Herbal Powders in Chinese Medicine Clinical Practice

Everyone who learnt from me knows how much I love working with whole herbs (as opposed to extracts or prepared formulations).

I believe herbs need to be experienced: through seeing, smelling, touching, tasting. Only then can we get to know them properly. I am fascinated with building my relationship with medicinal plants through direct contact. And it is obviously contagious: nearly all my students have their own whole-herb apothecaries.

Having said that, there is a challenge! A one day formula has at least 50-60 and often 100+ grams of herbs. This raises an important issue of the cost / pricing and can be a reason why some practitioners - in order to make their treatment more affordable - turn to using granules.

I have a better suggestion. We can continue working with whole herbs and reduce the cost by grinding them into powders. I learnt about this method from a dear colleague, Eran Even, and have been experimenting with it for a couple of years. So have my students.

I recently met with Marie C Asselin, a 2022 AHHA graduate, to share our experience and practicalities of working with powdered herbs. I hope our discussion will inspire you to try this method for yourself.

MARINA DANILOVA
academy founder and teacher