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Herbal Medicine
Herbal Consultations
Herbal remedies have been used in every culture since the beginning of recorded history. Chinese Medicine has a long documented history of case studies, applications of herbs, and theory. We draw from this body of work to accurately diagnose and dispense the appropriate formula for you. Additionally, we use herbs supplied by Evergreen Herbs and Legendary Herbs. We’ve chosen these for their high quality; in fact, you need an acupuncture license to purchase them.
HOW TO BOOK
An herbal consultation can happen via telehealth or in person at the office. The consultation is 45min-60min, plus a scheduled follow up to ensure dosage and efficacy. Herbs can be given in granule form (powder) or pill form, depending on your preference. Granules tend to work more quickly but the flavor is of roots and leaves, and pills work slower but you don’t taste them.
Exclusive Digital Shop Access
We take great pride in customizing formulas to the person being treated (and is a fundamental pillar of Chinese Herbal Prescriptions). Consequently, Blue Orchid won’t sell herbs to just anyone. The purpose of the shop is to make getting these formulas fast and convenient for patients, thus only patients who have been diagnosed can purchase from the online shop. You will be given a 6 month access pass once you’re diagnosed. After that time, you will need a new diagnosis, or more likely, your condition has resolved!
What To Expect
You can expect a 20-30 minute conversation about your condition, past medical history, allergies and current medications, and personal preferences. After which you will be prescribed a formula or set of formulas. The dosage, and length of prescription all depends on what is being treated. You will then have a choice to purchase the herbs directly from the shop, or if you’re coming to the office I can give you the herbs in person (saves you on shipping cost).
Healing
FAQ
Yes- patient preference is a priority
No. You’re accustomed to taking pharmaceuticals, not botanicals. Pharmaceuticals are essentialized and concentrated (and often from botanical sources). If you took
Granules, or powder form, is typically the ingredients in dried form and pulverized into a powder. The granules tend to work faster because they are more easily digested. The tradeoff is that you actually have to drink the granules as you would a tea, and often people find the flavor too bitter. However, I often encourage patients to take the granules because the flavor profile is part of the mechanism of how the herbs work. We have trained ourselves as a culture to enjoy sweet flavors, but there are so many more therapeutics in sour, bitter, pungent, umami, etc.
100% safe. You would be correct if you’ve heard herbs can contain western pharmaceuticals, or fillers, or other substances meant to cut corners. However, I’m using herbs from Evergreen Herbs which I have personally verified and take on a weekly basis. They routinely test their own batches and publish that information. Additionally, you need an acupuncture license to purchase these herbs; you shouldn’t be able to find them on Amazon for very good reason! Evergreen is owned and operated by John Chen, the man who wrote the textbook on Chinese Herbs. He’s also a doctor of pharmacology and a licensed acupuncturist. There is no one in the world better positioned to provide safe botanicals.
Every dose and refill prescription is different. There is no general rule of thumb because everyone’s condition is unique to their own bio-mechanics, tolerance, personal habits, etc. I often follow up with a patient after two or three days to see if we need to adjust the dosage. Most patients are trained for pharmaceuticals; they expect dosage to change. But in herbal medicine, those changes happen more frequently, and sometimes we switch the entire formula! Think of this as a dietary supplementation: you change your diet more frequently than other medicines.
Most importantly, side effects tend to be rare, and very mild. These are not at all comparable to the side effects you see on pharmaceuticals. However, anything that has the power to help you has the power to hurt you. Of course an introduction to a botanical that you’ve never taken before can effect your body in an unforeseen way; but that’s precisely why you don’t take supplements from YouTube, or Twitter, or some guy you know at the office. Terrence is a board certified herbalist and spent years learning this medicine from industry leading acupuncturists and Chinese Medical doctors. He’s a trusted health care professional invested in your well being.