Chinese Herbal Medicine includes over 1,000 medicinal substances including plants, minerals, roots, parts of animals and flowers. Chinese herbs generally focus on balancing the body’s Yin and Yang and the function of the vital organs.
The carefully crafted prescription of custom herbal formulas allows me to fine tune the body’s functions and helps my patients to achieve optimum health.
I use herb capsules, tablets and tinctures that are easy for patients to use effectively. All of the formulas I use are purchased from reputable companies that I have used for 25 years, and are always tested for purity and potency.
Just for fun, here is a list of common things you might have at home and their traditional
Chinese medicine uses.
Nutmeg – rou dou kou. Nutmeg is used to stabilize and bind chronic diarrhea that occurs
at daybreak. This is “cold” diarrhea caused by a deficiency of the kidney and spleen-not the kind
when you travel to Mexico.
Tangerine Peel – chen pi. Dried tangerine peel is used to help the digestion for bloating,
fullness, nausea, and vomiting. It has a drying nature so it helps dry up excess phlegm that
causes a stifling sensation in the chest, abdominal distention, loss of appetite, fatigue and loose
stools.
Peppermint – bo he. Peppermint is spicy and cool. Also used to sweat out a common
cold that manifests with sore throat, red eyes and more fever than chills. It helps express the
rash of measles or chicken pox, thereby speeding recovery. It can also be used in many
formulas for gynecological problems.
Corn Silk – yu mi xu. Corn silk tea is very soothing for a urinary bladder infection. It promotes urination and treats edema. It has been used to treat jaundice and gall bladder disorders.
Ginger – sheng jiang (fresh), gan jiang(dried). Fresh ginger is spicy and warm, used to
help sweat out a common cold, stop nausea, vomiting, cough, and treat the overdose of other
strong herbs. Dried ginger is warmer in nature and used for chronic cough with thin, watery,
clear sputum. It is also an important herb for “rescuing the devastated yang” where the patient is
extremely weak and cold.
Cinnamon – gui zhi (twigs), rou hui (bark). Cinnamon twig is also used to sweat out a
common cold. It disperses cold from the meridians for that cold achy feeling especially in the
shoulders. It is also good for menstrual cramps and palpitations caused by “cold blockages” in
the abdomen or chest.
Honey – Feng me. Honey is used to tonify the qi, meaning it gives energy. It treats
abdominal pain, constipation and dry cough. It can also be applied to burns to prevent infection.
Many strong herbs are cooked in honey to neutralize their strong nature.
Turmeric – yu jin. Turmeric moves the blood and breaks up blood stasis. For this reason, it
is applied topically to traumatic injuries like a sprained ankle or taken internally to speed the
healing of chronic sores and ulcers. It is also used in formulas for menstrual pain, anxiety and
jaundice.
