Chinese Herbs are a big part of my practice. Acupuncture is effective to treat various conditions; however, when the reason of illness is due to lack of certain elements, using herbs is much better.
Common ingredients are cinnamon, orange peel, liquorice, ginger, rhubarb root, and many tree barks and roots. Flowers, fruits, flower buds, leaf can be Chinese medicine.
There are also several animal products such as oyster shells, animal fossils, gelatine and egg yolks. If you are vegetarian or vegan, please let me know ahead.
I like to give raw dried herbs for you to cook. there are few reasons that I believe that it is the best way.
- It is the most pure way of taking them. Using of water desolvable granule is easier to dispense and to take. However, to make granule, the factories have to add in fair bit amount of starch. For example this popular company’s Chinese herbal formula in granule’s one day dose is 12g. Within the 12g, actual medicinal element is 4.8g and the rest is additive to make granule. Excess starch with weak digestion can produce pathogenic dampness and impairs the whole system.
2. The raw herb produces the least amount of garbage. I take the issues of accumulated landfill garbages of any kind seriously. I simply don’t want it be the part of it. When using any processed products, there are always garbages come with them. Especially plastic garbages from recyclable bottles to un-recyclable wrapping leaves such a negative impacts on the earth. Chinese medicine is holistic medicine, in which unification to the universal law of being applied as the basic rule. So considering the wellness of the earth and the universe is a large part of therapeutic journey. 
When using raw dried herbs, i will pack them in a paper bag. After cooking them, the dredges can go to your composter. It is the cleanest way and best way for the earth and environment.
Trillium Chinese Medicine 