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HERBAL MEDICINE

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Customized herbal medicine, tailored to you.

Herbal medicine can be utilized short- or long-term. Acute, episodic conditions can benefit from even just a few days of herbal treatment. Other conditions need a few months to begin to respond. Some take herbs daily (I do!), while others just want acupuncture treatment. I support all.

My skills as an herbalist are included in the price of acupuncture treatment. If you want an herbal formula, you will leave the office with one. The cost of herbs is additional.

I have been creating and prescribing herbal formulas since the 1990s. It’s a big part of my tool kit.

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I did my schooling of Chinese medicine in California in the late 1990’s, where herbal medicine was a significant part of my training. It was also a part of almost every patient treatment I observed, and then performed myself in my supervised clinical internship in a busy Santa Cruz clinic. I learned about Chinese herbology using loose, raw herbs as seen in this photo. I would weigh them with the balance scale being used by the men in the picture, and assemble formulas in this same way. At home, patients would then cook the herbs in water, strain them, and drink the tea.

Taiwan clinic - I took this picture in 2011, when I spent two weeks in Taipei, Taiwan, observing in the busy clinic of Dr. Lee Chen-Yr, a prominent practitioner of Chinese medicine

I took this picture in 2011, when I spent two weeks in Taipei, Taiwan, observing in the busy clinic of Dr. Lee Chen-Yr, a prominent practitioner of Chinese medicine

I do not stock a raw herb pharmacy as shown in this picture– it requires a great deal of space, and people typically don’t like the labor and smell involved in cooking the herbs at home. Instead, I utilize high quality herbs that have already been cooked in water, decocted, and then freeze-dried granulated. I decide which herbs will go into a patient’s formula, and then combine them together in the office while the patient is resting during their acupuncture treatment in a separate room. The patient leaves the office with a small bottle filled with a powder, a spoonful of which is put in a cup, and mixed with hot water to dissolve it before drinking it at home. Pre-made herbal formulas in pill form are also an option, and some formulas are available in tea bags.

What makes Chinese herbal medicine unique and so powerful

Each person is treated as unique and individual

One formula for a condition does not fit all. The appropriate formula is chosen based on the presentation of symptoms, which will be unique to each person. If herbs are taken for a more chronic condition, the formula will be modified over time, as the body presentation changes. It is this adaptability and specificity that makes herbal treatment so powerful and helpful.

Synergy

Instead of giving one herb to treat a condition, a dozen or more herbs are combined together in a formula. Using herbs in combination allows them to work synergistically to address symptoms, while also harmonizing and balancing the entire body. The more balanced a formula is, the less chance there is for further imbalance to occur, and the more effective it will be in treating the condition.

Safety Considerations

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Expertise

Most states, including Washington, do not require acupuncturists to have training in herbal medicine. Yet many practitioners recommend and sell herbal products, and the consumer can freely purchase and self-prescribe herbs. The result can be ineffective, and worse, potentially unsafe herbal treatment. I received my master’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine from a school in California, where extensive training in herbal medicine is mandatory for licensure. I am also a nationally Board certified Chinese herbalist with more than two decades of clinical experience using herbs to help patients feel better and reach their health goals. 

Herb Quality

Some herbal products are of inferior quality, sometimes laden with heavy metals and other impurities. It is advisable to seek out herbs of the highest quality, and an experienced practitioner who has the knowledge to make the distinction. I source herbs from reputable companies that do extensive third party testing for safety and quality, including testing of heavy metals, pesticides and other toxins. Herbal formulas can be taken in the form of a convenient pill, or as a freeze-dried powder that dissolves into a tea when mixed at home with warm water. Some are available in tea bags or liquid tincture.

Chinese herbs are dried berries, flowers, roots, stems, fungi, bark, seeds. I use no animal products. I think of Chinese herbs as some of the world’s most powerful superfoods, and I consume some each day. The pharmacology, chemical makeup, and effect on the body of each Chinese herb is known. I have about 200 different herbs in my office pharmacy. A formula typically has a dozen or so herbs in it.

Expectations

Some pharmaceuticals originally derived from plant sources. Initial anti-malarial drugs, for example, were originally derived from a tree bark (quinine) and the wormwood plant (artemisinin), which were then synthesized in lab for mass production. Chinese herbal medicine utilizes herbs in combination, and in their whole forms, without extracting a single compound of one herb, synthesizing it, to take in large dose. Thus, it is unreasonable to expect Chinese herbal formulas to function in the same way as pharmaceutical medications. An herbal formula is typically not going to have as immediate an impact as a pharmaceutical medication.The upside is that herbal medicine tends to have minimal side-effects, if any at all, when used appropriately and skillfully. Seeking counsel from an experienced and Board-certified herbalist is always advised.

Interactions

As a Board-certified herbalist with more than a couple decades of clinical experience, I am always mindful of any possible interactions between herbs and pharmaceutical medications. It is important I know what medications a patient is taking, and it outside my scope to advise on them. Pharmaceutical medications can be life-saving and prolonging, and for some, absolutely necessary. I err on the conservative side, declining requests for herbs from those with complex conditions and who are on an array of medications. But for many, utilizing Chinese herbal medicine can have a positive, supportive influence on the body.

Herbal Medicine

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Experienced

I am a nationally Board certified herbalist with 20 years of clinical experience and an understanding of pharmaceutical medications and any possible interactions.

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High Quality

Tremendous care is taken to source high-quality herbs that are extensively third-party tested and don’t use threatened species.

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Effective

Herbal formula is customized and specific to the patient and modified over time to adapt to changes in the body, enhancing effectiveness.

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Straightforward

Formula is provided as an easy-to-take liquid, or powdered tea, with clear instructions.

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“Kristi is a wonderful practitioner: an insightful diagnostician, with gentle needling skills and an extensive understanding of Chinese herbs.

I have seen her for several years now and I refer my own patients to her as well. Each of us have valued and benefitted from her expertise. I always know when I refer my patients that they will be well cared for, just as I have.” — Krista H

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