The main complexities are feeling worse (flu-like fever) before you get better — so don't stop if you feel worse, as this is in fact a very good sign. Only the people who feel worse on oxymatrine actually get better. If you don't feel worse, you won't get better on oxymatrine. That is the way it works. Usually people start feel worse only after around 6 weeks on oxymatrine.
Another thing: start slowly. For the first week, take just one 200 or 300 mg capsule a day. Then on the second week, take two capsules. Then on the third week, try three capsules. If you take the full dose (which can be up to 6 capsules a day) immediately, you may overload your system.
Also, if you do get better, it is very important not to stop taking oxymatrine, because you will relapse. Don't think because you are better, you can now stop. Dr Chia has had a lot of experience with this, and every patient that thought they were better and stopped, subsequently relapsed within days of stopping.
Some info on oxymatrine treatment of ME/CFS:
Video presentation by Dr Chia on the Chinese herb oxymatrine.
Dr. Chia On Oxymatrine, Autoimmunity, ME/CFS and FM
Oxymatrine
Equilibrant costs $50 for 90 tablets, plus the $18 shipping to the UK you quoted. So that's a total of $68 for 90 tablets. The oxymatrine I bought was half that price, costing a total of $30 for 100 tablets.
UK customs fees (import VAT of 20%) are levied on any items costing more than £15. Plus the UK Post Office charge a fee themselves for processing your item through customs, and this fee is quite excessive: £8). Though if the item is delivered by another courier like DHL say, then there is no fee (but there may still be import VAT levied).
So in my case, my oxymatrine item cost $30 = £18, and so the 20% VAT on that is £3.60.
However, having bought dozens and dozens of supplements online from the US, I have found that very often, the UK Post Office often don't bother with customs, and so on many occasions you actually pay nothing extra at all. It's a matter of luck: on some items the Post Office levy VAT + their fee; but on others items, they allow them into the UK for free. I'd say that at least half, if not more, of all the items I buy from the US are let in to the UK for free.
There is a UK supplier of the Chinese herb Sophora flavescens (Ku Shen is the Chinese name) here:
Ku Shen tincture (Sophora flavescens) 1:3 25% - Bristol Botanicals
Ku Shen concentrated powder (Sophora flavescens) 5:1 - Bristol Botanicals
However, Bristol Botanicals do not provide any info on the oxymatrine content of their Sophora flavescens, so this would make dosing a guessing game. The oxymatrine tablets you buy contain 200 or 300 mg of oxymatrine, and this is the right dose. The amount of oxymatrine in Equilibrant remains a secret (it is a proprietary formula), but I imagine it is also around 200 to 300 mg per tablet.
One could try to estimate the oxymatrine content of these Bristol Botanicals Sophora flavescens:
I read that standard Sophora flavescens root herb contains 2% around oxymatrine. So this means that the Sophora flavescens 5:1 extract should contain 10% oxymatrine. Therefore 3 grams of Sophora flavescens 5:1 extract will contain 300 mg of oxymatrine.
So you could trying buying some of the Sophora flavescens concentrated powder 5:1 extract from Bristol Botanicals, and take 3 grams of this powder as your dose. Though Sophora flavescens is one of the worse herbs I have ever tasted. It really is bitter and disgusting. So swallowing Sophora flavescens powdered root will leave you taste buds very unhappy.