ब्लॉग

Herbal medicine at Rainbow Medicine comes as labelled granule bottles with written directions. Here is why a medicine list and a few early questions come first.

It is easy to think of herbs as gentle simply because they come from plants. Chinese herbal medicine, however, involves products that act in the body, which is why a careful discussion comes before anything is dispensed.

What you actually take home

At Rainbow Medicine, herbal medicine is supplied as concentrated granules in a labelled bottle, never as loose raw herbs for cooking at home. Each bottle comes with written directions for preparing, measuring and storing that particular product, along with its use-by information. When you meet Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, bring a full list of what you currently use: prescription medicines, vitamins, supplements and anything ordered online or picked up while travelling. Packets in a bag work just as well as a list.

Questions worth asking at the outset

Ask what the bottle contains and what you should do if a dose is missed or something new appears, such as an upset stomach or a rash. Agree on that before you begin rather than working it out at midnight. A few habits are worth avoiding altogether: taking more because nothing seems to be happening, sharing your granules with a partner, or assuming a product suits you because a parent or sibling was given something that looked similar.

Keeping track at home

Your plan should name the product, set out the directions and include a time to review it. Leave the original label on the bottle and keep the written instructions beside it. If your GP starts, stops or changes a medicine, let Christine know, and mention the granules to your pharmacist too. When you cannot tell whether a symptom has anything to do with the herbs, ring for advice rather than experimenting with the amount.

A local option on the Northern Beaches

For people in Freshwater, Curl Curl, Balgowlah and Manly, the Freshwater clinic is a place to talk through herbal medicine without a trip into the city. A first conversation can be as simple as laying your current products on the table and working through them one by one. Whether herbs are appropriate for you depends on an individual consultation, and this article is general information only.