1st Chinese Herbs • Serving Herbal Customers Since 1994
Our Herbal Philosophy
Respect the tradition. Examine the evidence. Explain the difference. Put accuracy before the sale.
For more than 30 years, 1st Chinese Herbs has helped customers find Chinese and Western herbs while providing educational information designed to help people make thoughtful, informed choices.
What We Believe
Herbal information deserves more than marketing claims.
We believe traditional herbal knowledge deserves to be represented accurately—not exaggerated, dismissed, or rewritten to sound more scientific than it is.
We also believe modern scientific research deserves to be represented accurately. A laboratory study, a clinical trial, centuries of traditional use, and an individual customer's experience are different kinds of information.
They should not be presented as though they prove the same thing.
Our responsibility is to help our customers understand those differences.
Five Principles Guide Our Herbal Information
1. Tradition With Context
Traditional herbal uses should be identified as traditional uses rather than presented as though centuries of use automatically constitute modern clinical proof.
2. Research With Perspective
Scientific research should not be stretched beyond what researchers actually investigated. Laboratory studies, animal studies, observational research, and human clinical trials do not provide identical types of evidence.
3. Product Transparency
Customers should be able to find practical information about ingredients, botanical names, formula names, preparation, directions, manufacturers, allergens, warnings, and other relevant product details whenever that information is available.
4. Safety Before Hype
Natural does not automatically mean safe or appropriate for everyone. Herbs and herbal formulas can have cautions, contraindications, allergens, and potential interactions.
5. Accuracy Matters
Herbal knowledge continues to evolve. When reliable information shows that something should be corrected or clarified, we believe in reviewing it and making appropriate updates.
Traditional Knowledge and Modern Science Are Not Enemies
We do not believe people should have to choose between respecting traditional herbal knowledge and asking for scientific evidence.
They are different approaches to understanding herbs, and they often answer different questions.
Traditional Chinese herbalism developed over centuries with its own terminology, theories, formulas, preparation methods, and methods of pattern differentiation.
Modern scientific research approaches herbs through methods such as botanical identification, chemical analysis, laboratory experiments, pharmacological research, observational studies, controlled clinical trials, and systematic reviews.
Both can contribute useful information.
But they should not be confused with one another.
| Type of Information | What It Can Tell Us | What It Does Not Automatically Prove |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Use | How an herb or formula has historically been understood or used within an herbal tradition. | That the traditional use has been clinically proven according to modern scientific standards. |
| Laboratory Research | How a substance, extract, or compound behaves under specific experimental conditions. | That a whole herb or commercial herbal product will produce the same effect in people. |
| Animal Research | Potential biological effects that may justify additional research. | That the same outcome will occur in humans. |
| Human Clinical Research | What happened within the population, intervention, dose, and conditions that were studied. | That every herb, preparation, formula, brand, or individual will experience the same outcome. |
| Customer Experience | What an individual reports about their personal experience. | Scientific evidence that another person will experience the same result. |
Traditional Chinese Medicine Has Its Own Language
Traditional Chinese Medicine developed its own system for describing patterns, relationships, and observations.
Terms such as Qi, Blood, Yin, Yang, Shen, Heat, Cold, Dampness, and Wind, along with traditional references to the Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, and Kidney, belong to that traditional theoretical framework.
These terms should not automatically be interpreted as direct equivalents of Western anatomical organs, laboratory findings, diseases, or medical diagnoses.
When we use these terms, our goal is to preserve their traditional meaning while making their context clear to modern readers.
Traditional Description Is Not a Medical Claim
Explaining how an herb or formula has traditionally been described is different from claiming that the herb or product has been scientifically demonstrated to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent a disease.
We Don't Believe in Matching One Symptom to One Bottle
Chinese herbal formulas were traditionally selected within a larger system of pattern differentiation.
That means two people describing what sounds like a similar concern may not necessarily be viewed the same way within traditional Chinese herbal theory.
A formula traditionally associated with one pattern may not necessarily be appropriate for another person who describes a similar symptom.
That is one reason we believe responsible herbal education requires more than creating lists that say, “For this symptom, buy this product.”
Our educational pages can help customers understand a formula's ingredients, traditional background, alternate names, preparation, manufacturer information, and other practical details.
They cannot determine whether a particular formula is appropriate for an individual person.
A Formula Name Alone Is Not Enough
Chinese herbal products can be confusing because the same traditional formula may be known by several names.
A product may have:
- a Pinyin name;
- Chinese characters;
- an English translation;
- a manufacturer's product name;
- an older product name;
- or a slightly different translation used by another company.
Commercial versions of formulas can also differ.
Ingredients, modifications, proportions, concentration, preparation methods, excipients, serving sizes, and directions may vary between manufacturers.
That is why we believe shoppers should look beyond the name on the front of the bottle.
Whenever possible, we try to provide:
the current product name;
the Chinese or Pinyin formula name;
alternate or former names when relevant;
botanical names when appropriate;
herbal ingredients;
other ingredients;
manufacturer or brand;
package size;
serving directions;
allergen information;
relevant cautions;
and additional educational resources.
We want customers to understand what is actually in the product—not simply recognize the words on the front label.
How We Approach Scientific Research
Scientific research is an important part of modern herbal education, but research requires context.
A study involving an isolated plant compound does not automatically establish that a whole herb produces the same result.
Research involving a whole herb does not automatically establish that a multi-herb formula containing that herb will have the same effect.
And research involving a traditional formula does not automatically mean that every commercially manufactured product carrying a similar formula name has itself been clinically studied.
When We Review Research, We Ask:
- What exactly was studied? A whole herb, isolated compound, extract, formula, or finished commercial product?
- Who or what was studied? Laboratory cells, animals, healthy volunteers, or people with a particular condition?
- What preparation was used? Raw herb, decoction, powder, extract, standardized extract, or another preparation?
- What amount was studied? Research findings are connected to the conditions and amounts actually investigated.
- What did the researchers actually conclude?
- What limitations did the researchers identify?
- Does the research directly apply to the product being discussed?
A Scientific Citation Should Inform—Not Impress
The presence of a PubMed citation does not automatically make a claim true. The study itself matters. When we provide research references, our goal is to give readers an opportunity to investigate further rather than use scientific citations as decoration for a sales claim.
Where We Look for Information
Responsible herbal education often requires consulting more than one type of source.
Depending on the subject, sources may include:
manufacturer labels and product documentation;
botanical reference materials;
herbal reference books;
traditional herbal references;
peer-reviewed scientific literature;
PubMed-indexed research;
government health and safety resources;
academic resources;
and other authoritative sources appropriate to the subject.
Different sources answer different questions.
A traditional text may help explain historical use. A botanical reference may help verify plant identity. A manufacturer label tells us what is actually contained in a particular commercial product. Scientific research may help us understand what researchers have investigated.
No single source answers every question.
Accuracy Comes Before Making the Sale
1st Chinese Herbs is a retailer. We sell herbs, herbal formulas, teas, mushrooms, extracts, and related products.
We do not hide that fact.
But we believe selling herbs creates an additional responsibility to describe them carefully.
There may be times when responsible information makes a product less likely to sell.
A warning may cause someone to reconsider a purchase. A possible interaction may mean someone should speak with a pharmacist or healthcare professional. An ingredient list may reveal something a customer wants to avoid. An explanation of traditional pattern differentiation may show that choosing a Chinese formula is more complicated than matching a symptom to a product name.
That is okay.
A sale is valuable. Trust is more valuable.
What We Will Not Do to Sell an Herbal Product
We will not promise that an herb will cure a disease.
We will not intentionally turn a traditional herbal use into a modern medical claim.
We will not deliberately exaggerate scientific research to make a product sound more effective.
We will not imply that research on an isolated plant compound automatically proves the effects of the whole herb.
We will not imply that research on one herb automatically proves the effects of a multi-herb formula containing it.
We will not imply that research involving a traditional formula proves that every commercial version of that formula has been clinically tested.
We will not tell every customer that the same formula is appropriate for them.
We will not suggest that “natural” automatically means harmless.
We will not encourage customers to discontinue prescribed medical treatment in favor of an herbal product.
What You Can Expect From 1st Chinese Herbs
Clear Information
We work to make product names, ingredients, preparation, directions, and practical information easier to understand.
Traditional Context
Traditional herbal information should be identified as traditional rather than presented as established modern medical fact.
Research With Context
When scientific references are useful, we try to explain what the research actually investigated.
Safety Information
Warnings, allergens, interactions, contraindications, and other relevant considerations are part of responsible herbal education.
Honest Limitations
If evidence is incomplete, conflicting, product-specific, or uncertain, we believe those limitations should be acknowledged.
Continual Improvement
Our educational information is not frozen in time. We review and improve content as products, research, regulations, and available information change.
Natural Does Not Mean Appropriate for Everyone
Herbs contain naturally occurring constituents, and herbal products can have cautions, contraindications, allergens, and potential interactions.
Extra care may be appropriate for people who:
take prescription or over-the-counter medications;
are pregnant, planning pregnancy, or nursing;
are preparing for surgery;
have an existing medical condition;
are considering herbal products for children;
or are combining multiple herbs, supplements, or formulas.
We encourage customers to read complete product labels and ingredient lists.
When individualized medical judgment is needed, the appropriate source of guidance is a qualified healthcare professional who can evaluate the person's specific circumstances.
We Welcome Specific, Evidence-Based Corrections
Herbal information spans centuries of literature, different languages and translations, changing botanical nomenclature, modern manufacturing, scientific research, and evolving regulations.
No responsible educational resource should claim that mistakes are impossible.
If someone believes information on our website is inaccurate, we welcome specific, constructive corrections.
If You Believe Something Should Be Corrected
Please tell us:
- the page where you found the information;
- the specific statement you believe is inaccurate;
- what you believe the correct information should be; and
- the source or evidence supporting the correction, when available.
Specific information gives us something meaningful to investigate.
If reliable evidence shows that a factual statement should be corrected, clarified, or updated, we believe doing so is the responsible course of action.
Accuracy matters more than defending a mistake.
Reasonable People Can Disagree
Not every disagreement about herbal medicine means that one person is dishonest or uninformed.
Translations can differ. Traditional schools of thought can differ. Formula variations exist. Manufacturers can modify formulas. Botanical classifications can change. Scientific studies can reach different conclusions, and new research can change how earlier evidence is understood.
We believe disagreements are most useful when they are specific, respectful, and supported by evidence.
Our standard is not that everyone must agree with everything we publish.
Our standard is that we should be able to explain why information appears on our website, identify its context, examine the evidence behind it, and correct it when better information warrants a correction.
We Sell Herbs. We Also Have a Responsibility to Educate.
1st Chinese Herbs is an herbal retailer.
We believe that makes accurate educational information more important—not less important.
Customers should be able to understand what they are buying, what is in the product, what its different names mean, how it has traditionally been described, what warnings may apply, and where they can find additional information.
Our educational content is not a substitute for individualized medical care, diagnosis, or treatment.
It is our effort to make shopping for herbal products more transparent and understandable.
More Than 30 Years of Herbal Experience
1st Chinese Herbs has served herbal customers since 1994.
During those years, products have changed. Manufacturers have changed. Scientific research has expanded. Regulations have evolved. The internet has completely transformed the way people find information about herbs.
Our educational work has evolved as well—and it will continue to evolve.
Experience does not mean knowing everything.
Experience means understanding how important it is to keep learning.
Your Role Matters Too
Responsible herbal use involves both good information and thoughtful decision-making.
We encourage customers to:
read the complete ingredient list;
read and follow the product label;
check warnings and allergens;
pay attention to serving directions;
tell healthcare professionals about herbs and supplements they use;
ask questions when something is unclear;
avoid assuming that more is automatically better;
and seek individualized professional advice when appropriate.
Trust Should Be Earned
We don't expect you to trust us simply because we sell herbs.
We hope to earn your trust through accurate information, transparency about the products we sell, responsible use of scientific research, respect for traditional herbal knowledge, attention to safety, and a willingness to continue learning.
Our Philosophy in One Sentence
Respect the tradition, examine the evidence, explain the difference, acknowledge uncertainty, correct mistakes, put safety before hype, and give people the information they need to make thoughtful choices.
1st Chinese Herbs — Serving Herbal Customers Since 1994.
Traditional Use Notice: Information concerning traditional herbal uses and Traditional Chinese Medicine is provided for educational purposes. Traditional terminology should not be interpreted as a modern medical diagnosis.
Educational Information: Information provided by 1st Chinese Herbs is general educational information and is not intended as a substitute for individualized advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products discussed on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.