- First, you should get your Chinese medicinal herbs from your licensed practitioner or from a reputable source your practitioner recommends. Don’t get your herbs off the Internet or in a health food store where the herbal recommendations are made by an unlicensed person (some stores do have licensed qualified practitioners so ask!).
- Second, it is great if you do your own homework and understand the source of the herbs yourself that your practitioner recommends. It is excellent if you can learn more about the herb companies from where your practitioner obtains his or her prepared formulas. The herb company should be able to supply a paper trail and documentation of all the steps in the herb supply chain. The company should be able to provide bonafide certificates of analysis (COA) for all products that they carry and sell.
- Third, the herbs should be fresh and/or processed in the traditional manner that is called for in the Chinese herbal materia medica, the official body of remedial substances used in the practice of Chinese medicine. All the individual herbs should be correctly identified by species, tested for heavy metals, pesticides and bacteria by an independent laboratory before being made into prepared formulas.
- Fourth, the prepared formulas should bottled, stamped with a batch number and a manufactured date. A sample of the prepared formulas from each batch should also be tested for accuracy, purity and potency by an independent laboratory. Again, the herb company should be able to provide a certificate of analysis (COA) for each formula in their catalog.
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