Quality Herbs Are Important and NEVER Should Be Substituted For Cost Efficiency or Convenience.

We don't have to guess what's in our herbs and neither should you.

The herbal dispensary at Garden Acupuncture is an extension of the high quality service we offer as practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Quality Herbs are an important part of Chinese Medicine and it’s imperative that we can confidently recommend our protocols. Herbs are powerful, have many contraindications and reactions and must be dispensed accurately to ensure safety of our clients and efficacy of our protocols. Our ethical standards and education, backed by countless hours of research, have enabled us the knowledge of offering our clients safe, clean, unadulterated, quality herbs.

The herbs we use are obtained from one of the only suppliers that goes out of their way to meet true quality control standards, not only in production but in distribution. Our supplier even goes the length of using methods such as UV Spectrometry testing to ensure the authenticity of the herbs. Our herbs are tested for:

• Heavy Metals

• Impurities & Contaminants to ensure

• Authentic and Raw Materials

Over-The-Counter Herbs and Supplements That Cost Less, Cost Less For A Reason

The dangers of buying vitamins, supplements and herbs from discount retailers has long been a hot topic among healthcare practitioners and now finally has the attention of the Attorney General. You can read the article on The New York Times website and view the cease and desist here. Herbs and supplements that can be obtained from reputable, big chain establishments are often big offenders as they tend to carry products that cost them and the consumer less. They cost less for a reason.  Ask yourself a couple of important questions.

Shouldn't I be able to trust that I'm getting what the label says is in the bottle?

If the herbs are being used medicinally, should my doctor or practitioner be able to know and trust what they are prescribing to ensure efficacy?

Am I really saving money by buying products that don’t even contain the ingredients I need?

The Dietary Supplement Health and Safety Act of 1994 deregulated the field by not requiring supplements/herbs to be approved or even monitored by the FDA. No formal process to ensure the quality of herbs, safety, efficacy or freshness was required. In addition, no standards needed to be followed regarding production and distribution. It’s all been left up to the individual manufacturers to decide whether or not they want to implement any kind of quality control. In fact, the production and sale of nutritional supplements and herbs is apparently still an unregulated field despite the 2007 Good Manufacturing Practices of dietary supplements by the FDA. Otherwise, GNC, Target, Walmart, and Walgreens would not be under fire right now. Who has been paying attention for the past six and a half years? It seems supplements and herbs do not catch the attention of the FDA unless there is celebrity scandal, a high number of complaints, reported adverse reactions or deaths regardless of the fact that it is a 20 billion dollar industry.

Why you shouldn't buy Over-The-Counter Herbs

• The herbs may not even be present at all let alone present in a nutritional or medicinal value

• The levels of herbs and compound formulations may be inconsistent not only from lot to lot but from bottle to bottle and pill to pill

• Reformulating is not uncommon. This results in discrepancies with the labeling as labels may not be changed on new formulations

• Testing may not be done throughout the process to ensure absence of heavy metals, impurities or contaminants

• If compounds are re-capsuled or re-bottled contamination may occur

• The FDA has no regulation other than on paper. It seems that nobody is in the field checking the facilities or documentation of manufacturers and suppliers

Garden Acupuncture’s number one concern is your health. Please exercise caution when making choices in purchasing nutritional supplements and herbs. Always consult with a trusted healthcare provider to make sure there are no drug reactions or contraindications with your medical history and that they are quality herbs.