Herbs Don't Work
Something we commonly hear in Chinese Medicine is something like this: "someone told me to take this one herb for ______ (fill in the blank), but it didn't work, so I don't want to waste any more money on herbs".
First of all, while it is possible that your neighbor or the person at a health food store has a degree in Chinese Medicine (CM) or is trained in Western Herbology, it is often not the case. Even more importantly, this person didn't look at your tongue, feel your pulse, or give you a specific diagnosis--what we call a differential diagnosis.
Something else to consider is the quality of the herbs you are buying. Where does the health food store buy their herbs, tinctures, etc., and how do they verify the products they sell? For good reason, some people have concerns about the herbs and supplements they're buying.
As a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, I'm NCCAOM Board Certified in Chinese Herbology, which means that I'm trained to evaluate your specific condition before prescribing a formula appropriate for that condition. Using the system of Chinese Medicine and a differential diagnosis (referenced above), we can address the cause of your problem(s); therefore, solutions often vary from person to person. Two people could both have problems sleeping, but it's possible that we would prescribe them different herbal formulas because the reason that one person can't sleep may be different from the reason another person can't sleep.
As trained and licensed providers, we use a combination of herbs, a formula, to treat you. A formula can have as few as two herbs or ten or more, but formulas are designed so that the herbs are working together to treat the problem. Rarely would we use a single herb to treat a condition, so keep this in mind when someone makes a blanket recommendation.
Additionally, I almost exclusively use herbs from Golden Flower Chinese Herbs, because of their rigorous standards for herb safety. Globally, herbal companies follow the World Health Organizations's regulations, commonly referred to as GMP or Good Manufacturing Practices. Golden Flower goes beyond those requirements, conducting in-house testing before creating their formulas.
Overall, herbs are mild and very safe. The most common problem people experience is diarrhea, and this often resolves on its own, and we can also adjust the dose if your stomach is a little more sensitive. Just like blood pressure medication, you do need to take your herbal prescription as directed and try not to skip any doses for best results. Depending on what we're treating, some patients notice a difference in their condition right away and for others, it takes longer.
If you've had an disappointing experience with herbs in the past, give this information some thought before completely writing them off for the future. You may just need a more qualified approach.
