Custom, individualized herbal prescriptions are the hallmark of Chinese herbal medicine. Chinese medicine is a professional, literate, inherently consistent system of medicine that has been practiced continuously for at least 2,500 years. Over this period of time, thousands of herbal formulations have been created to address the broad afflictions of human beings.
Chinese medicine also has a rich history of “patent medicines.” This is the term commonly used in the United States to refer to pre-made, over-the-counter herbal remedies. In China, these are referred to as “cheng yao”, or, “prepared medicine”. The use of these types of remedies dates back at least 2,000 years. Even the great doctors of Chinese medical history recognized the value and the need for medicines that were readily available, easy to transport, and proven effective for particular complaints.
In the United States, we also have common remedies and medicines that can be purchased at most pharmacies and stores. While not intended to treat complex or serious conditions, they are invaluable for many situations where more serious intervention is not necessary or immediately available. Many people have a variety of such remedies at home.
In the beginning of my Chinese medicine life in the 1980’s, I used to go to the Philadelphia Chinatown and visit my favorite Chinese pharmacy, Wah May Company (thank you to Stephen for sharing with me the 35 year old business card pictured with this article). There I would purchase and collect these remedies, which were often in the form of “wan”, or teapills. These little black balls contained a small amount of powdered herbs, rolled into balls and sealed with plant wax. The most common form of these is 200 per bottle, back then sealed with a cork top, wax, and then a plastic lid. These remedies were (and still are) effective, and were interesting when still prepared with unique packaging and inserts (indicating their application when stabbed with a sword, run over by a horse, etc.).
Western versions of Chinese patent medicines began to appear, and I used these heavily in my practice beginning in 1992. My favorite company was Jade Pharmacy, formulated by my teacher Ted Kaptchuk, manufactured by East Earth Herb, Inc., and distributed through East Earth Trade Winds. This company also made Jade Chinese Herbals and Dragon Eggs. The Jade Pharmacy line has been expanded by Zev Rosenberg and is manufactured by Kan Herbals. I also relied heavily upon the Seven Forests line, developed by Subhuti Dharmananda of the Institute for Traditional Medicine. More recently, I have used the Classical Pearls formulations of Heiner Fruehauf.
All of these formulas, as well as the many other brands I have used over the past 34 years, are very useful and I still use them at times. As I have developed in my own practice, relying almost exclusively on customized formulas that I prepare in my own pharmacy, I have come to use these patent medicines less and less. They rarely meet the needs and conditions of my own patients. Most people I treat wind up with a collection of unlabeled plastic bags and bottles of herbs. They do not go bad, but it is inconvenient and sometimes overwhelming if the person is already using herbal medicine for a specific condition. For this reason, and for many years, I have wanted the ability to prepare and bottle my own formulas.
It has taken me three years to get to the point where I can more readily prepare my own patent medicine formulas. Bottles and capsules and labels are easy to purchase; encapsulation machinery is not. The purchasing of such equipment (even the small scale version I now possess) is regulated by the DEA, and requires obtaining a license from them to purchase and import the equipment. It takes too much time and it is impractical to fill capsules by hand, and I gave up on this years ago. Now this problem is resolved.
In the coming months, I will make available many of the formulas I have created and routinely use in my practice. There will also be home and travel kits. Lily and Amethyst Peaceful Sleep Pills is the first formula I will prepare, and others will follow shortly. They will be available through the office via Stems and Branches Herbal Pharmacy.