3. The third is maintenance care and ongoing. This is when your practitioner prescribes formulas to strengthen your immune system and enhance normal function for general health maintenance and disease prevention.

 The rate at which you move through these stages depends on your unique situation. A good rule of thumb is one month of care for every year you have had a certain medical condition.

Results with Chinese Herbal Medicine

In acute cases, results can be seen within a 1/2 a day to 3 days.  In chronic conditions, results should begin to be seen within 2-3 weeks, although chronic conditions may require taking CHM for a longer period of time (3-6 months) to achieve the desired result. 

Conditions Treated with Chinese Herbal Medicine

Chinese herbs provide natural remedies for the common cold, flu, allergies, digestive disorders, stress, anxiety, pain, menstrual disorders, insomnia, constipation, diarrhea, acid reflux, and much more!

Taking your herbs & what to expect

~ Unlike prescription medications, properly prescribed Chinese herbal formulas should not cause persistent or severe side effects. As you get started with taking CHM here are a few things to keep in mind:

~ Unless you are directed otherwise, it is ideal to take herbs on an empty stomach with a cup of warm water.

~ It is more important, however, to be consistent about taking all your prescribed doses than it is to time your doses around meals. For example, if you have been told to take two doses per day but you find yourself frequently missing your second dose because you don’t think to take your herbs when your stomach is empty once you leave the house for the day, it is better to take your herbs with meals and not miss doses.

~ It is not uncommon to experience some digestive disturbance for a few days after starting herbs. This may include mild upset stomach, loose stool, constipation, mild bloating, and/or gas. These side effect almost always resolve after a few days as your digestive system adapts to the herbs. If you continue to experience any of these side effects, try taking your herbs with meals as opposed to on an empty stomach and/or reducing your dose slightly for a few days.

~ It is not unusual for women to experience slightly heavier periods for a few months after starting herbs. This may also include a change to the appearance and/or texture of the menstrual flow. This is because the herbs are actually causing the uterus to be more thorough in shedding its lining and is a positive sign.

Side Effects That Should be Reported

On rare occasions, herbs will cause side effects that are a sign that the prescription needs to be adjusted. If you experience any of these side effects, please alert your practitioner so that they can make changes to the herbal formula:

~ New onset of hot flashes, night sweats, and/or sensations of feeling overheated.

~ More than a few nights of disrupted sleep.

~ Changes in mood (e.g., new onset of agitation, irritability, anxiety, etc.) that are persistent (longer than a week) and/or severe.

~ Digestive disturbance that is severe and/or persists for more than two weeks after starting herbs.

~ New onset of menstrual periods that are significantly heavier, more painful, or more or less frequent than normal.  

Chinese Herbal Medicine vs. Western Herbal Medicine

Western herbalism primarily treats individual symptoms, such as headaches, runny nose, stomach pain, etc. with a single herb/medicinal.  A single herb (e.g. St. John’s Wort) is used to treat a specific sign or symptom (e.g. depression).

Chinese medicine recognizes that no two people are the same and therefore cannot be treated with a one size fits all approach. CHM considers an individual’s constitution, particular signs/symptoms (including physical, mental & emotional) & underlying root causes of those symptoms when prescribing an herbal formula. The practice of CHM involves combining herbs to create a customized herbal formula specifically for an individual’s unique “pattern of disharmony”.

A person’s specific “pattern of disharmony” is made up of all the signs and symptoms they experiencing in their own unique way.  

For example, if Patient A’s migraine is due to stress, and Patient B’s migraine is due to insomnia, they will be prescribed different formulas even though they have the same basic complaint.

Diagnosis in TCEAM

Mastery of Chinese Herbal Medicine is incredibly intricate. It involves the knowledge of hundreds of herbs and classical herbal formulas. To get a clear picture of what is going on with a particular patient, a Chinese herbal practitioner will ask many questions about past/present physical & emotional symptoms, listen to the pulse & look at the tongue. With all these details, they will discern a complex pattern of imbalance, make a differential diagnosis & match the complexities of the patient’s constitution & the nature of imbalance with an appropriate herbal formula.

For example, if 7 people are struggling with headaches, each of these people will have different presentations: location of the pain, duration of the pain, nature of the pain, triggers for the headaches, different things that create relief or worsening of the symptoms, and more. In addition to the difference in manifestation of the headache, each person’s other signs and symptoms will be different as well. The TCEAM practitioner takes all of these things into consideration, crafting a different/unique custom blend of herbs for each person, ensuring that the formula matches the presentation of imbalance/condition as well as the constitution.

This thorough process of deliberation is required to treat each person safely & appropriately.

Types of Herbal Formulas

There are several ways to dispense Chinese herbal formulas. As an herbalist I prescribe granules/powders for the ability to customize a unique formula and the ease of patient consumption.

Below are the available forms an herbal formula can take:

Granules/Powders: Are highly concentrated powdered extracts that were developed as an alternative to teas. Granules are popular because of their ease of preparation, consumption and their portability when traveling. They can be mixed with warm water to make a tea or can be ingested directly.

Teas: Also known as decoctions, these are prepared in pot with raw Herbs/Medicinals and boiling water.

Capsules/Tablets: These can be raw ground herbs or granules/powder extracts that are made into capsules or tablets.

Syrups: This formulation has the addition of sugar to a liquid herbal decoction & can be beneficial for soothing coughs and sore throats. It can also be an easier way to deliver herbal medicine to children.

Tinctures: These are concentrated liquid herbal extracts, made by steeping fresh or dried herbs in alcohol. Alcohol is used in order to break down the cell wall of the plant, allowing the plants bio-active compounds to be released and stored into the alcohol.

To schedule an Herbal Medicine consultation, please contact Jess directly at 410-562-2051 or by email at jess@jessfaulkner.com

CHM Rates: Chinese Herbal Medicine Services – Jess Faulkner – Acupuncture & Asian Bodywork Therapy

Health is not just the absence of symptoms, it is being in state of balance ~ of Mind, Body & Spirit

The body/mind should be viewed as a whole, where our different organ systems, functions and process work together to keep homeostatic balance. By promoting the natural stimulation and inhibition functions of the organ systems, Traditional Chinese & East Asian Medicine (TCEAM) encourages nourishment, repair and maintenance of the whole body, mind and spirit.