The Safety of Chinese Herbs

In the right hands, Chinese herbs can be a powerful tool in healing. Acupuncturists like myself have completed hundreds of hours learning the appropriate use of over 200 substances. Through the clinics I have worked with, I have seen herbs prescribed in all different forms and brands.

When the time came to purchase my own pharmacy, I chose Evergreen Herbs, a company that is based out of California. With Evergreen, Dr. John Chen has pioneered his specialty in the West - the union of herbology and pharmacology. His perspective on herb/drug interaction has been invaluable to my education; he literally "wrote the book" on herbs. More on why I chose Evergreen.

His company uses the highest standards in processing and features minimal use of binding agents to compile powders (other companies use potato starch). At Evergreen, the herbs are ground and cooked, then boiled down to their constituent matter and used as granules. The result: A customized powder that dissolves in water, providing your body with the elements you most need.

All of the herbal products I carry undergo quality control. Many of these products are only available by prescription; they are not to be peddled on the street. I am confident in the origin of the herbal ingredients I use. I am excited about the new DNA sequencing technology that is pioneering an authenticity check for herbal supplements. I look forward to getting junk supplements off the market and out of our bodies.

Herbs redirect the function of your body over the course of your treatment plan. Like with acupuncture, you don't have to take herbs forever.

Poison Ivy

Poison ivy produces urushiol oil,
causes the rash to appear.
It's washable.

She's a subtle lady, until she gets under your skin. You may see her a thousand times, and never know it's her. Of course, I'm talking about toxicodendron radicans, not Uma Thurman.

If you've ever come down with a case of poison ivy, you know how tricky it can be to get rid of the stuff. I'm here to arm you with knowledge (and a few weapons) to prevent the start and spread of an allergic rash.

Wash yourself and everything you have touched since contact. If you are aware within 5 minutes of contact, you can probably avoid the rash altogether. You have about half an hour before the urushiol oil (sounds like a sushi sauce) soaks in and starts a reaction on your skin. In order for poison ivy to spread, you have to keep touching the oil. Washing all clothing and bedding will prevent its apparent "spread."

A life-saver for heat rash
and poison ivy. I carry it, and it's
available online.

Once you do this, you're not contagious. You can concentrate on managing any rashes that appear. Scratching can cause infection, but it won't spread the urushiol, which stimulates your skin into developing an allergic rash. The good thing about allergic rashes is that we can use my favorite 999 ointment. With Chinese herbs and some immune suppressors, you get deep, cool relief within seconds. Stubborn rashes clear up within 48 hours using this ointment.


You can find more fun facts about poison ivy at the Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac Information Center.

Nutritional Supplements

When we've begun to eat right but are still struggling with health problems, we may turn to supplements for help. Unfortunately, many supplement providers cannot tell us the actual effect of their product on our bodies. When we eat Centrum or Flinstones chewables, they have a high "nutrient content," but most of it cannot be absorbed and used by the body, so we just pass it via urination or defecation. Many people taking multivitamins report significant changes in their urine color for this reason. Passing huge amounts of nutrients through our bodies is not proportional to the nutrient benefit our bodies are actually metabolizing from the product.

Vitamin vendors may give information about their product which can be valuable and true, given that we apply it to the vitamin and not the supplement product. They say, "Your body would benefit from additional Vitamin D." I usually nod, smile, and walk away from their pill table and into the free sunshine. (Apply aloe vera gel for added Vitamin E and UV protection. Applying it directly from the plant works best.)

Whole supplements are the most efficient method of integrating nutrients into our bodies. Here are some examples of supplements I use:

• Floravital is an excellent supplement for regulating anxiety, sleep disturbance, lethargy and more.
• Emergen-C is an important electrolyte replacement method, which uses much less sugar than Gatorade. (I use bell peppers, fresh herbs, and oranges as a source of Vitamin C.)
• Chinese herbs are whole food supplements that can be combined to balance the whole body, with emphasis on your specific concerns.

Mangoes are rich in Vitamin A

When the "whole" aspect of food is removed by extracting or synthesizing more intense versions of a useful compound, the nutrient becomes less useful. Toss your supplement pills in favor of more nutrient-rich foods. If you need to adjust your metabolism, the appropriate combination of acupuncture and Chinese Herbs will smooth the root of your digestion.

Early Stage Cold & Flu

Our tumultuous Texas temperatures make it easy for people to catch the sniffles. Did you know that if you act as soon as you feel a cold coming on, you can beat it?

When you come in for acupuncture with a cold, I evaluate the signs of your oncoming cold and develop a strategy to beat it quickly. For example, sweating is important: if you are not sweating at all, our goal will be to open your pores. If you do sweat, we will want to open your pores a bit, but we'll also want to warm and stimulate your immune system into action.

Action: Warm fluids and a hot bath or shower. Do not wait! Warm your upper back and neck until they are pink, but without blistering or burning. Juice some fresh ginger and throw it in the bath, or rub slices on your neck and upper back in the shower.

With herbs, it's wise to always have some Yin Qiao San (classically a powder, it also comes in tablets) on hand, as well as some fresh ginger. If you have mostly chills with a little sweating, ginger and cinnamon are a good combination for a quick tea.

Keep applying these remedies until you feel better. If you can make an appointment for acupuncture, a mild treatment followed by some cupping will open your pores, stimulating your immune system to work at its finest. Your acupuncturist may recommend (especially if it's me) taking a full dose of herbs every 2 hours until you see improvement.

After all, it will be your system that wins in the end, but the victory will be sooner and more complete if you give your body the resources.

Beat the Cold/Flu

Texas weather changes at an alarming rate, to the point that we cannot be blamed for leaving for work in a light jacket and coming home wishing for our heavy coat. In Chinese Medicine, we treat those weather patterns as pathogens; they are broad and we can easily see their effects. From a modern medicine viewpoint, drastic weather changes can incapacitate the immune system and allow viral and bacterial pathogens to invade.


Suddenly, you realize that you did not dress warmly enough at lunch, and you feel slightly achy in the afternoon. Maybe there's a tickle in your throat. By the time you drive home, you are beginning to have chills. Your head throbs. You know this cold is coming.

Before you go to bed with that cold, I recommend heading straight to the grocery store for a big ginger root, and some cinnamon if you don't have any.

1. Chop the ginger root coarsely. Run a tub of hot water and make sure your neck is immersed in the water. Rub the warm ginger pulp over your upper back and neck.
2. Boil some water with ginger and cinnamon, and strain it for tea. Add some honey, no more than 1 tsp.

Start with this simple solution. If your symptoms do not improve immediately, consider making an appointment with your acupuncturist. Acupuncture works well by rallying the immune system during the early stages the cold or flu.

5 Steps to a Delicious Deep Breath

1. To the store! Buy one Asian pear (the big round ones that often have styrofoam slips).
2. Wash pear, boil whole in a few cups of water (enough to cover the pear). Remove from heat when soft. Set the remaining water aside.
3. Eat the whole pear. Eating the peel helps to inhibit cough. You can add a drop or two of honey, but you don’t have to.
4. Drink the water from the boil (very important to promote the expectoration of phlegm).
5. Cough! You may discover it’s more productive, but less frequent.

These steps may be repeated 2-3 times per week as needed. The pear moistens your lungs to promote the expectoration of phlegm; it also helps regulate the fluid metabolism in the upper body, head and neck.

The Strength of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs

Acupuncture does:

• Stop pain.
• Promote tissue regeneration and bone growth.
• Assist blood circulation.
• Improve immunity.
• Relieve the symptoms of over 300 medically-diagnosed conditions.

Acupuncture does not:

• Set bones or repair torn muscles.
• Repair structural abnormalities.
• Kill bacteria and/or viruses.
• Cure all medically-diagnosed illnesses.

The strength of an acupuncture treatment depends on the balance and comfort. For example, stronger treatment techniques are favored in China, where acupuncture is a common practice. American acupuncturists use smaller needles and gentler techniques, but patients still experience strong results. Acupuncture can help regenerate tissue and improve blood circulation whether the patient has had surgery or not. The treatment prescribed is of appropriate strength for the patient, depending on the severity of the disorder. For severe and chronic problems, more treatments may be needed before the patient experiences complete relief; however, acupuncture can alleviate the symptoms of many diseases, whether acute or chronic, mild or severe.

Herbs help maintain the effects of acupuncture treatment for longer periods, but they are often used alone. When herbs are prescribed as pills, the formulas are more general. In teas, the herbs are individually selected for the patient, so every prescription is unique. Herbs vary from mild to strong (for example, there is an herb that can induce a bowel movement with a single dose), allowing prescriptions to be tailored to both individual symptoms and severity of the disease.

Chinese Medicine Overview

In the West, the terms "Chinese Medicine" and "acupuncture" are often used interchangeably. In reality, acupuncture is only one aspect of Chinese Medicine, both unique and exotic. As the primary health care system in China for thousands of years, Chinese Medicine has become complex, comprehensive, and full of variety.

There are five main branches of Chinese Medicine:

1. acupuncture
2. herbology
3. nutritional therapy
4. manipulative therapy
5. exercise

I use all five of these aspects because together they help ensure lasting results.

More about Chinese herbs

With a rich history, full materia medica, and treatment complementary to acupuncture, Chinese herbs provide the building blocks to smooth transition in the body. Whether the goal is to detoxify and de-stress or to boost energy, metabolism, or immunity, Chinese herbal prescriptions are deeply effective and balanced just for you. For information about the herbs I carry, check out Evergreen Herbs.