Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) - Ecosse Acupuncture

The herbal tradition of China is valued scientifically, as well as being a fascinating and popular tradition. Scientists working in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan during the past four decades have demonstrated that herbal materials contain active components that can explain many of their claimed actions. Modern drugs have been developed from the herbs, such as treatments for asthma and hay fever from Chinese ephedra, hepatitis remedies from schizandra fruits and licorice roots, and a number of anticancer agents from trees and shrubs.

Your initial consultation

I will assess your specific health needs and customise a formula that you can collect at the clinic or receive by First Class delivery. We will go through a number of questions but also take your pulse and look at your tongue which always intrigues people. The body tells a lot more than you know yourself and once people understand what to look for, they sometimes check and catch my attention on changes, which is a great way to develop insight.

The remedy comes as herbal granules that you dilute in hot water (like instant coffee). It can also be provided as tablets. The herbs are usually taken twice daily for a variable length of time, from just a few days to several weeks, depending on your condition. Herbal medicine is essential for severe deficiencies (i.e chronic fatigue, depression, diminished ovarian reserve for fertility …) and complex chronic patterns (i.e fibromyalgia, post-viral syndrome, PCOS, endometriosis, IBS…) which would take longer to treat with acupuncture only.

Main pharmaceutical products used

Sun Ten Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a world renowned GMP manufacturer of concentrated herbal extracts from Taiwan, conforming to international standards. In 2010, Sun Ten received certification through the US National Products Association (NPA) as a GMP compliant Dietary Supplement manufacturing facility. It received ISO 9001 certification from UK British Standard Institution in 1992.

How Chinese herbs work (in a nutshell)

Following diagnosis, I use therapeutic combinations of herbs tailored to the patient. The Chinese Materia medica lists several hundred ingredients but about 300 are more commonly used, including roots, stems, flowers, leaves and barks.

CHM categorises individual herbs into various groupings to aid in proper applications. Chinese Herbs are categorised by their taste (sweet, pungent, aromatic…) which affect energy and fluids in a particular way, their temperature properties (warming, neutral, cooling), their tropism or organ system they affect. They are then organised according to their function such as herbs that “tonify the blood”, “clear phlegm”, “calm the spirit” (sedative), “relieve toxicity” (antibiotic, antiviral), “stop tremors”…

A balanced formula may be composed of a number of herbs from different categories that enhance each other. Many powerful formulas have been transmitted throughout the long history of CHM for specific syndromes. I will commonly select one as a base to customise (by adding or changing a few herbs) to fit your personal needs.

Herbal only

Although you may have heard about the use of animal or mineral substances in (ancient) Traditional Chinese medicine, the European regulation only allows the use of medicinal herbs on this continent. You can be assured that I use safe plants only from approved GMP suppliers (Good Manufacturing Practice) under European approvals.

These products cannot be purchased without consulting a fully registered and insured CHM practitioner. However, you may find non-scrupulous online shops that distribute products with little traceability. Several pieces of research have found that Western medications can be found in these products giving herbal medicine a bad name. So please stick to a registered practitioner for your supply.

Should I continue with my prescribed medication?

Yes. Many people seek the help of Herbal Medicine or Acupuncture because of a dissatisfaction with drugs mainly because they don’t seem to be working or the side effects are too severe. During the initial consultation, I will always ask about your medication and you should let me know of any change in your prescription in order to adjust your herbal formula accordingly. You should also inform your GP that you are taking an herbal treatment.