Chinese Herbal Medicine FAQs

What is Chinese Herbal Medicine?

Chinese herbal medicine has been used for at least 5000 years. The ancient healers used foods, plants, minerals and animals in their medicinal remedies to treat illness and to improve and maintain the best health and wellbeing possible for the times.

The practice of Chinese herbal medicine in Australia today is moving away from raw herbs that need to be cooked into a tea, to the use of prepared and manufactured dried herbal granules, capsules, pills and tonics.

Chinese herbal medicine practitioners are university trained, registered with the CMBA and must maintain their knowledge through continuing professional development.

All practitioner-only prescribed Chinese herbal remedies are listed in the Australian Therapeutic Goods Register and have to pass stringent testing including chromatography to check for heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, banned or illicit substances or the inclusion of any endangered species.

AACMA members comply with these strict, necessary regulations that are in place to protect the public. Safe practice using safe remedies.

Can I buy Chinese Herbal medicine at the chemist?

While there might be formulations at your chemist labelled as Chinese medicine, a qualified practitioner will never use a one-size-fits-all approach. A qualified practitioner will prescribe a Chinese herbal formula specifically formulated for your own condition. The formula is also adjusted and modified during the recovery period until the desired health outcome is achieved.

Most diseases or illnesses present with a core set of recognisable signs and symptoms, but the actual presentation of a particular disease or illness may vary from person to person. For this reason, people with similar health conditions may be provided with quite different Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions.

What goes into Chinese medicine?

There are more than 450 substances commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine – most are of plant origin though some animal and mineral substances may also be used. Some substances that were used traditionally are no longer part of modern professional Chinese herbal medicine practice. For example, traditional remedies with extracts of endangered species have been replaced by other substances with similar actions. AACMA supports and adheres to the CITES list of endangered species.

What happens at a typical consultation with a Chinese medicine practitioner?

The hallmark of chinese herbal medicine practice is holistic individualised treatment. At the initial consultation, practitioners will take a case history by interviewing the patient about their current health concerns, past health conditions and a range of related matters, including diet, lifestyle habits, sleeping patterns, appetite, menstrual cycle, stress reactions and food or other sensitivities.

To further identify what are known in traditional Chinese medicine practice as ‘patterns of disharmony’ in the body, the practitioner will observe and note other health indicators such as the colour of the face, the condition of the tongue, the sound of the voice and the characteristics of the radial pulse of the wrist.

Your doctor will discuss your treatment options with you before proceeding with the examination and treatment.