Chinese herbal pharmacy is an ancient and complex discipline within Chinese medicine. Over the centuries, many different regional substitutes and adulterants have been introduced into the herbal marketplace, and many herbs that have similar names and appearances are easily confused. Consequently, there are many examples of herbs that are commonly misidentified in both Asia and the West.
In China, clinicians rely on experts in pharmacy to obtain the correct medicinals, so doctors do not need to have significant expertise in issues related to herbal pharmacy. By contrast, practitioners in the West often have to play the role of both doctor and pharmacist, which requires a relatively sophisticated understanding of multiple disciplines. As practitioners, we must know how to avoid potentially dangerous substitutes, and we need to make sure that the items that we prescribe have been correctly identified so that we can achieve reliable therapeutic results. This webinar illustrates how to avoid misidentified and counterfeit medicinals so that you can always give your patients the safety and efficacy they deserve.
