Monday, September 17, 2012

To Herb or Not To Herb

I started seeing an acupuncturist in December 2005. One of the things that Chinese Medicine practitioners use are herbs.

My first acupuncturist prescribed herbs for my lungs and other aspects of my Qi (energy flow) that were in dire need of substantial assistance.

The herbs looked like this:


To use them, I put the herbs in hot water and let it steep for 10 minutes or longer. The herbs helped my allergies and asthma and were very beneficial. Yes it looks like dirt, and pretty much tasted like it, too. But I faithfully drank cupfuls of it.

My first acupuncturist left the area, and I am now on my third acupuncturist. After my recent treatment with needles, she said she would like to add herbs to help my lungs. I haven't had herbs in over a year, so I agreed.

I was expecting something similar to the above.

However, when I picked up my concoction, what I received were two brown bags. One held this:


And the other this:


I am not sure what all of this is. Pieces of trees, for sure. Bark.  Vine, maybe grape vine. I have no idea what the white squares are. Chalk or rock?

To use these herbs, I have to cook them in water for a long time (30 minutes or so, depending on the bag), strain them, and then divide the liquid up for drinking.

So far I have looked at these items, sniffed them, and felt them. I confess I am not keen on making a tea out of them and drinking it. I think I prefer the bag of dirt as opposed to the bags of sticks.

I am pretty daring and don't mind trying new things, but for some reason this seems a bit much for me. I will have to think about this for at least another day.

7 comments:

  1. sounds interesting. i sure hope it will work well. can't wait to hear how it all goes. i've heard of friends who have tried acupuncture...but stopped due to the price & not allowed to use insurance for it. myself & the hubby we prefer the natural way of meds... so i would say go for it. try it. be brave. if i was there i would drink it 1st & tell ya how it tastes. maybe hold your nose? ha. ha!! (:

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  2. Ha,ha! Dirt vs. sticks.
    Maybe the little white cubes are flavoring! That's a nice thought. How do they smell? They will probably taste like they smell. You've got nothing to lose. You should at least try it.

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  3. Looks like a witch's concoction... or perhaps voo doo for you! LOL

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  4. You could try checking out chinese herbal remedies on the internet. This company provides the treatment in pills:

    http://www.agelessherbs.com/chinese-herbs/copd-asthma-lung.html

    but when you click on the links you get lists of ingredients, like this:

    Inula helenium root - tu mu xiang - certified organic

    Thymus vulgaris herb - bai li xiang - certified organic

    Oreganum species herb - niú zhì - certified organic

    Trigonella foenum seed - hu lu ba - certified organic

    Codonopsis pilosula root - dang shen - certified organic

    Althaea officinalis root - marshmallow - certified organic

    Salvia officinalis herb - sheng cao - certified organic

    Verbascum thapsis herb - mullein - certified organic

    Schisandra chinensis fruit - wu wei zi - certified organic

    Citrus aurantium peel - zhi shi - certified organic

    Foeniculum vulgare fruit - xiao hu xiang - certified organic

    Pimpinella anisum seed - da hui xiang zi - certified organic

    Tussilago farfara herb - kuăn dōng cao - certified organic

    Olea europaea herb - gan lan cao - certified organic

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  5. Are you going to return to the acupuncture? If so, you could always ask what the mixture is, Anita.

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  6. I love holistic health, but I would definitely want to know what I'm ingesting first. Cubes of dehydrated yak's milk, lol? I'm sure it's fine, but still would want to know. xo

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  7. I have taken Chinese herbs that looked like beads for making a necklace!

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