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Your granules come with their own preparation, measuring and storage directions. Here is what to clarify with Christine before your first dose at home.

The kitchen bench is where questions appear

Many people leave a consultation feeling sure they will remember how to prepare their herbal medicine, then stand at the bench an evening later wondering how much goes in the glass. That is completely normal. Rainbow Medicine dispenses herbal medicine as granules in containers, not as loose raw herbs to cook, so the job at home is about identifying the right bottle and following its own directions.

Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, prescribes Chinese herbal medicine at the Lane Cove clinic, and each product comes with written preparation, measuring and storage instructions, so you are not relying on memory or a friend's routine.

What to clarify before you start

• Which bottle is yours, and how to confirm its name against the instructions.
• How to measure a dose, and what to mix it with if the directions say so.
• Where to store the bottle and how to read its use-by information.
• What to do if the granules look clumped, discoloured or different from last time.

If the bottle seems damaged, or a direction uses a term you cannot interpret, pause and get in touch before taking it. A quantity remembered from a previous prescription, or an old cooking recipe for loose herbs, is not a substitute for the directions written for your current product.

Keeping your paperwork with the bottle

Store the written steps alongside the original container, ideally on the same shelf, so the product name and its directions stay together. When your GP starts, stops or changes another medicine, tell Christine so the herbal plan can be looked at again.

Notice something new and are not sure whether it relates to the granules? Ask rather than trying a smaller or larger dose on your own. Changing amounts by guesswork makes it harder for anyone to understand what is happening.

A calmer daily routine

Once the method is clear, many people find measuring their granules becomes a quick, settled part of the morning or evening. If something still puzzles you part way through, write the question in the margin of your instruction sheet and bring the sheet to your next appointment in Lane Cove, where Christine can go through it line by line.