The water should not be boiling, but hot. This helps the herbal extracts to dissolve better. It is sufficient to dissolve the herbs in a little water, approx. 20-50 ml per intake, depending on the dose. The granules can also be taken directly and washed down with water.

Yes, as the granules cannot dissolve completely in the water, we recommend stirring the granule infusion well before drinking.

If the herbs are not tolerated due to the often bitter or earthy taste, granule formulas can be filled into capsules or tabletted.

Raw herbs are cooked daily or in batches for several days in a saucepan or, even better, in a pressure cooker for approx. 1-2 hours. The different herbs sometimes have different cooking times and are therefore sometimes packaged separately. LIAN usually includes detailed cooking instructions. If this is not the case, please contact your prescribing doctor or therapist for cooking instructions.

Quality assurance is very complex and a top priority in our company, and our quality assurance system is based on

1. Cooperation with trustworthy partners in China and Taiwan who have GMP accreditation (GMP = Good Manufacturing Practice),
2. Well-trained specialist personnel in our company
3. A sophisticated analysis and safety concept.

In addition, our company is monitored at cantonal level by the Cantonal Pharmacist of the Canton of Schwyz and at federal level by Swissmedic.

It is best to contact the two Swiss professional organizations.

1. You can search regionally on the website of the Association of TCM Therapists: sbo-tcm.ch/nc/fuer-patienten/wo-finde-ich-therapeuten-therapeutinnen.html
2. The website of the Association of Swiss Medical Societies for Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine will take you to the FMH list of doctors where you can find doctors who offer Chinese phytotherapy: akupunktur-tcm.ch/allgemein/aerzteliste.html

The costs of Chinese phytotherapy are generally covered by supplementary insurance policies for complementary medicine. As each supplementary insurance company has different conditions and recognizes Chinese medicine practitioners differently, it is worth asking the insurance company to clarify whether it will cover the costs before the therapy. This can be done with a short telephone inquiry to the respective insurance company.

Your doctor or therapist will be happy to answer this question. If this is not possible for any reason, we will be happy to help you.

In any case, inform your therapist or doctor about a possible pregnancy and ask for advice. There are many herbal formulas that can be taken during pregnancy without any problems. However, there are also herbs that you should not take during pregnancy.

Chinese recipe formulas can sometimes cause mild digestive disorders such as diarrhea, flatulence or bloating. This discomfort can usually be remedied by adjusting the concentration or the formula. It is not always easy to tailor the formula to the patient or to take all disease patterns into account with the same formula. Report such side effects to your therapist so that they can readjust the formula.

You must always inform your therapist or doctor about medications you are taking. There are cases in which Chinese prescriptions and Western medicines complement each other perfectly, but there are also known undesirable interactions. It is very important that the practitioners of conventional medicine and Chinese medicine know about each other and consult with each other.

Animal ethics is very important to us. We do not stock animal species threatened with extinction or products obtained in a cruel manner. In general, we do not stock any products that are protected by Cites (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). These include some plants that are used in Chinese medicine. There are exceptions if the protected plants can be cultivated. You can find more information on this topic here: Ecology and animal ethics

One or more herbal granules may come from a different manufacturer. The appearance, smell and taste may differ depending on the manufacturing method or additives used.

Private individuals can order herbal teas, chicken soup and rice dishes; products for external use such as our muscle fluid spray, massage oil, emulgels. They can also order cosmetic products such as skin creams, lotion, intensive oil, gel, mask, shampoos, wash gels and balm.

In addition to a sound basic training in traditional Chinese medicine, training in Chinese phytotherapy is required. For therapists, the status of SBOTCM-A member (herbalist) or an equivalent status is required. Doctors are generally allowed to prescribe TCM herbs, but training in TCM phytotherapy is strongly recommended.

TCM herbs may only be mixed by a pharmacy or by a company with a manufacturing license. TCM doctors and therapists may not dispense the herbs directly unless they have a dispensing license. In some cantons (e.g. Lucerne, Appenzell), pre-packaged ready-made formulas may be dispensed. However, the opening of containers and dispensing are already considered to be the manufacture of medicinal products and are reserved for pharmacies.

LIAN normally invoices the prescribed prescriptions directly to patients. The entire cost of storage, invoicing, accounting, etc. is borne by LIAN. The prescriber does not incur any further administrative work. We therefore recommend that the time spent on prescribing and ordering be charged to the patient. If you place your orders via our online ordering program, we save on administrative work. From 10 orders per month, we will compensate you for your cooperation in entering the prescriptions with an amount of CHF 8 per order.

Therapists such as acupuncturists, masseuses, physiotherapists, midwives and nutritionists can order the following products for resale and give them to patients:

Herbal teas, chicken soup and rice dishes as well as the products for external use such as the muscle fluid spray, massage oil, emulgels. Other products for external use such as skin creams, lotion, intensive oil, gel, mask, shampoos, wash gels, balm, bubble bath, lip balm, hydrovagin can be ordered from LIAN at resale price. Magistral products for adults, for example HPV gel and ovules, genital mycosis cream and vaginal mycosis ovules, hemorrhoid cream and suppositories, herpes gel, throat and nasal spray, syrup for coughs and Magistral products for children such as tonic, ear, nose and cough drops, drops for colic, teething gel, are only sent by prescription by a TCM therapist or doctor.

Raw herbs in the food category may be supplied to private individuals in accordance with the list below. However, this does not apply to the same herbs in granule form.

Organic quality guarantees a holistic, respectful approach to nature. A company that produces according to organic guidelines may only advertise this and label its products as "organic" if it has undergone an inspection and certification process. This guarantees that the company adheres to the minimum of the respective national organic guidelines. In Switzerland, these are set out in the Organic Farming Ordinance. Organic farming consistently refrains from using synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Fungi absorb heavy metals, pesticides and radioactivity from their environment and accumulate them*. These substances pollute the environment and our bodies. In certified organic farms, working in harmony with nature is paramount. Consistent attention is paid to environmental compatibility and sustainability in all areas of production. As a result, the products are exposed to significantly less environmental pollution.

• Study: Study of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Wild Edible Mushrooms in Yunnan Province,
  China. Food Chemistry, vol. 188, December 1, 2015, 294-300

DNA analysis is not yet required by law. If a DNA analysis has been carried out, this shows that a company is reputable and you can be sure that the manufacturer has only used authentic, original mushroom strains and not descendants of the original strains.

For a long time, vitality mushroom products from the fruiting body were the only thing that people could use. In the meantime, cultivation methods have developed further and products are now available that are more comprehensive and holistic in terms of their ingredients than pure fruit body products from wild collection or field cultivation.