Safety, quality and effectiveness of TCM Herbs products

Every food supplement seller states the same: The safety, quality and effectiveness of our products is our absolute priority. Below, we will try to explain the reality, because otherwise the uninitiated customer may succumb to the belief that he/she is enjoying the best that nature has to offer. Perhaps the following procedures will help you to better navigate this complex jungle of advertisements, half-truths and fake news:

Where do our herbs come from?

Our only supplier is the Belgian company Medichin, which imports all herbs from the company Min Tong, Taiwan. This renowned company was founded in 1938 and is therefore one of the oldest in this region. By cooking raw herbs, Min Tong creates a pasteurized cocoa-like powder. The Belgian company Medichin then processes these concentrated herbal powders into herbal tablets and beverages (1 g herbal tablet is made from 5 g of raw herbs). The manufacturer points out that each batch of herbs can have a different colour, taste or scent, because these products are natural and not genetically formulated, but they always have the same effect.

Each batch of individual herbs (188 species) is tested  at the Phytax accredited laboratory in Schlieren, Switzerland to identify herbs, heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic and copper), bacteria (E.coli, Salmonella), fungi and yeasts (aflatoxins B1 and total aflatoxins) and 511 pesticides (organochlorine , organophosphorus, pyrethroid, nitrogen and other pesticides).  Furthermore, all our products in the Czech Republic are regularly inspected by CAFIA, which takes samples to determine the presence of heavy metals, bacteria and fungi (but not pesticides…).

We do not import individual raw or dried herbs, but only concentrated powdered herbal extracts for one simple reason – it is NEVER possible to 100% ensure that dried and raw herbs (even if vacuum-packed) are not contaminated with micro-moulds at import, so they must be “properly treated” with sulphur or pesticides in advance. All our herbs are non-ionized, gluten-free (except the codes 025 and 113), and do not include aristolochic acid.

Each laboratory is different

Few people know that there are completely different criteria for testing food supplements and pharmaceuticals – of course, testing food supplements for the presence of harmful substances is generally at a completely lower level (both qualitatively and quantitatively) than in the case of medicines. However, every seller (at least 10 out of 9) of food supplements claims that its quality is the best – but you just have to go for more details and not be misled (or intoxicated) by sweet-words, otherwise the consumer can be easily deceived and disappointed. You can see the difference between the laboratories in the table below:

How to best take our herbal tablets

Our tablets do not contain any additives, binding agents or adhesives. Only natural microcrystalline cellulose serves as a binder, and only up to a maximum of 1%. Therefore, the products must be compressed into very hard, compact tablets, which are more difficult to dissolve and may be hard for some people to swallow – but it varies from individual to individual and depends on the person. Therefore the following use has worked best: In the evening, put your morning (daily) dose of tablets (e.g. 6 + 6 tablets of each kind) in a mug and pour some water (cold or hot) into it, the tablets will be almost dissolved by the morning. In the morning, put e.g. Beverage of Chinese sages or another beverage into the mug, pour in only hot water (100°C) and mix everything properly (with a spoon). For better taste, you can add some good quality milk (of any kind to your liking) – you will get quite a tasty bitter white coffee, which you can, without fear of insufficient absorption of herbs, drink for breakfast (ideally millet porridge).

The advantages are as follows:

• Easy ingestion even of bitter herbs (can be sweetened with maple or date syrup, if needed)
• Maximum absorption of finely dissolved herbs
• Speed ​​and simplicity – no intervals and waiting 15 minutes before and 30 minutes after a meal
• It replaces the breakfast beverage (no need to drink morning tea or coffee).
• At the same time, this form of use is also “natural” for the spleen PI and its energy QI – for these reasons we never use any packaging capsules (even the most natural ones, gelatinous, etc., as they always weaken the qi spleen energy PI QI XU over time and cause moisture SHI) or tinctures (the content of herbs in them is suspiciously minimal according to thin layer chromatography. Moreover, any alcohol contained in the tinctures always brings moisture and heat SHI/RE to the body…), or raw mixtures of herbs SAN or TANG, which unfortunately cannot be imported from Asia without either containing excessive pesticides or micro-moulds.

The following use is also possible:

Herbal tablets can be taken in the usual dose of 4 tablets 3 times a day or 6 tablets 2 times a day. In children we follow the age, e.g. 1 year – 1 tablet 3 times a day (e.g. a 4-year-old child can take 3×2 tablets per day). The principle that “a large hole requires a large patch” applies here, or, in other words, dosage can be adjusted according to the state and intensity of the patient’s problems, especially in acute conditions (viruses, acute inflammations, painful conditions, etc.).  So in China they use a dose of up to 2-3 times higher, i.e. up to 5×8 tablets per day at the beginning of the disease, and gradually reduce the dose according to the remission of the problem. (As a Czech proverb says, “You can’t extinguish a burning fire with a bucket of water”). The tablets are usually taken on an empty stomach at least 15 minutes before a meal or 30 minutes after a meal with warm water. If you are taking pharmaceutical medicines, NEVER use them with herbal products at the same time! The rule applies that herbal products are always taken before meals (about 1/2 hour) and chemical medicines after meals (preferably 1 hour from the time the herbs were taken).