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The tea from the market and the occasional magnesium tablet matter too. Here is how to build a medicine list that makes a herbal consultation clearer.

The products we forget to mention

Ask most people what medicines they take and they will name their prescriptions. It is far easier to forget the herbal tea from a weekend market, the protein powder in the pantry or the magnesium tablet used now and then. Yet these all matter when Chinese herbal medicine is being considered.

Building your list

Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, prescribes herbal medicine at the Freshwater clinic, a local option for many Northern Beaches families. Rather than trying to remember everything on the spot, bring:

• product names, or the packets and labels themselves;
• roughly how often you use each item, including things used only occasionally;
• medicines started by your GP or another practitioner, and anything bought online;
• what has changed since your last appointment, and why.

Bring the bottles too

Christine supplies her herbal prescriptions as granules in bottles with printed labels. If you already have one from an earlier consultation, bring it or a clear photo of the label and directions, so the conversation is about the actual preparation rather than a half-remembered name.

Check before you combine

If you are thinking of adding a new supplement, herbal product or over-the-counter medicine while using granules, ask first. Two products described as natural are not automatically compatible, and sharing the details helps your GP and pharmacist see the full picture as well.

Keeping the list current

Medicines change over time. A dose may be adjusted after a hospital review, or a short course of antibiotics might come and go. When another clinician makes a change, mention it to Christine rather than presuming the old herbal plan carries on unchanged. If a new symptom appears and you are unsure whether it relates to your granules, ask for advice instead of altering the amount.

A small habit with real value

A running note on your phone, updated the moment you buy something new, turns the opening minutes of each appointment in Freshwater into a quick check rather than a memory test. The same note is handy at the pharmacy counter, so everyone looking after you works from one record.