What types of medical herbal therapy preparations are there?

At present, the formal medical herbal therapy preparations approved in China are mainly divided into two categories: traditional classic dosage forms and modern improved dosage forms. The rest of the niche special dosage forms are basically adjusted and adapted on the basis of these two categories.

The decoctions we usually prescribe at traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, the ointments for nourishing in autumn and winter, the honey pills we carry with us, the golden powder for external application, and the bone-setting water for bruises and bruises are all classic dosage forms that have been passed down for hundreds of thousands of years. Their effects have been clinically verified for a long time, and their adaptability is also wide. A while ago, I saw a truck driver who worked all year round. His back muscles were strained and he was in so much pain that he couldn't straighten up. He was prescribed a customized medicated wine tincture for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. He rubbed it on the affected area for five minutes after picking up the car every day. The pain was almost relieved in a week. This external tincture has strong penetration and does not need to be taken orally to hurt the stomach. It is especially friendly to people like them who have irregular meals all year round.

However, traditional preparations are either troublesome to cook or inconvenient to carry. In recent years, there have been more and more improved herbal preparations. For example, everyone often talks about the non-cooking granules. To put it bluntly, the active ingredients in the herbs are purified in advance and made into dry granules. You can drink it by boiling it with hot water like instant coffee. It is especially suitable for office workers and students who are renting a house and cannot boil medicine. A while ago, a young girl who was preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination came to treat dysmenorrhea. It was this kind of granules that she prescribed. After drinking it for two cycles, her menstrual period no longer hurts to the point of sweating. There are also transdermal patches and herbal atomized liquids, all of which optimize the route of administration. For example, the herbal atomized liquid used for elderly patients with chronic bronchitis directly acts on the respiratory tract, has a much faster onset of action than oral administration, and does not place additional burden on the gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidneys.

Here I have to mention the most discussed herbal injections. Indeed, in the past few years, there have been many adverse reactions due to inadequate purification processes and clinical abuse. Now many experts in the industry advocate limiting the scope of use of this type of dosage form. Currently, regular hospitals have extremely strict indications for such preparations. They will only be used according to regulations in special situations such as oral intolerance and first aid. Skin tests will also be done before use. The safety is much higher than in the early years.

I would also like to remind everyone that many products on the market now with the banner of "medical herbals" have not actually obtained the national drug approval or formal medical trademarks at all. They are consumer-branded or even three-no products. It is basically a trap to advertise that they can cure any disease. For regular medical herbal preparations, the corresponding batch number can be found in the database of the State Food and Drug Administration. It is correct to check before buying.