Chinese Herbal Medicine

Chinese Herbal Medicine has always been considered pre-eminent amongst the various methods of healing within traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is practised extensively throughout clinics and hospitals in China alongside Western medicine, yet at the same time the use of herbal ingredients is interwoven in the everyday life of China's population through their food tradition. The age old systematic approach and clinical effectiveness of Chinese herbal tradition has had the most profound influence on the practice of medicine all over the Far East. Countless generations of doctors over thousands of years have carefully observed patterns of illness and have used powerful natural remedies to alleviate these conditions and restore and maintain good health.

Why is herbal medicine at Avicenna different?

We are amongst the very few clinics in Europe to run in a truly traditional style dispensing herbal teas made up individually from raw herbs.  We  get many visits from students and practitioners from all corners of the globe, including professors and students from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan Medical universities who delight in discovering that we do what nowadays has become a rarity even in their own culture. In fact, we have over the past few years regularly hosted  Taiwanese  pharmacognosy students from Chinese Medical University in Taichung, who come to study in our dispensary for two months during their summer breaks.


Avicenna's Herbal Medicine practitioners

Mazin Al-Khafaji

Mazin started his studies in Chinese medicine and the Chinese language in 1979, and gained his Doctor of Chinese Medicine from Shanghai College of TCM in 1987.

He is respected worldwide as an inspirational  teacher and clinician and co-author of the textbook Manual of Acupuncture.

Mazin specialises in: Dermatology, auto-immune & allergic disease.

Read full biography & Fees


Virginia Wood

Virginia has been practicing Chinese medicine since 1988.

She qualified in herbal medicine in 1994 at The London School of Chinese medicine under Mazin Al-Khafaji and Michael McIntyre.

Virginia spcialises in: Gynaecology and fertility

Read full biography & fees




TCM combines a detailed analysis of signs and symptoms with a unique system of pulse and tongue diagnosis to develop a detailed picture of the course and process of disease. After diagnosis each person will be prescribed an individual herbal tea formula, tailor made to their specific requirements, to be taken daily as part of their food intake. This allows for a subtle but powerfully effective form of treatment with minimal side-effects. Considerable research into many aspects of TCM has been conducted in China and the West proving beyond doubt its efficacy and merit. People of any age and constitution can benefit from Chinese herbal medicine.

...Chinese herbal medicine allows for a subtle but powerfully effective form of treatment with minimal side-effects.

Chinese herbal medicine remedies may influence a wide range of acute and chronic disease, including:

  • Skin disease: Eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, urticaria, lichen simplex, lupus erythematosus, vitiligo, fungal & yeast infections, bacterial & viral disease such as herpes simplex, impetigo, polymorphic light eruption (sun allergy), etc
  • Allergic and Auto-immune disease: Hay fever, asthma, thyroid disease such as Grave's & Hashimoto's disease, myasthenia gravis, Sjogren's syndrome, multiple sclerosis MS
  • Gastro-intestinal disorders: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic constipation, diarrhoea, persistent nausea & vomiting, stomach ulcer (duodenal & peptic), ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease.
  • Gynaecological & Obstetrics: Pre-menstrual syndrome, painful periods, endometriosis, abnormal uterine bleeding, infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, infertility, habitual miscarriage, fibro-cystic, morning sickness, insufficient lactation (breast milk), post natal depression, post natal weakness and debility.
  • Male disorders: Infertility, low sperm count & motility, impotence, chronic prostate problems
  • Respiratory conditions: Asthma, bronchitis, chronic coughs, allergic rhinitis and sinusitis
  • Rheumatologic conditions: Osteo arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, ankylosing spondylitis
  • Urinary conditions: Chronic cystitis, interstitial cystitis, painful bladder syndrome
  • Psychological disorders: Insomnia, depression, anxiety
  • Supportive therapy in the treatment of cancer: Side effect of chemo and radiotherapy, fatigue, nausea, low blood count etc.
  • Neurological conditions: Headache, migraine, dizziness, peripheral neuropathy
  • Cardio-vascular disease: Angina, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, irregular heart rhythm
  • Children's diseases: Bed wetting, glue ear, reoccurring tonsillitis, asthma, eczema etc.
  • Other: Hepatitis A, B, C, chronic fatigue syndrome ME, symptoms associated with HIV infection

Last Herbal Medicine news

Hu Tao Ren - The Walnut

The Walnut has been in the press recently for it's medicinal qualities. TCM has been using them for centuries!

Liver fibrosis & Chinese Herbs

Liver fibrosis is a condition of abnormal proliferation of connective tissue due to various types of chronic liver injury often caused by viral infection and chemicals. Effective therapies against liver fibrosis are still limited. In this review, the authors focus on research on Chinese medicines.

Red Yeast Rice an alternative to Statins for people with high cholesterol & statin-intolerance

High cholesterol. An alternative - In a study held at the University of Pennsylvania scientists have discovered that the Chinese Medicine Red Yeast Rice (Hong Qu) has similar benefits to the statins but without the risk of the side effects.

The effectiveness of mint tea as a painkiller.

A team working out of Newcastle University has proved that a cup of Brazilian mint tea has pain-relieving qualities matching those of commonly available painkillers. Hyptis crenata (Brazilian Mint) has been prescribed by Brazilian...

Chinese Herbs for Endometriosis may have comparable benefits with fewer side effects than conventional drug treatment

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) may relieve symptoms in the treatment of endometriosis, according to a study published today. A systematic review by researchers at the University of Southampton found some evidence that women had...

You are currently offline. Some pages or content may fail to load.