Chinese herbal medicine: formulas, not single herbs
Chinese herbal medicine prescribes combinations — a formula of eight or twelve herbs working together, where one directs, others support, and one or two moderate the rest. It is rarely a single herb for a single symptom.
Formulas are usually dispensed as concentrated granules dissolved in warm water and taken daily, and the prescription is adjusted at each review as the pattern changes. That adjustment is the point: it is what separates a prescription from a supplement.
Herbal dispensing is separately registered with AHPRA under the Chinese Medicine Board, so ask whether your practitioner holds it and check the register. Tell them every medication and supplement you take — herbs interact, and the ones people forget to mention are usually the ones that matter.
