Herbs & Formulas

As the summer gives way to fall and the lingering challenges posed by the current pandemic remain, we as parents and practitioners are naturally focused on protecting our children's health and well-being. Whether our concerns focus on the usual seasonal illnesses, or more specifically on COVID-19, the foundations of strengthening our children are the same. Naturally, prevention is our first line of defense, and the public safety guidelines already in place bode well for significantly lessening children's sick days from the usual seasonal colds and flu.

Mayway Herbs is pleased to announce two new extract granule products that are based upon recent clinical assessment and research from China. Although templates of these formulas are currently available in our dispensary service, we have manufactured these new products for your prescriptive convenience. Because these formulas are extracted in an enclosed, low temperature vacuum system that preserves essential oils, they are much more powerful than a decoction made at home.

Mark Frost, Herbal Chair at American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) joins Mayway to highlight Huang Qi and Fang Feng. Mark discusses the similarities and differences of these important herbs including their TCM functions and how to select the best herbs for your patients.

Huang Bai Summer Soup is a simple and nourishing soup that is perfect to clear Summer Heat and strengthen the middle Jiao. Making use of the corn cob after cutting off the kernels, in combination with the sweet crispness of carrots and sharpness of dried ginger make for a balanced and nutrient-rich treat.

No matter your type or time of travel, the family First-Aid kit is an essential item. Though the standard First-aid kit contains the usual emergency care items, traditional Chinese medicine has its own special list of medicines to address common health issues that can come up during many adventures. Over the decades of teaching traditional Chinese herbal medicine, countless students have asked me to share my list of recommended herbal formulations to always have on hand. The Plum Flower® Travel Kit includes covers the most common emergency needs.

During these times of isolation and physical separation, we like to make the best of it and take advantage when an opportunity presents. Sometimes, "Making Hay While the Sun Shines" comes with a cost: unexpected and unwanted aches and pains.

Summer is the time of year we are out in nature and enjoying the world around us. With nature in full bloom, not all of our friends and neighbors are necessarily enjoying all that nature provides. For some, Summer can also be a time of red irritated eyes, runny noses, sneezing, scratchy throats, and cough and wheezing, resulting from a combination of Wind and Wei Qi deficiency. Sang Ju Yin is highlighted as a summer formula for cooling summer heat.

As we slowly re-open our clinics, there are a few reasons to feel optimistic while still being cautious and very careful. Whether patients have had the virus or not, bodies, hearts and minds have certainly been stressed more than normal times. In the office, we may see patients that are recovering from milder illnesses as well as new pathologies and possibly aggravations of underlying constitutional conditions. With this in mind, I'd like to share my thoughts on some straightforward prepared herbal formulas to address a variety of clinical pictures you may encounter in the weeks and months ahead.

Five Flowers Tea, or Wu hua cha 五花茶 is a traditional Chinese folk tea, enjoyed especially during the summer months by Cantonese people in the hot and humid south. Sweet and slightly cold, its’ main TCM functions are to clear heat and toxins, drain dampness, promote urination, cool blood, and alleviate summertime wind-heat.

Zongzi are a traditional food during the Dragon Boat Festival. The story behind these dumplings started over a thousand years ago during the Warring States period, when there were seven kingdoms in China who were constantly battling for dominance.

Michael McCulloch, L.Ac., MPH, PhD, Epidemiologist will discuss Blood Stagnation and its deadly effects. This is a LIVE webinar broadcast approved for 2 NCCAOM PDAs and approved for 2 Live CEUs from California Acupuncture Board. The live broadcast will take place on June 30th from 10am-12pm PST.

Harmonizing is one of the eight treatment methods used in traditional Chinese medicine. In the contemporary practice of TCM, harmonizing prescriptions fall into four sub-categories: Shao Yang disorders, Liver and Spleen disharmonies, Stomach and Intestine disharmonies, and malarial disorders.

A phonetic play on He 荷 “lotus” and He 和 “harmony”, this is a delicious, calming, and nourishing dish; a perfect treat for these tumultuous times! Steaming rice in dried lotus leaves infuses the rice with a smoky, roasted tea fragrance.