A treatment we combine into your session
Herbs & Nutrition
Simple, realistic food guidance and Chinese herbal medicine, used alongside your hands-on treatment.
Nutrition
Reading the signs
In Chinese medicine the tongue is read for clues about digestion: its colour, coating, shape and moisture. I read it alongside your pulse, your day-to-day symptoms, and how your digestion, urine and stool behave. Together they show where your body seems out of balance.
Practical guidance
From there I give you simple, realistic guidelines on how to eat, shaped by what your body is showing. No strict diets and no long lists of forbidden foods.
Flavours and energetics
Chinese medicine groups food by its five flavours and by energetics: whether a food is warming or cooling in its action. Balancing the two supports digestion, so that the food you already eat can nourish you better.
Who this tends to help
- Digestive issues that haven’t resolved with diet changes alone
- Chronic fatigue or a body that never feels fully recovered
- Fertility concerns alongside your medical care
- Recurring pain with a nutritional or metabolic component
- Wanting root-cause support rather than symptom management alone
- A treatment plan that continues working between in-person sessions
Herbs
What they are
Chinese herbal medicine uses plants, roots and minerals, combined into a formula chosen for your individual pattern. It is often used alongside nutrition and lifestyle guidance, for example for digestive problems, fatigue, pain, and support around fertility.
Why I use them
Herbs work internally and build up over time, so they suit patterns that need more sustained support than hands-on treatment alone. They fit well alongside acupuncture and bodywork.
How a consultation works
It starts with a detailed history and a tongue and pulse assessment. You then take a herbal extract daily, and we review and adjust it about every 10 to 12 days. Consultations can be face to face, online, or both: see how herbal medicine works at Zest.
Safety
Some herbs can interact with medication, particularly blood thinners. I always take a full list of what you are taking, prescribed or over the counter, before prescribing anything.
Working with me
What to expect from herbal treatment
I am a fully qualified and insured Chinese Medicine Herbalist.
- First consultationUp to 45 minutes, or 30 minutes online. £90.
- Follow-ups30 minutes, about every 10 to 12 days. £60.
- Herbal Healing Journey7 weeks, £295, plus the cost of your herbs.
- How longMost problems need 1 to 3 months. Long-standing ones can take up to 6.
Your first consultation
Your first herbal consultation takes up to 45 minutes, or 30 minutes online. Before we meet, please fill in the herbal consultation form. We’ll go through it together.
I’ll ask how the problem started and about your symptoms, lifestyle, diet, sleep, stress and general health, and note any medication and allergies. I’ll look at your tongue and ears and feel your pulse on both wrists. With your permission, I’ll photograph your tongue and ears to follow your progress.
At the end, I’ll explain what I think has unsettled your health, and how you can support yourself while you heal.
Your treatment
You take your herbs every day. We meet for a 30-minute follow-up about every 10–12 days. Each time, we look at how you’re responding and I adjust your formula: I may reduce some herbs, add others, or change the formula altogether.
The Herbal Healing Journey lasts 7 weeks and costs £295, plus the cost of your herbs (separately: initial consultation £90, follow-ups £60). Most problems need 1–3 months of treatment. Some settle within a few weeks, while long-standing or more complex ones can take up to 6 months.
Your herbs
To have a real effect, a daily dose of raw herbs is 50–120g, the same as 30 to 80 tea bags. Raw herbs also need cooking for at least 30 minutes, which is hard to fit into a busy life. So I usually prescribe concentrated herbal extracts instead: 1g of extract equals about 7g of raw herbs.
Your herbs are Sun Ten concentrated granules, supplied by Herbprime in Manchester, a UK supplier of Chinese medicine products to registered practitioners. They’re made under strict pharmaceutical controls and simply dissolve in water.
The taste can be strong, but even my youngest patients manage it. If you prefer, the extract can be made into capsules for an additional charge, or you can cook raw herbs yourself.
How you may feel
Many people notice a change within the first one or two weeks. Because Chinese medicine treats the whole person, people often notice other benefits too, such as better sleep, more energy, a clearer mind and a calmer sense of balance.
Research summary
What the evidence says
Evidence for Chinese herbal medicine varies considerably by condition and formula, and is generally less standardised than research into acupuncture or hands-on treatments. Where used, herbs are chosen individually for your pattern, discussed openly, and reviewed regularly so we can track what’s actually helping.
Core reference works I use
The formulas used in clinic are cross-checked against standard professional references, not folk tradition alone. A few of the core texts:
Materia medica & pharmacology
- Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology — John K. Chen & Tina T. Chen (Art of Medicine Press, 2004). In-depth monographs on 670 herbs, covering traditional actions, dosage, cautions, pharmacology, toxicology and herb-drug interactions.
- Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica — Dan Bensky and colleagues (Eastland Press, 3rd ed.). The standard Western TCM materia medica, central to formula construction and pattern differentiation.
- The Pharmacology of Chinese Herbs — Kee C. Huang (CRC Press, 2nd ed., 1998). Chemical composition, pharmacological action and toxicity for 473 herbs, bridging classical use with Western scientific method.
Formulas & clinical research
- Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications — John K. Chen & Tina T. Chen (Art of Medicine Press, 2009). Companion volume focused on formulas, with pharmacological effects, dosing and clinical research findings.
- Handbook of Chinese Medicine Clinical Trials: Evidence Based Medicine — Taixiang Wu, Zhaoxiang Bian and Hongcai Shang, eds. (Springer, 2021). Systematic reviews and GRADE-appraised meta-analyses of randomised trials across 81 conditions.
- Evidence-Based Clinical Chinese Medicine Monograph Series — RMIT University and Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine. Condition-specific monographs integrating classical texts with contemporary clinical trials.
Research-focused & integrative titles
- Dietary Chinese Herbs: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Clinical Evidence — Springer. Chemical, pharmacological and clinical research on common dietary Chinese herbs, useful for understanding the overlap between food and medicine.
- Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies — Dan Bensky and colleagues (Eastland Press, 2nd ed., 2015). A practical bridge between classical formula strategy and contemporary clinical modification.
Common questions
How long before herbs start to help?›
Many people notice a change within the first one or two weeks. A full course is usually 1–3 months, with your formula reviewed and adjusted about every 10–12 days.
Are the herbs easy to take, and can I have raw herbs or capsules?›
They usually come as a soluble extract that mixes easily into water. The taste isn’t always pleasant, but it’s manageable, even for young patients. If you’d rather cook a traditional decoction, raw herbs can be ordered and I’ll talk you through preparation and dosing, or the powdered extract can be prepared into capsules, for an additional charge, if you prefer to avoid the taste.
Will herbs interact with my medication, and do they have side effects?›
Some herbs can interact with medication, particularly blood thinners, so I take a full medication history and check for interactions as a matter of course. Please tell me about anything you’re taking, prescribed or over-the-counter. Prescribed by a qualified herbalist, herbs are generally very safe; occasionally there’s mild digestive upset in the first week or two, and the formula is adjusted if that happens.
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