Traditional Chinese herbology is just about as complex as modern medicine itself. A traditional Chinese herbologist would not simply prescribe an herb for whatever condition it is you have. Instead, the herbologist would choose one or two main ingredients to target your illness and then augment the concoction with other herbs to put the rest of your body back into harmony. Equally important, a Chinese herb doctor will include certain herbs to act as a catalyst to the main ingredients and others to nullify the toxic effects that some other herbs may have. Traditional Chinese herbology holds that no single herb is the key to health or treating pain. Each patient actually needs an herbal remedy tailor fitted to them.

The herbs themselves are not long held Chinese secret, but the manner in which they are combined and used is. Common herbs and their corresponding remedies include: tangerine peel to help regulate your Chi, Hawthorn fruit for improving gastrointestinal function, pumpkin seed to kill parasites, red sage root to invigorate your blood and aster berry to help eliminate phlegm. There are literally hundreds of herbs and combinations of herbs that can be used for various aches, pains and diseases.

Today, off the shelf varieties of traditional herbal remedies can be bought over the counter in China. Two major brands of Chinese herbal remedies are exported to the United States: Plum Flower and Mín Shan. It is important to use one of these two mainstream Chinese brands or buy something made in the United States because off brands may contain higher than recommended quantities of undesirable substances such as mercury or lead. Although manufactured pills lack the individual quality found in true traditional Chinese medicine cocktails prepared by herb doctors, the various groupings of herbs are still very effective in treating minor things. For more severe cases of pain, it becomes more important to go the more traditional route of having a true herb doctor find the right balance of herbs for you.