What’s in my herbal travel kit?

I’ll be traveling quite a bit in the next few months.  What are the herbs I take along with me?

Gan Mao Ling: It’s an early cold formula with some immune boosting herbs.  I advise anyone who is traveling by air to take this formula on the airplane just in case there are sick people around you.

Yunnan Baiyao powder is great to use topically for cuts and scrapes.  You can pour it directly into a wound and it will stop bleeding.

Pain patches.  I prefer ‘Pain Terminator’ patches.  They have Chinese herbs and menthol in them to help relieve pain.

Zheng Gu Shui: This is a liquid formula that can be applied topically for pain.  It’s very fragrant thanks to the menthol in it.  Patches work for smaller areas.  If you want to cover a larger area, use this.

Huo Xiang Zheng Qi San: These are great for stomachache, traveler’s diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.  (Curing Pills are another great formula for this but it contains gluten and I can’t take them since I’m gluten-free.)

Enteromend: Speaking of gluten, this is not a Chinese herb formula but it’s made by the Health Concerns herbal company.  It’s made up of amino acids to help in case of accidentally eating gluten.

Huang Lian Su: This is essential for every traveler!  This helps with food poisoning and dysentery.

Yin Care: This is a very versatile topical formula that’s good for bug bites, poison ivy, poison oak, rashes, acne, yeast infections, athlete’s foot and much more.

I offer basic herbal travel kits to my patients that can be custom-tailored to wherever they’re traveling to.  For people going to Burning Man, for example, I add herbs to protect their lungs from the dust in the desert.  Where will your travels take you?

*If you are pregnant, please ask your acupuncturist if these formulas are right for you.