Why choose Chinese herbal medicine at MyPremierMD
Board-Certified Medical Acupuncturist
Trained at UCLA's Helms Medical Acupuncture Institute, bringing decades of experience prescribing Chinese herbs safely alongside conventional medicine.
Custom-Tailored Herbal Blends
No two patients get the same formula — personalized combinations based on your specific constitution, symptoms, and health goals, evolving as your condition improves.
Works With Your Current Medications
As a board-certified MD, drug interactions are understood and Chinese herbs are safely integrated with any medications you're taking — you don't have to choose between Eastern and Western medicine.
Addresses the Underlying Issue
Chinese herbal medicine aims to correct the imbalance causing your symptoms, meaning long-term improvement rather than temporary relief.
What is Chinese herbal medicine?
Chinese herbal medicine uses natural plant-based substances to restore balance in your body. Unlike taking a single herb for a specific symptom, traditional Chinese formulas combine multiple herbs that work together synergistically — some address your main complaint while others support your overall constitution and minimize side effects.
These formulas have been refined over thousands of years, and modern research continues to validate their effectiveness for conditions ranging from digestive issues to hormonal imbalances to immune support. You'll receive your herbs in easy-to-use capsules — no brewing bitter teas for hours.
Commonly used for
Digestive issues, hormonal imbalances (menopause, PMS), sleep and anxiety support, immune support, and chronic pain and inflammation — often alongside acupuncture or your existing treatment plan.
How your formula gets chosen — and changed
An herbal formula isn't picked off a shelf by symptom. Two patients with the same complaint frequently need different formulas, and the same patient usually needs a different one three months later. The process looks like this:
- A full intake first. Symptoms, sleep, digestion, energy pattern through the day, cycle if relevant — alongside the standard medical history, exam, and any labs worth running.
- A medication and supplement review, every time. This is the step most herbal practitioners can't do properly. Chinese herbs can interact with blood thinners, sedatives, blood-pressure medications, and diabetes drugs. A physician reads that list knowing what each drug does.
- The formula is built, not selected. Several herbs combined so that some address the main complaint and others support your constitution and blunt side effects — the reason traditional formulas are multi-herb rather than single-ingredient.
- Capsules, not a stove-top project. You'll get your formula in capsule form. Nobody is brewing anything for two hours.
- A reassessment at 2–4 weeks. Acute complaints often shift in that window; chronic ones take 6–12 weeks. Either way the formula is adjusted as things change rather than repeated indefinitely.
- A plan to come off it. The goal is to correct the imbalance and stop, not to sell you a bottle every month for the rest of your life.
Let's find the formula that fits your body.
Same-day sessions available — call or book online.
What patients most often come to us for
Herbal formulas are used here as one part of a plan — frequently alongside acupuncture, and always alongside whatever conventional treatment is appropriate.
Digestive Complaints
Bloating, reflux, irregular bowels, and IBS-type symptoms that have already had the workup and come back "normal."
Hormonal Symptoms
Perimenopause and menopause, hot flashes, PMS, and menstrual pain — used with or instead of hormone therapy, depending on what fits you.
Sleep & Stress
Difficulty falling or staying asleep, and the wound-up feeling of chronic stress — often paired with acupuncture for anxiety and stress.
Immune Support
Building resilience against frequent colds, sinus infections, and other recurrent illness — one of the most common reasons patients start a formula here.
What herbs are not is a replacement for treatment of a diagnosed medical condition. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or thyroid disease, those get treated properly — a formula may sit alongside that care, but it doesn't stand in for it.
Care that pairs with herbal medicine
Medical Acupuncture
The most common pairing — needling for the immediate effect, herbs for the sustained one between sessions.
Learn moreWomen's Health
Chinese herbal formulae are an active clinical tool in our perimenopause and menopause program, not a footnote to it.
Learn moreWeight Management
Nutrition and metabolic care where herbal support can complement the medical side of the program.
Learn moreChinese herbal medicine questions
Are Chinese herbs safe?
Yes, when prescribed by a qualified practitioner. High-quality herbs are sourced from reputable suppliers, carefully checked for interactions with your medications, and your response to treatment is monitored.
Will Chinese herbs interact with my medications?
Your current medications and supplements are reviewed before prescribing herbs. Formulas are selected that work safely alongside your existing treatments, and you're monitored for any interactions.
How long before I see results?
Most patients notice improvements within 2–4 weeks for acute conditions. Chronic conditions may take 6–12 weeks to see significant changes. Your formula is adjusted as your condition evolves.
Do I have to brew tea or can I take capsules?
We only offer herbs in the convenient form of capsules. Modern preparation makes taking herbs easy while maintaining their effectiveness.
How do I know the herbs themselves are clean?
This is a fair question, because herbal products are far less regulated than prescription drugs and contamination with heavy metals, pesticides, or undeclared pharmaceuticals is a documented problem with material bought online or overseas. We prescribe from established manufacturers that supply certificates of analysis for their batches, rather than sourcing on price. If you're already taking something you bought yourself, bring the bottle — we'd rather look at it than guess.
Is there anyone who shouldn't take Chinese herbs?
Yes. We're cautious or hold off entirely during pregnancy and breastfeeding, with significant liver or kidney disease, with a history of transplant or immunosuppression, and in the two weeks before scheduled surgery — some herbs affect bleeding and anesthesia. Interactions with anticoagulants, sedatives, blood-pressure medications, and diabetes drugs are checked case by case. Being seen by a board-certified physician is precisely how these get caught before you start, not after.
Does insurance cover this?
The office visit itself is generally billable to your insurance like any other appointment. The herbal formula usually isn't — herbal products sit outside most plans' pharmacy coverage, so expect it as an out-of-pocket cost. We'll tell you what it runs before you commit rather than after. See insurance and billing for the carriers we work with.
Contact MyPremierMD Today
We'll reach out within 24 hours to answer your questions and help you schedule an appointment.