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On paper, a formula may read like a short inventory of plants. This guide explains why traditional prescribing considers the whole, and the questions to ask about your own.

A herbal formula can resemble a straightforward roll call of plants, a few of them familiar from the pantry. Prescribing, though, involves much more than picking ingredients by reputation, and appreciating that can help you choose a practitioner and pose sharper questions.

How traditional prescribing views a formula

Traditional Chinese medicine weighs a formula as a complete unit, set against the presentation of the individual in front of the practitioner. Knowing each component is not enough to reconstruct another person's prescription, nor to decide whether it would be right for you.

Questions to ask about your own formula

Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, writes Chinese herbal prescriptions for clients in Lane Cove. Once a formula is proposed, it is reasonable to ask Christine:

• What is this formula meant to address in my case?
• When do we reassess it, and how?
• Which changes in me would make you alter it?

Two habits to avoid

Do not copy a prescription that belonged to someone else, however similar your symptoms seem. And resist reading traditional theory as evidence that a formula works for each complaint a textbook happens to list next to it.

Keeping your instructions organised

Ask for the name of the product, the dosing directions and a review date on paper. Store them with the original packet, and tell Christine when anything else on your medicine list changes. If an unexpected symptom crops up and the cause is unclear, ring for guidance instead of tinkering with the dose on your own.

Choosing a herbal practitioner

A practitioner who explains the reasoning behind a formula in everyday language, and who invites your questions instead of brushing them aside, is far easier to work with over the months a herbal plan may run. That willingness to explain is worth more than any impressive list of ingredients. It also makes it easier to raise side effects or changes in your medicines, because the conversation is already open.