Herb Quality

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

 

I talked some time back about herbal quality coming out of China and

didn't get much response. It seems many members are unwilling to

face the fact that their 'only' source of raw herbs are less than

what they should be.

 

I recently went to the large Chinese herbal distribution area in

Seoul. There they had a mix of imported herbs from China and the

locally grown Korean versions. I happened to notice Huang Qi. One

was from China and the other grown in Korea. The Chinese Huang Qi is

farmed every 2 years whereas the Korean version is farmed every 5

years. I was amazed at the difference in quality. The Korean version

was superior in size, colour, cost, quality and treatment effect.

Yes, treatment effect! A doctor i know here in Korea, told me he

used Chinese herbs to produce a typical formula he had made for

years. It simply didn't work half aswell as if he had used Korean

herbs instead.

 

This isn't an isolated incidence. I've been buying raw herbs from

various pharmacies in China for the last 5 months and have noticed

that the herbs are not good quality. Ok, so i'm told, the best herbs

are exported, like the coffee from South America, but it doesn't

mean the quality is as it should be.

 

Now i've seen both countries and cultures, Chinese and Korean. The

Koreans are more advanced in terms of organic, natural farming,

without the use of heavy chemicals along with recycling methods. The

Chinese on the other hand, are the opposite. Even the fruit and veg

in China has to be washed throughly with washing-up liquid before it

can be eaten, imagine what's going on with the herbs coming out of

China.

 

Just because we all practice Traditional , it

doesn't mean that we have to use herbs or machines produced in

China. Often they are inferior and better alternatives can be sort

elsewhere. It's time that we practitioners stop sticking our heads

in the sand and vote with our feet, find a good supplier that can

offer good quality herbs with the real stuff inside them, the stuff

that makes people better! Yes, they will be more expensive, but the

success of treatment effect will out-weigh this in the long run and

benefit our industry.

 

Attilio