Safety and Quality
Quality of Chinese herbs is of utmost importance and it is why I select companies who maintain good manufacturing practices, or GMPs. This means they must test every batch by a third party lab for accuracy of ingredients and for contaminants. The companies that I use in my practice meet the standards of a hospital pharmacy associated with a prominent Integrative medicine program. I review herbs and medications for interactions in two professional databases as well as in prominent herbal pharmacology texts.
Chinese herbal medicine is a sophisticated therapy in which the practitioner selects from hundreds of herbs and formulas, customizing to the patient’s unique symptom picture, or patterns of imbalance, according to Chinese medicine theory. Herbs are used in combination to work synergistically, boosting the effectiveness of the overall formula and protecting against possible side effects. When used with the recommendation of a qualified practitioner, Chinese herbal medicine is a safe, effective and well-tolerated therapy. Practitioners with board certification in Oriental medicine have completed 3000+ hours of training.