Birchwood Acupuncture is home to Bellingham Chinese Herbs. For the Bellingham Chinese Herb Pharmacy website, please go to http://www.bellinghamchineseherbs.com

How to Take Chinese Herb Powders

Traditionally, herb formulas are boiled for up to 3 hours, but powdering the herbs increases surface area to allow for easier extraction and makes it convenient for a person to quickly consume all of the herb material with every dose, which is the most effective way. Therefore, we recommend patients take the following steps to prepare their herb formula:

The Birchwood Acupuncture Clinic is home to the Bellingham Chinese Herb Pharmacy, one of the few places in Bellingham, WA, to find high quality Chinese Herbs and Chinese Herbal Medicine products.  We stock hundreds of different individual raw herbs and herb granule formulas available for established patients as well as walk-in clients.

Herbal Medicine works well alongside or independent from the standard Western medical approach. Chinese Herbs are naturally very effective with very few negative side effects and generally do not interfere with prescription medications. When coordinated with the appropriate treatment modalities, Chinese Herbal Medicine can help facilitate the full recovery of a variety of disease conditions, including:


  • Colds and Flu
  • Anxiety and Insomnia
  • Menstrual Issues
  • Digestive Problems
  • Stress and Headaches
  • Immune Disorders
  • Prolapse and Physical Weakness
  • Physical Injury

Herbal Medicine Consultation:          $20

If you would like us to formulate a custom herbal prescription for your specific condition, come to the clinic for an Herbal Medicine Consultation. A consultation consists of a 15 minute interview that includes pulse and tongue diagnosis. Once we understand the appropriate treatment plan, you will be provided with a diagnosis and explanation from the perspective of Chinese Medicine and a prescription for Chinese Herbs. There is no consultation fee for herbs if you are also receiving an acupuncture treatment, simply want to refill a previous prescription, or know specifically the prescription you would like made.


Herbal Medicine Powder:                   $20 / 100g

Bellingham Chinese Herbs primarily works with Chinese Herbal Medicine Powders. We believe that herb powders are both the most effective and convenient way to take herbal medicine. Once you have an herbal medicine prescription, we will assemble the various raw herb ingredients and grind them into a fine powder that you can combine with boiling water to make tea. We recommend consuming approximately 100g of herbs per week until the problem resolves.  In addition to herbal powders we also offer KPC Herb Granule formulas, non-powdered raw herbs, and quality Chinese Tea.

Herb Services

Chinese Herbs

The use of herbs as medicine in China extends back for over four thousand years to the times of  Shen Nong, the sage-king who is said to have both marked the development of sustainable agriculture and first recorded the extant understanding of herbs as medicine. Over the years Chinese Herbs have been continually researched and refined into the nuanced and highly efficacious system master practitioners use today.

1. Take approximately 1 tablespoon (5g) of the herb powder and place it into a teacup.

2. Boil water and pour the water into the cup, stir it up and allow the herbs to settle and brew into tea.

3. Drink the tea once it has cooled sufficiently.

4. Add more cool water and stir up the remaining herb powder so that it is suspended in the water. Quickly drink all the water to consume the remaining herb powder. If this is not possible, just add more hot water and drink the herb tea until it is flavorless.


5. Take one dose of herbs 2-3 times per day until symptoms resolve.