Beginners Guide to Chinese Traditional Medicine

While the herbs and roots in Chinese traditional medicine may seem harmless, if prescribed in the wrong doses, they can have adverse affects and it’s essential that you only attend a qualified practitioner. While Hong Kong and China, to a lesser extent, have regulations in place limiting who can call themselves a Chinese medicine practitioner and what herbs are available, other countries don’t. In the UK the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine is working towards regulation of Chinese Medicine and it maintains a members list with clinics. It’s associated with the European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (EHTPA) which is also pushing for more statutory regulation in the EU. The US currently has no umbrella organisation and licensing varies from state to state; it’s completely banned in some, allowed but unlicensed in others and allowed but licensed in the rest. You can find links to each states requirements and the practitioners certified in that state through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine , whose certification is required in most states.