In the majority of cases, it is safe to combine western drugs with Chinese herbs. However, there are exceptions to this rule particularly in the case of drugs with narrow therapeutic margins, such as Coumadin. These drugs have a small therapeutic range that can easily be affected by changes in body chemistry. In this case, the introduction of Chinese herbs will affect the dosing of the drug. Bring a list of your pharmaceuticals and supplements to ensure that there are no adverse interactions with the herbs. Your practitioner knows what herbs to stay away from with certain drugs.

It is OK to add a small amount of honey or brown sugar to your herbs. Please do not mix your herbs with coffee, tea, milk, lemon juice or other liquids – doing so may alter the function of the formula.

Boil water. Place water in a cup then add the prescribed number of scoops of herbs. Stir to dissolve and drink.

You may experiment with the amount of water you use to dissolve the powders. Some prefer using a small amount (about 1/2 inch of water in your cup) and taking the herbs like a shot. Others prefer diluting the herbs in a full cup of water. If drinking the herbs is too difficult, you may add a little honey to the powdered herbs to create honey pills or encapsulate them.