Tips and Hints for Chinese Herbs
Herbs are an important part of Chinese medical treatment. As a rule, your therapist or prescriber prescribes one or more herbal formulas, which you will take over a certain time or use externally. With careful use and storage you can achieve the best result.
There are several galenic forms of Chinese phytotherapy. Granule powders, granule tablets, granule capsules, raw herbs and raw herb powders are frequently used for individual formulations. You will generally find information on the dosage of your herbal formulation on the label of the sachet or in the original formulation provided by your doctor or therapist (unless otherwise agreed with your doctor or therapist). Store herbal formulations in the original sachet in a dry place, protected from light, at room temperature and out of the reach of children.
Here are some hints.
GRANULES POWDER
- Granules are dried, concentrated decoctions of Chinese herbal medicines, which, with the help of excipients (mostly cornstach), result in well-flowing powders.
- We mix the herbal granules by vigorously shaking the sachet. However, the granules can separate again during shipping. Therefore, mix the granules again. The best way to do this is by first opening the bag, filling it with as much air as possible, then closing it and shaking well.
- For internal use, add the indicated dosage of herbal granules to warm or hot water (not boiling water) so that the herbal powder dissolves well. The powder can also be swallowed as is and followed with a drink of water.
- When preparing granules for external treatment, follow the instructions of your doctor or therapist.
- The dosage information can usually be found on the label of the bag or in the enclosed original formula from your doctor or therapist (as long as your doctor or therapist didn't arrange otherwise).
GRANULES TABLETS
- Due to their unusual taste, granule powders are often pressed into tablets, as this way the taste is less noticeable when ingested.
- LIAN offers a smaller, round tablet containing 0.5 g and a larger, oval tablet with a notch containing 1 g of granules.
- The tablets are vacuum-sealed so that they are not damaged in transit.
GRANULES CAPSULES
- Capsules are popular because they are completely tasteless.
- Our capsules are made from cellulose (hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose). They contain no sugar, soy, colorants or substances of animal origin.
RAW HERBS
- Raw herbs are dried Chinese medicinal substances. Some of these are specially pre-treated, for example roasted, steamed or boiled.
- Raw herbs are cooked daily or for several days. They are cooked in a cooking pot, or better still in a pressure cooker, for about 1-2 hours. Som substances have different cooking times and are therefore sometimes packaged separately.
- Detailed cooking instructions are usually provided by LIAN. If this is not the case, please contact your prescribing doctor or therapist for cooking instructions.
- A herbal decoction stored while still hot in a sealed container can be kept for approx. 10 days in a refrigerator.
- When preparing for external treatments, follow the instructions from LIAN or your doctor or therapist.
RAW HERBS POWDER
- Raw herbs can be ground in two grades - fine and coarse.
- Ground raw herbs can easily clump together because they can absorb water from the air. Therefore, keep the mixture in the original bag dry, protected from light, at room temperature and out of reach of children.
- As an alternative to time-consuming decoctions, the powders can be prepared by briefly boiling them in hot water or by placing them in a thermos flask of hot water.
- When preparing for external treatments, follow the instructions from LIAN, your doctor or therapist.
