Talking about herbal medicine with the people you live with

When a herbal prescription comes home, everyone in the house plays a part in keeping it safe. A practical guide from the Freshwater clinic.

A familiar plant is still a medicine

Most families have a grandmother or uncle who swears by some herb, and that warmth can make plant remedies seem harmless. They are not inert, though. Chinese herbal medicine reaches people in several shapes, from granules and capsules to liquids and raw dried material, and swapping one shape for another without advice is not wise.

Before Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, writes any herbal plan in Freshwater, she needs the whole picture: prescriptions, vitamins, protein powders, and that bottle bought from an overseas website. If your partner or a carer sorts your weekly pill box, sit down together to write the list, because they often remember items you overlook.

House rules worth agreeing on

Ask Christine early what should happen if a dose gets forgotten or something new and unexpected crops up. Then settle a few habits at home. Nobody takes extra because things feel slow. Nobody hands their granules to a sibling with similar complaints. Nobody assumes a product will suit them simply because it seemed to agree with a parent years ago.

Keeping the plan where everyone can see it

Your plan ought to name the product, spell out directions and include a review date. Store those written directions with the original packet, in a spot anyone who helps you can find. Should another doctor alter your medicines, pass that news on to Christine. And if a fresh symptom leaves you unsure whether the herbs are involved, ring the clinic; solo experiments with quantity are a poor idea.

• Directions and label stay together.
• Changes to other medicines get reported.
• Questions get written down as they come.

When everyone at home understands the plan

Care feels steadier when the people sharing your kitchen know what you are taking and why. For a careful conversation about your own history and medicines, the Freshwater clinic welcomes you, and a support person is very welcome to come too.