Substances found in the environment have been used medicinally for as long as humans have recognised that what we eat, drink or apply to our skin can influence our bodies. The majority of traditional medicines around the world have been derived from plants, which contain a vast range of naturally occurring compounds that interact with human biology.
Chinese herbal medicine represents one of the world's most developed traditions of plant-based medicine, with a continuous history of clinical practice and an ability to evolve in response to changing health challenges.
Traditional herbal medicine exists between food and pharmaceutical medicine. Some plants are used as everyday nourishment, while others contain powerful compounds that have inspired the development of modern drugs. Clinical herbal practice occupies the middle ground: using carefully selected combinations of natural substances to influence physiological processes and support the body's ability to restore balance.
Many medicinal herbs contain polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenes and other compounds that can influence pathways involved in metabolism, inflammation, immune function and cellular ageing. Some act as adaptogens—helping the body respond more effectively to physical and environmental challenges—while others influence the microbiome through prebiotic or antimicrobial effects.
Modern research into bioenergetics is revealing how plant compounds can interact with the same systems that determine cellular resilience, including mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are not simply energy generators; they are dynamic signalling centres that respond to the environment around them.
Many plant compounds appear to work not by forcing the body in one direction, but by gently signalling and supporting its own adaptive mechanisms—a process sometimes described as hormesis. This may help explain why many herbs traditionally described as "strengthening" or "restorative" are now being studied for their effects on mitochondrial pathways, oxidative stress responses and cellular repair mechanisms.
However, this research also highlights an important principle: biology depends on balance. Although antioxidants are often promoted as universally beneficial, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are not simply harmful by-products. At appropriate levels, they act as important signals that allow the body to adapt to challenges such as exercise and environmental stress. The aim is therefore not to eliminate oxidative stress completely, but to support the body's ability to regulate these processes effectively.
This is why herbal medicine is not simply about finding the strongest antioxidant or the most concentrated extract. The aim is not to overwhelm the body with isolated compounds, but to provide the right combination of signals to support its own regulatory processes.
Traditional Chinese herbal medicine is based on the principle that the same symptom can arise from different underlying patterns of imbalance, and therefore may require different approaches in different individuals. A practitioner considers the relationships between multiple systems of the body, the person's constitution, their current health challenges and their long-term goals before selecting a formula.
Rather than using herbs in isolation, Chinese herbal formulas combine multiple ingredients that work together, with some herbs acting as the primary treatment, others supporting the main action, and others helping to balance or refine the overall formula. This allows the prescription to be adapted over time as the individual's condition changes.
This personalised approach reflects a broader principle of biology: health is not determined by a single pathway, but by the interaction between many interconnected systems.
Because the regulation of herbal products varies considerably, professional advice and careful sourcing are essential. Unlike pharmaceutical medicines, many herbal products available to the public are not subject to the same level of quality control.
In the UK, some manufactured herbal products may be registered under the Traditional Herbal Registration (THR) scheme, but this applies mainly to standardised products rather than personalised formulas prescribed by trained practitioners.
Herbs purchased online or from general retailers can vary significantly in quality and may carry risks including incorrect identification, contamination, adulteration, inappropriate dosing or unsustainable sourcing.
For professionally prescribed Chinese herbal medicine, quality begins with the source. The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) works with approved suppliers who are audited to ensure standards of quality, safety, traceability and ethical sourcing.
The European Herbal & Traditional Practitioners Association (EHTPA) has also developed the HerbMark standard to help identify herbal products that meet recognised requirements for responsible sourcing, quality control and good manufacturing practice.
When you receive herbs from a practitioner using approved suppliers and recognised quality standards, you can have confidence that your herbs have been correctly identified, appropriately processed and sourced with respect for both people and the environment.
The process for receiving herbal medicine from a professional herbalist goes as follows:
We do an initial consultation which takes a detailed look at your overall health. This:
• Spots any connections between other systems and your main symptoms.
• Ensures that the herbs are best suited for your particular constitution.
The practitioner constructs a formula which you take for 1-2 weeks.
We meet again, to evaluate the initial formula and adjust it, or repeat.
Once we are happy we have the optimal formula to suit your needs, we can order a larger batch.
We decide how to progress. This may mean:
• Stopping once you have reached a point where you are satisfied.
• Finding a cheaper, more convenient solution for maintenance.
Bags of raw dried herbs are given to the patient to prepare at home. They need to be boiled in water like a soup and drunk on a daily basis, or occasionally used as a wash, soak or steam bath. A modern alternative to cooking them at home is to place the herbs in an insulated flask, filling it with boiling water and leaving the herbs to steep overnight. A few companies can offer to cook them in pressure cookers and reduce them into bags of concentrated fluid.
Pros: Widely believed to give the best result as the herbs cook together.
Cons: The most expensive and usually requires the patient's time and effort to prepare at home. Special extraction methods increase complexity or may not be possible.
A popular, convenient way to take herbs in a busy modern world: the herbs decocted individually or in small formulas and dehydrated to form granules similar to instant coffee in a factory. These can then be mixed and either measured out in spoonfuls or divided into sachets to mix with water and taken daily. They can also be pressed into capsules or pills.
Pros: Convenient. Special preparation can be done during the manufacturing to ensure the presence of all necessary constituents which can be standardised and controlled at industry level.
Cons: Not all the herbs can be cooked together when making custom formulas, so some reactions between them may not happen. Excipients are required to prevent clumping and retain stability, which vary between companies.
Herb extracts can be pressed into pill form, and many herb suppliers now offer standard lines of pills and capsules sold as supplements. These are much cheaper than customised formulas since they can be mass produced, but the combinations are limited to what the company sells.
Pros: Capsules avoid the bitter taste of some herbs. Manufactured lines are usually cheaper than customised herbal formulas.
Cons: To take the equivalent of a herbal decoction, as many as 10-15 pills may need to be consumed in a single dose making them best for low dose, continued treatment of chronic conditions. Manufactured products are limited to the combinations that the companies sell. Only a handful of companies pass the Herbmark standard required for professional herbalists to recommend.
The herbs are placed into strong alcohol. These can be purchased individually and mixed into a blend which is then decanted into a bottle, or made the traditional way: by placing all the herbs into a jar, filling with alcohol and leaving for weeks or even months to extract. A small measure is then taken daily, usually mixed with water.
Pros: Alcohol extracts different components to water and can target specific compounds by adjusting the % of alcohol used.
Cons: Alcohol can extract more toxic components too and may not be suitable for some patients. It may need to be cooked off or substituted with glycerine but this requires additional processing.
Applied to the skin, the most common method is to use extracted powders, tinctures or essential oils and mix them with a base cream. The more traditional method is to soak or gently cook whole raw herbs in oil or water, then filter and use as a wash or oil, or they can be mixed with a hardening agent like beeswax or plant butters to make an ointment, or with an emulsifying agent to make a cream. Other times whole herbs may be crushed, macerated or ground and applied directly to the skin as a poultice, held on with plasters or bandages.
Pros: Useful for superficial issues or symptom management.
Cons: Does not usually treat internal causes. Can be messy and stain.
A mixture of essential oils is combined with a carrier oil which can then be evaporated to produce an aroma or applied to points on the skin. Smell has a strong effect on the mind and mood while some oils stimulate the nerves on the skin to produce hot, cold, tingling or numbing feelings which can be used to alleviate pain and itching. Others have skin soothing compounds that can be used to calm irritation. A customised blend, coordinated with a diagnosis, can even be applied to acupuncture points to provide a means of continuing the treatments between sessions, or for distance treatments when it is not possible to meet face-to-face.
Pros: Enables the patient to treat themselves.
Cons: Good quality essential oils can be expensive. They can cause skin irritation if not diluted sufficiently. They are limited to use as topical and aromatherapy uses.
Herbal formulas have to prepared after an individual consultation which may have to look at the patient in more depth than for other treatment methods since herbs often work on more than one system at a time. Follow ups are then required to monitor the progress and alter the formula as necessary.
Woodley Bioenergetics
90 Deane Croft Road,
Eascote, Pinner, Greater London. HA5 1SP
Tel/WhatsApp: +44 (0) 7946 174 829
Email: steve@steve-woodley.co.uk
