Chinese herbal medicine may be used as a primary therapy, or as a means to accentuate the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are Chinese herbs?

The Chinese Materia Medica lists thousands of substances, including roots, stems, leaves, tubers, berries, flowers, seeds, shells, minerals, and some animal products.  Some of these are recognizable food items, such as ginger, garlic, cinnamon, and goji berries.  Others, such as ginseng, astragalus, and reishi mushrooms are becoming more well-known for their powerful healing properties. Other substances are more obscure or no longer used. 

What is a Chinese herbal formula?

Chinese herbal formulas are based on elegant pairings of herbs that work together to create a perfect harmony. A typical formula may have approximately a half a dozen to a dozen herbs in it to achieve this fine balance.  Unlike Western herbalism, in which one herb may be used alone, Chinese herbs are almost always taken as formulas, in which the herbs work synergistically to restore balance, repair tissue, and minimize unwanted side-effects.

How do I take Chinese herbs?

Traditionally, an herbal prescription consists of raw herbs which are cooked at home and made into a tea to be taken in doses or sipped on throughout the day. For modern convenience and quality control, most practitioners use concentrated herb granules which can be mixed into a tea or swallowed in capsules.

Is the use of Chinese herbs ethical and safe?

Silver Lining Acupuncture does not utilize cruelly derived substances, harmful materials, or any products derived from endangered species. If you prefer not to ingest animal products, let us know and we will confirm that your herbal formula is vegetarian / vegan. We primarily source our herbs from Classical Pearls and Evergreen Herbs to ensure quality, integrity, and efficacy.

Why Classical Pearls?

Classical Pearls manages the sourcing, production and formulation of the highest quality ingredients into unique and potent formulations based on the classical medical texts, and fine-tuned to treat modern patients suffering from the complex diseases of our time. Classical Pearls champions directly traded ingredients and supports farmers and herb distributors in China elsewhere in Asia who understand our mission of providing the highest quality medicinal ingredients, making every effort to source wild-crafted and organic herbs when possible. Classical Pearls formulas and single herbs are free of heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, preservatives, dyes, yeasts, and added sugars. All ingredients are independently tested for purity, identity, and the concentration of active ingredients during procurement, manufacturing, and importing.

All herbs are processed according to the labor and cost intensive methods specified by the classics of Chinese medicine and relevant paozhi teachings of traditional family lineages and great care is taken to preserve the full-spectrum base constituents of the crude herbs. These efforts contribute to the high level of positive clinical outcomes practitioners should aspire to. Classical Pearls manages all stages of sourcing, testing, formulation, and production of herbs and formulas, from small farms in China directly to the clinician’s office.

Why Evergreen?

From "seed to shelf," Evergreen ensures purity, safety and potency in their herbal extracts by following standards of current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) established by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO). Efforts put forth by a team of experts in chemistry, microbiology, and Chinese medicine result in a Certificate of Analysis (COA), which guarantees that your practitioner receives the highest quality product that is safe and effective. Evergreen Herbs prides itself on leading the Chinese herbal community as an authoritative resource and innovator of the art and science of Chinese Medicine as a whole. Dr. John Chen, expert consultant for Evergreen Herbs with dual doctorate degrees in Western Pharmacology and Chinese Medicine, has played a key role in crafting the Evergreen Collections, a line of Chinese herbal formulas specifically addressed for today's ailments. With his knowledge, Evergreen Herbs is able to bring you the best of the east and west in each bottle. Evergreen leads the industry in its commitment to product excellence with a team of highly trained specialists ranging from senior herbalists experienced to perform organoleptic identification to microbiologists who tests for safety against harmful bacteria and biochemists who perform assays to ensure the presence and quality of active ingredients in our extracts.

What is a consultation with a Chinese herbalist like?

The intake process for acupuncture treatment and herbal medicine is very similar, as both modalities are based on identifying and treating the underlying pattern responsible for symptom production. The first appointment consists of a thorough intake that lasts about 30 minutes. This will include taking your history, listening to your concerns, and answering your questions, as well as formulating a comprehensive mind-body-spirit assessment and diagnosis. Follow-up appointments include a brief intake and reassessment to determine any necessary changes.