Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) is a sophisticated, clinically validated system of botanical medicine with a documented history of over 2,000 years. Unlike Western supplements — which are typically standardised single-compound extracts designed to address specific deficiencies or biochemical pathways — Chinese herbal formulas are prescribed as customised multi-herb combinations tailored to the individual's unique pattern of imbalance.

A typical formula contains between 6 and 16 individual herbs. Each herb plays a specific role: the chief herb addresses the primary pattern, the deputy herbs support its action or address secondary patterns, assistant herbs modify the formula's properties, and envoy herbs guide the formula to specific organ systems and harmonise the blend. This synergistic approach allows for far greater precision and adaptability than any single-ingredient supplement can achieve.

Crucially, the formula is not fixed — it is reviewed and adjusted at each consultation to reflect changes in the clinical picture. This responsive, individualised approach is one of the most clinically powerful aspects of Chinese herbal prescribing.

When prescribed by a qualified, AHPRA-registered Chinese Medicine practitioner, Chinese herbs are very safe for the vast majority of people. Dr Shen holds a Bachelor of Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture from the Sydney Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and has extensive postgraduate training in herbal pharmacology and safety. All herbs used at Rainbow Medicine are sourced from TGA-listed suppliers who meet strict quality and purity standards, including heavy metal and pesticide testing.

Herb-drug interactions are a genuine consideration and one that Dr Shen takes seriously. At your initial consultation, you will be asked to disclose all medications and supplements you are taking. Some herbs can affect the metabolism of medications through cytochrome P450 pathways, and certain herbs are contraindicated alongside specific pharmaceutical classes. Dr Shen assesses this for every patient and prescribes accordingly. If there is any doubt, she will contact your GP or specialist to coordinate care.

Please always inform Dr Shen of any changes to your medications during the course of treatment, and let your GP know you are receiving Chinese herbal medicine as part of your integrative care.

At Rainbow Medicine, Chinese herbs are most commonly dispensed as concentrated granular extracts — a fine powder that dissolves in hot water to create a tea-like drink. This form offers the flexibility and potency of traditional decoctions (raw herb teas) without the time-consuming preparation involved in raw herbal cooking. Most patients find the granule format manageable, particularly when taken twice daily with hot water.

For patients who find the taste challenging, we can also arrange formulas in capsule form for a range of conditions. Some formulas are also available as patent pills — pre-made tablets for straightforward, well-established presentations. Dr Shen will discuss the most appropriate format for your situation and preferences at your consultation.

The taste of Chinese herbal medicine varies considerably depending on the formula — some are quite palatable, others are more robustly flavoured. Most patients adjust to the taste within the first week and find it unremarkable thereafter. Mixing with a small amount of warm honey or apple juice can help.

The timeline depends on the condition being treated and its chronicity. For acute conditions such as a cold, flu, or acute digestive upset, Chinese herbal medicine often produces noticeable improvement within two to four days. For conditions affecting the menstrual cycle — including PMS, period pain, PCOS, and cycle regulation — improvement typically becomes evident within two to three menstrual cycles, as each cycle provides an opportunity to assess and refine the formula.

For deeper constitutional conditions, including fertility preparation, chronic fatigue, and long-standing hormonal imbalances, a meaningful treatment course is three to six months. This timeline reflects the physiological reality of how long it takes to build or restore foundational organ function. It is not possible to tonify Kidney Jing in two weeks — that process occurs at the level of cellular regeneration and constitutional change.

Dr Shen will always give you honest expectations at the outset, and will reassess regularly throughout. If a formula is not producing the expected response within a reasonable timeframe, it is modified or the diagnosis is reconsidered.

Ethical sourcing is a matter of genuine importance to Dr Shen and is reflected in the suppliers she has selected for the Rainbow Medicine dispensary. All herbs are sourced from CITES-compliant (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) suppliers, and no endangered plant or animal species are used in any prescriptions at this clinic. Dr Shen does not prescribe any formulas containing animal products derived from threatened species.

All herbal products used at Rainbow Medicine are listed with or approved by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and are sourced from suppliers who provide certificates of analysis for heavy metal content, pesticide residues, and microbiological safety. This level of quality assurance is non-negotiable.

We recognise that sustainability in Chinese herbal medicine is an ongoing challenge as global demand increases. Dr Shen selects suppliers who prioritise cultivated over wild-harvested sources where possible, and continues to monitor developments in sustainable herbal medicine sourcing.

This is a question Dr Shen is asked every week, and the honest answer is not the one most people hope for.

The research evidence for acupuncture in fertility is genuinely mixed. Some studies have reported differences, particularly around IVF support; the largest and most rigorous trials have produced more equivocal results. Anyone who tells you the question is settled is not describing the literature. The NCCIH review is a reasonable place to read it for yourself.

So we do not put a number on it and we do not promise outcomes. What we can say is what we actually do: we take a careful history, we look at the cycle with you, and we work alongside whatever medical care you are having rather than in place of it. Some people find that useful in itself. Some do not, and we will tell you if we think it is not helping.

Your fertility specialist or GP leads your care. If you have not had a medical fertility assessment, that comes first, and we will say so before taking a booking.

Ideally, three months before your planned egg retrieval. This 90-day window corresponds to the maturation timeline of the developing egg — the cohort of follicles that will be stimulated in your IVF cycle began their development approximately three months earlier. Improving the systemic environment during this window — through acupuncture, herbal medicine, and targeted lifestyle changes — can meaningfully influence the quality of those developing eggs.

If three months is not possible due to your IVF timeline, beginning even six to eight weeks before retrieval is beneficial, particularly for stress regulation, endometrial preparation, and coordination around the stimulation protocol. If you are coming to us with an IVF cycle already underway, we will adjust the approach to offer what support is possible within the current timeframe.

For the IVF cycle itself, we recommend continuing acupuncture through the stimulation phase, around egg retrieval, on transfer day, and during the two-week wait. Chinese herbal medicine is typically paused during active stimulation to avoid any potential interaction with medications, and resumed after transfer with Dr Shen's guidance.

«Unexplained» is a hard word to be given. It means the standard investigations have not found a cause, not that there is nothing to find and not that nothing can be done. The absence of something to target is its own kind of difficult, and that part is real.

Chinese medicine works from a different framework, and some people find it useful to have one. It organises what a practitioner observes — the cycle, sleep, temperature, digestion, how you have been feeling — into a pattern that suggests where to start. That is a way of deciding what to do. It is not a diagnosis, and it does not detect anything that medical testing has missed.

We will not tell you that we find what your specialist could not. What we can offer is a considered approach alongside your medical care, and an honest conversation about whether it is worth your time and money.

Keep your fertility specialist and your GP in the loop, and tell us what they have said. If assisted reproduction is on the table, its timing leads and we fit around it.

Endometriosis is diagnosed and managed medically, by a GP and usually a gynaecologist. That is where it belongs, and it is where to start if you suspect it and have not been assessed.

Alongside that care, some people use acupuncture for the pain. The research on it is limited and mixed — better studied for period pain generally than for endometriosis specifically — and it is worth reading the NCCIH summary before deciding. We are not going to tell you it changes the disease, because that is not what the evidence shows.

Chinese medicine has its own way of describing this kind of pain, built around ideas like stagnation. It is a framework for deciding treatment, developed over a long time. It is not an account of what caused your endometriosis, and we do not present it as one.

If your pain is getting worse, if it stops you working or sleeping, or if your current management is not holding, that is a conversation with your gynaecologist and not with us.

Yes, acupuncture is safe in the first trimester when administered by a practitioner with specific pregnancy training and clinical experience, as Dr Shen has. The precautions required in early pregnancy are well understood in Chinese Medicine: certain acupuncture points with strongly descending, moving, or uterine-stimulating actions are avoided during the first trimester, and the overall treatment is gentler and more tonifying in nature.

There are good reasons to continue acupuncture in the first trimester for patients who have conceived after fertility treatment. These include: supporting implantation and early placentation, managing first-trimester nausea and vomiting (for which acupuncture has excellent evidence), supporting Kidney Yang to maintain the warmth of the early uterine environment, reducing anxiety, and maintaining the therapeutic relationship through a physically and emotionally demanding period.

Dr Shen will always discuss the specific treatment plan at each session and is transparent about the precautions she is observing. Please ensure you inform her of any bleeding, cramping, or concerns at the beginning of each appointment.

Initial consultations at Rainbow Medicine are 75 to 90 minutes. This extended time reflects Dr Shen's commitment to thorough assessment — there is no such thing as a meaningful TCM diagnosis in 15 minutes. During your initial consultation, Dr Shen will take a comprehensive health history covering your presenting complaint, menstrual and reproductive history (where relevant), medical history, current medications and supplements, diet, sleep, exercise, and emotional wellbeing. She will then perform tongue and pulse diagnosis.

Following the assessment, Dr Shen will explain her findings in clear, accessible language — your TCM pattern diagnosis, what it means for your health, and her proposed treatment plan including the likely duration and frequency of treatment. If acupuncture is to be included in the first session, this typically follows the assessment.

Follow-up appointments are 45–60 minutes and include a brief check-in, pulse and tongue reassessment, and treatment. Please allow adequate time in your schedule and avoid rushing after your appointment, as the post-treatment calm is part of the therapeutic experience.

Yes. Rainbow Medicine is a registered provider with all major private health funds in Australia, including Medibank Private, Bupa, HCF, NIB, Australian Unity, CBHS, and others. Acupuncture consultations are rebatable under the extras/ancillary cover of most health insurance policies, and Chinese herbal medicine consultations are also rebatable with many funds.

The rebate amount varies depending on your level of cover and fund. We recommend contacting your fund directly before your appointment to confirm your acupuncture rebate entitlement. HICAPS is available at the clinic, enabling you to claim your rebate on the spot and pay only the gap at the time of treatment.

Please note that private health fund rebates cannot be combined with Medicare rebates for the same service. If you are unsure about your coverage, our reception team is happy to assist you in contacting your fund before your appointment.

Yes. Rainbow Medicine offers telehealth consultations for Chinese herbal medicine — both initial and follow-up appointments. This service is available to patients throughout Australia and is particularly valuable for patients in regional and rural areas, those with mobility limitations, and those who have established an in-person treatment relationship with Dr Shen and need herbal review consultations between clinic visits.

Telehealth herbal medicine consultations are conducted via secure video link. Dr Shen will assess you via observation (including viewing the tongue via camera), a comprehensive verbal history, and discussion of any recent test results. Herbal formulas are dispensed from our clinic and posted directly to your address, typically arriving within two to three business days.

Please note that acupuncture cannot be delivered via telehealth and requires in-person attendance. For new patients seeking primarily acupuncture care, an initial in-person consultation is required before any telehealth follow-ups.

There are a few practical things that will make your first appointment more productive. If you have recent relevant test results — blood tests, ultrasound reports, semen analysis, or specialist letters — please bring these or email them to the clinic in advance. This saves consultation time and allows Dr Shen to review them before your appointment.

On the day of your appointment: eat a light meal two hours beforehand — neither fasting nor eating a heavy meal immediately before treatment. Wear or bring loose, comfortable clothing that allows easy access to your lower legs, forearms, and abdomen, as these are commonly needled areas. Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs for 24 hours before your appointment.

For tongue diagnosis, avoid anything that might stain your tongue in the two hours before your appointment — coffee, coloured foods, and tongue scrapers. Your tongue coat is an important diagnostic indicator, and Dr Shen needs to see it in its natural state. If you are a woman, note the day of your menstrual cycle as this is relevant to the assessment.

We request a minimum of 24 hours notice for appointment cancellations or rescheduling. This allows us to offer the appointment to another patient who may be waiting. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours notice, or appointments that are not attended without prior notice, may incur a cancellation fee of 50% of the consultation fee.

We understand that life is unpredictable — genuine emergencies, sudden illness, and unavoidable circumstances will always be considered individually and sensitively. If you are unwell, please do not attend — we ask that you contact us as soon as possible so we can reschedule your appointment. There is no cancellation fee for illness-related cancellations when we are notified in advance.

To cancel or reschedule, please phone the clinic on 0410 699 065 or email christine@rainbowmedicine.com.au. Online cancellations through the booking portal are accepted if made with sufficient notice.