The amazing effects of Chinese Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine – The extraordinary benefits after you get past the initial Yuk!!!
By Luke McPherson, Dr of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Teacher of Chinese Herbal Medicine
I love prescribing Chinese herbal medicine; I love that something so natural has these powerful properties to heal our bodies from the inside out; it is a wonderful gift that our awe-inspiring planet has bestowed on us: the means to heal ourselves. I am thankful for the gift of prescribing Chinese herbal medicine because I know my patients are having a little bit of Chinese medicine every day; and this gets them thinking about their health every day. I find the sustained focus on your health and the proactive approach of daily health building blocks, really delivers tangible results.
The greatest issue with being a Chinese herbalist is getting my patients past the YUK factor. They leave our beautiful practice floating, after a wonderful acupuncture session, with a beautiful little container of herbs to be brewed into a powerful medicine. I know that very first mouthful of herbs will deliver a reflex expression that resembles someone taking a big bite out of a lemon; I also hope that they will continue drinking the potent elixir and reap the benefits it will provide. Invariably my fears are almost always unfounded, and my wonderful patients take the prescribed course of treatment, knowing that the end justifies the means and they care deeply about their health.
A really surprising, and interesting pattern has emerged though: Once a patient is healed, they miss having their daily herbal medicine! Twice this week I have had patients return after a long absence, to ask: “Can I have my tea (Chinese herbal medicine) again? I have strangely missed it”. I have often pondered this happenstance: why does something that tastes yuk morph into a drink that is craved? I think that with the daily ritual of taking Chinese herbal medicine is also positively reinforcing their health, which prospers a greater mental acuity. Not to forget that they are feeling absolutely fabulous from the healing properties of the marvellous Chinese medical elixir!
So if one of the skilled herbalists from West Street Wellbeing gives you a little container of herbs to brew into a medicine, be sure to get through the initial “Yuk” and in a short time you to will come to love the feeling of having a little bit of Chinese medicine every day!
For more information on the benefits of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Check out our FB page and subscribe to our newsletter – Luke McPherson is our resident herbal expert and often posts from the immense world of herbal medicine research he encounters. If you have any particular interest or condition you would like him to review please send us a message and we’ll take a look.
