Chinese herbal medicine is the pharmaceutical arm of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It has been around for as long as acupuncture has, and in many ways helps to inform the diagnosing techniques of acupuncture by dictating the treatment principles. 

Herbal formulas are custom built for each individual patient based on their needs. They act as a supplement to the acupuncture treatments between appointments and help to extend the effects of acupuncture as well as improve the outcomes for most patients. 

The biggest concern with Chinese herbal medicine is product sourcing. Currently, the facility that the herbs used are sourced from performs rigorous testing on all raw materials, which are carefully selected and laboratory tested using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to verify standardization of all herb identification. Additionally, each granule is tested by their GMP-certified manufacturer for microbes and heavy metals such as Lead, Cadmium, Mercury and Arsenic, organochlorine pesticides such as DDT and BHC using only the most stringent, certified testing techniques. All testing standards exceed the required standards of China, Taiwan, and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) for heavy metals. 

Chinese Herbs should ONLY be taken under the supervision of a practitioner who is nationally certified in either Chinese Herbology or Oriental Medicine by the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine). Herbal certification takes years to achieve and is considered a practice of continual study through one's lifetime. In the U.S., only practitioners who have achieved and maintain NCCAOM certification in Chinese Herbology or Oriental Medicine can be considered competent Chinese herbalists.