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Your Chinese herbal medicine arrives as granules in a bottle, not as ingredients to cook. Start with the right bottle, keep the written directions close and ask whenever a step is unclear.

Why a relaxed visit can blur the details

Many people leave a hands-on session at Lane Cove Acupuncture Massage Beauty feeling calm and unhurried, which is lovely, but it is also the moment when spoken instructions tend to slip away. Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, prescribes Chinese herbal medicine as granules in bottles. The clinic does not supply raw herbs to boil or strain at home, so there is no pot, stove or cooking schedule involved.

Start with the right bottle

Preparing a prescribed granule product begins with checking that you have the correct bottle and reading its own directions. Ask for a written sheet that covers:

• how to measure each dose and what to mix it with;
• when in the day to take it;
• where to store the bottle and how to read its use-by date;
• who to contact if something seems wrong.

If the granules look different from usual, the label is unclear or the bottle is damaged, set it aside and ask Christine before using it. A routine borrowed from a friend, an online cooking recipe or a quantity you remember from an earlier prescription cannot stand in for the directions written for you.

Labels, medicines and changes

Keep the sheet with the original bottle so the product name and directions stay together. When a GP or other doctor starts, stops or changes a medicine, let Christine know rather than waiting for the scheduled review, and mention the herbal product to your pharmacist too. If a new symptom makes you wonder about the granules, call for advice instead of trying a smaller or larger amount.

A small measuring routine can sit comfortably alongside the time you set aside for massage and other self-care. If any line on the sheet still puzzles you after the first few days, bring the bottle to your next appointment at the Lane Cove clinic and go through it together.