Herbal Medicine in Portland, Maine
Personalized Chinese herbal formulas tailored to your unique constitution. Treat the root cause, not just symptoms, for lasting wellness.
What Is Chinese Herbal Medicine?
Chinese herbal medicine has evolved over centuries and exists in the modern world as a powerful tool to treat and prevent illness. Plants have been used medicinally for thousands of years. Early physicians in ancient China developed a sophisticated understanding of how to use herbs as effective medicine through careful observation and repeated tasting and testing. Modern research continues to validate this tradition. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials found Chinese herbal medicine significantly improved hormonal and metabolic outcomes in women with PCOS, outperforming placebo and showing favorable results compared to metformin.
In ancient China, medical philosophers began to understand herbs by their directionality, flavor, and temperature. When ingested, herbs (and foods) have a specific direction or vector in the body. The directionality of an herb is determined by its flavor and temperature. Each herb's flavor (sweet, bitter, sour, acrid, salty, bland) and temperature (cold, cool, neutral, warm, hot) determine its therapeutic effect on the body. For example, spicy foods often have acrid and warm characteristics that cause mild sweating and flushing on the face, moving qi and blood up and outwards. In Chinese medicine, illness is also recognized as having directionality, and more often than not, illnesses present with more than one vector. Chinese herbal formulas are often multi-layered in their approach to address this complexity.
What To Expect from Chinese Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal medicine produces real, tangible changes when prescribed effectively. Most patients begin noticing shifts in their primary symptoms within the first one to two weeks of taking their formula. Changes may show up as improved sleep, better digestion, more stable energy, reduced pain, or a shift in mood and stress tolerance, depending on what you came in for.
Unlike supplements, a Chinese herbal formula is a dynamic prescription. It is reassessed and refined at each follow-up based on how your body responds. As your symptoms improve, your formula changes with you. This ongoing refinement is what makes herbal medicine so effective for complex, chronic, or layered health concerns that haven't responded well to other approaches.
Your First Herbal Medicine Visit
Your first herbal medicine visit begins with a thorough intake outlining health history and treatment goals. In addition to discussion, tongue and pulse assessments are used to gain further insight into your case. Based on your unique health concerns, we will write you a personalized herbal formula. Along with the packaged formula, you will receive cooking and dosage instructions.
Your Follow-Up Consultation
During follow-up visits, we discuss the changes you experience from taking herbs. How your body shifts and responds to your formula is important diagnostic information that informs treatment strategy moving forward. The dosage and length of time you take your formula will depend on your individual case. We will modify your formula as necessary based on discussion and symptom changes.
Why We Use Raw Herbs at Point Acupuncture
We have an authentic Chinese herbal pharmacy stocked with raw herbs. Raw herbs are the purest form of herbal medicine: dried, cut, and ready for use without refinement. Using this method delivers the strongest therapeutic effects. It allows us to customize and modify a formula to suit your exact needs, as well as modify the formula as symptoms and illness patterns shift and improve.
The raw herbs we source are organic and lab-tested for heavy metals, pesticides, and other contaminants. Rest assured, Point Acupuncture stocks top-quality medicinals. Our herbs come from Kamwo, Spring Wind Herbs, and Nuherbs.
After assessing your health needs, we will write you a customized herbal prescription. The herbs are carefully measured and packaged for you to take home, where you'll prepare them by cooking the ingredients into a concentrated tea. Taking a raw herbal formula requires some simple preparation. Patients are given instructions for either cooking their herbal formula on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or in an instant pot. Herbal tea is stored in the fridge and consumed as needed, usually 1 cup 2 times per day.
Drinking an herbal formula is a powerful way to support your health and maintain progress between acupuncture treatments. Whether you need a formula to create significant change in the body or offer a gentle nudge to maintain optimal health & wellness, your Chinese herbal formula is tailored to treat both the symptoms and root cause.
*Please note that appointment cost does not include the price of herbs.
Conditions We Commonly Treat with Chinese Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal medicine is particularly well-suited for chronic and internal medicine conditions, especially hormonal, digestive, and nervous system imbalances. Common conditions we treat include:
- –PCOS, irregular cycles, and hormonal imbalances
- –Perimenopause and menopause (hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes)
- –Digestive issues (IBS, bloating, constipation, and reflux)
- –Fertility and preconception support
- –Anxiety, stress, and insomnia
- –Skin conditions (eczema, acne, and chronic inflammation)
- –Headaches and migraines
- –Autoimmune conditions and immune support
- –Chronic fatigue and post-illness recovery
Herbal Medicine FAQs
What Our Patients Say
“I went to Hannah sleep deprived and struggling with physical anxiety, desperate for a remedy. I left her office calm from the bodywork session, and with a few bags of herbs that have kept me sleeping soundly ever since. I've been to many alternative healthcare professionals and mean it when I say that Hannah is special.”
— Sabrina C.
“Working with Hannah while trying to conceive and during pregnancy has been such a blessing. She compliments her acupuncture with a deep knowledge in herbs and body work. Appointments with her are so relaxing and healing! Highly recommend to anyone on their fertility journey.”
— Galen B.
“Hannah is wonderful! Her compassionate practice model combines bodywork and acupuncture in a nurturing, fluid manner. We recently started introducing herbal medicine into our sessions and I am already blown away by her vast and intuitive clinical skills.”
— Kat O.
“I went to Hannah sleep deprived and struggling with physical anxiety, desperate for a remedy. I left her office calm from the bodywork session, and with a few bags of herbs that have kept me sleeping soundly ever since. I've been to many alternative healthcare professionals and mean it when I say that Hannah is special.”
— Sabrina C.
Ready to start herbal medicine?
Schedule your first herbal medicine consultation or book a free phone call to discuss your treatment goals.