Herbs to improve your health
Chinese Herbal Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine originated more than 3,000 years ago and continues to evolve. It is one of the most prevalent medical systems, used by one-quarter of the world’s population. Acupuncture and herbal medicine are at the heart of Chinese Medicine.
Chinese herbal medicine is a sophisticated herbal system used to treat many health conditions. Typically, combinations of 6 to 20 ingredients are used in formulas matched to an individual’s situation. Formulas are crafted together to act synergistically, each ingredient designed to accomplish a part of the overall process of restoring balance. These multi-ingredient formulas come in various forms: they may be cooked or dissolved into hot water and drunk as a strong tea, or taken as a tincture, or as pills several times a day. Chinese herbs can include ingredients from the animal and mineral kingdoms as well as the plants such as roots, barks, fruits, berries, twigs, stems, leaves, and flowers.
Patients can use herbal medicine to increase the effects of their acupuncture treatment, tiding them over between treatments, or use herbal medicine on its own.
At Seminole Heights Community Acupuncture we use modern methods to deliver the traditional high quality of Chinese Medicine. We have an onsite herbal dispensary where our herbalist prepares your formulas. We maintain a large stock of concentrated herb granules, bulk herbs, pills, tinctures, and liniments. The image below shows some of the herbs in their traditional form.
Western Herbs
We make regionally grown and harvested herbs available to our patients because they offer a natural, low-risk alternative to pharmaceuticals. Many are familiar substances, are mild, and easy to incorporate into our daily lives. As with Chinese herbal medicine, Western herbs come from various parts of plants, such as the root, bark or flower. Our western herb collection includes wild-harvested and organic bulk teas, tinctures, salves, and vinegars.
Telehealth Consultations
As part of your herbal consultation, we talk about your health goals and discuss treatment options, helping you decide what forms of herbs you want to take. For example, you might decide to take nutritional supplements, or Chinese herbs in concentrated granule form, or use Western herbal teas.
Scheduling your herb consult
Scheduling an herbal appointment is easy. Check our online scheduling system to see when telehealth consultations are available. You can also call the office with any questions.
During a follow up consult the herbalist focuses on looking at how you’ve responded to treatment. She will ask you questions about your body, your sleep, and your health in general that help her decide how to alter your treatment.
Getting a refill
Once you’ve been seen by our herbalist and are under care, your herbalist may recommend you continue to take a formula for a few weeks. For most people, their formulas will change as their condition changes, the season or weather changes, or they transition through phases of their treatment. But some people will receive the same formula for a longer period of time and will need refills. The herbalist will let you know how many refills you can have before you need another consultation.
Self Care Products
We carry liniments, herbal patches, salves, and teas for patients in our reception area. These products can be purchased anytime by clients who come to the clinic. Self-care tools like foam rollers and balls are also available for purchase.
Gururas Khalsa, AP
Gururas Khalsa has practiced and taught Chinese Medicine since 2002 and is a sought after herbalist and acupuncturist. Her midwifery experience, clinical practice, and graduate training has taught her to work with both western and Chinese herbs and use pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements to help patients reach their goals. More about Gururas
