Blog

Before any herbal formula, Christine asks about everything you already take. Granules come in labelled bottles with written directions, and safe habits keep them in context with your medicines and daily life.

Herbs can feel gentle and familiar, especially when a few of them also turn up in the kitchen. In Chinese herbal medicine, though, every ingredient is regarded as an active substance that meets the rest of your life, including your medicines, your digestion and the pace of your days. That is why a herbal plan at the Lane Cove clinic opens with a conversation rather than a product.

One format, its own directions

Herbal medicine here comes as concentrated granules in labelled bottles, each carrying its own written steps for making up, measuring and keeping the product, plus a use-by date. Loose herbs to cook at home are not supplied. A bottle may look simple, yet it still needs a clear identity and instructions written for the person using it.

Bring the full list

Before Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, discusses any formula, she needs to know everything you take: prescriptions, vitamins, protein powders, sleep aids and anything ordered online. People often leave out the items they think of as harmless, yet those details can matter a great deal. A stressful month can also change what you reach for, so mention recent additions as well. Your GP and pharmacist should hear about the herbal product too.

Habits that keep a herbal plan safe

• Ask what to do if you forget a dose or notice an unfamiliar symptom.
• Resist taking extra granules because progress feels slow.
• Keep your bottle for yourself, even when a relative describes similar complaints.
• Remember that a product that suited a family member may not suit you.

Labels, bottles and changes

Leave the granules in their original bottle and keep the written directions beside it, so the product name, measure and review date are easy to find. If your doctor alters a medicine, tell Christine before your next herbal dose rather than waiting for the following appointment. When a new sensation appears and its link to the herbs is uncertain, ring for guidance instead of changing the amount yourself.

Seeing herbs as a single strand in a larger web of sleep, meals, emotions and medical care keeps attention on you as a whole person. Christine is glad to talk through where a formula might sit in that picture, with no pressure to decide on the day.