Like acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine is one of the major branches of Chinese medicine. It is a powerful and safe method of treatment. When used correctly, it has almost no side effects. There are 365 major herbs and approximately 5000 minor ones. 90% of herbs are derived from fruit, flowers, bark, twigs, seeds and roots. 10% are derived from animals. During the course of your treatment, I may find it useful to prescribe an herbal supplement. Chinese herbs are always combined together in a group called a formula. Your herbal formula would be based on classical formulas and then adapted for you based on your particular symptoms. You would have your own formula that would be changed according to your response to it. Acupuncture works to balance the climate in your body. It calms or stimulates the system. It doesn't bring into the body what isn't already there. Herbs do. Traditionally acupuncture and herbs are often used together to enhance the treatment outcomes. Herbs can help you but are gentler than western pharmaceuticals so usually you won’t have the kinds of toxic side effects experienced with pharmaceuticals. What about herb safety? I’ve heard that herbs can be dangerous. Herbs are internal medicine and certainly should be prescribed by a National Board Certified herbologist who has studied them and also knows their possible side effects and interactions with other drugs that you might be taking. Just as you would consult a physician or pharmacist about pharmaceutical drugs, you should always consult an herbologist about herbs. When, for example, someone took ma-huang/ephedra and died, they were seriously abusing the herb. It is a bronchodilator and is used for conditions like asthma. They also took dosages that were so high that if you had taken the equivalent dose of aspirin, you would have serious intestinal bleeding. It is an herb that can be used safely when properly prescribed but is improperly used for weight loss and energy enhancement.