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For Those That Use Chinese Herbs...

Misfit Toy

Senior Member
Messages
4,178
Location
USA
Is anyone who is a true TCM user buying their herbs in bulk or from somewhere online as opposed to seeing a TCM doc?

I know exactly what I need, but the TCM woman I go to wants $80.00 a month for just herbs. I think it's nuts. She used to make it into a formula but now I buy every herb separately.

Does anyone who uses good Chinese herbs have a place they use?

My meds and insurance are costing me about $700 a month. Something has to give.
 
Messages
38
I've pretty good luck buying from AliExpress . com (I'm still on probation here so I can't post active links) This is a portal for the Chinese company Alibaba and is similar to Ebay.

The hardest part is finding the herb you are looking for, if you have the Latin name that is the most accurate but just start searching with what you have and see where it leads. I've found products listed for sale as dried bulk natural herbs, dried extracts from ethanol, dried extracts from water or as pre-filled capsules of extracts.

It looks like most products are produced by large "pharmaceutical" type manufacturers, some products are available in 55 gallon barrels but most are sold in 500 to 1000 gram bags or by the kilogram. Shipping costs are reasonable and it has taken anywhere from 10 days to a month to receive my orders.

Payment is by credit card, I use standard internet safety measures but you have to use a card that will handle international transactions (most prepay credit or debit cards do not).

Hope this helps, you can also look on Amazon but the selection is less and the prices are more but the delivery is faster.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
I have also bought a number of herbal extracts on Aliexpress.com, which are very well priced. eBay is another place where you can find good deals for bulk powder purchases.
 

worldbackwards

Senior Member
Messages
2,051
I made a point of asking my acupuncturist (who isn't a herbalist but works with one) about this and he said that Chinese herbs tend to cost a fortune because they have to be imported from China and that the herbalist actually makes a loss at their clinic on the dried herbs that she sells (the little capsules are cheaper but I think universally acknowledged as not as good).

One alternative option might be to try western herbs. I've found that they are more effective than Chinese herbs in my case and a damn sight cheaper, less than £10 a week (which is usually about $15).
 

panckage

Senior Member
Messages
777
Location
Vancouver, BC
I made a point of asking my acupuncturist (who isn't a herbalist but works with one) about this and he said that Chinese herbs tend to cost a fortune because they have to be imported from China and that the herbalist actually makes a loss at their clinic on the dried herbs that she sells
Sounds like a salesman. Crap is cheap to import from China. Traditional/holistic practioners make a killing from herbs. The average salary in China is 1/10 of what it is here. If average Chinese can afford these herbs they are not expensive
 

invisiblejungle

Senior Member
Messages
228
Location
Chicago suburbs
If you want to get individual herbs in granule form (very convenient), my favorite brands are Sun Ten (manufactured in Taiwan) and Treasure of the East (largest manufacturer in China).

I order them from here:
https://www.acuatlanta.net/index.php

Chinese herb granules are made by cooking the herbs as a traditional tea, and then the water is evaporated so you get the dry extract. Like instant coffee. They come in a 5:1 ratio, so 1 gram of granules is equal to 5 grams of cooked herb.

If you want individual herbs in bulk form, my favorite sources are NuHerb and Mayway.

I get NuHerb products here:
https://www.goldenneedleonline.com

And Mayway products here:
www.maxnature.com
 

IreneF

Senior Member
Messages
1,552
Location
San Francisco
I live in San Francisco, which has a large Chinese population. Chinese herbalists charge varying amounts of money depending on the product. Certain types of ginseng cost far more than others, for example.

There's no reason why they should be particularly expensive because they come from China. So do lots of things.

Most of them could be grown here in the US, but there's likely to be less of a demand.
 
Messages
1
Maybe you can find some good tonics in Hyperion Herbs and Dragon Herbs. Can't put links up yet. They are on the pricey side but they are really good quality herbs and many of them are great help for CFS. I got some Eleuthero (Siberian Ginseng) and Schisandra from Monterrey Bay Spice Company for cheap.