Buying Chinese Herbs Safely: Shops, Online Sellers and Labels

Before you buy anything

This page is general guidance on checking sources, not a shopping guide. We do not recommend or rank any shop, brand, clinic or website. The first question is whether you need a herb at all, and which one. NCCIH advises discussing traditional Chinese medicine with your health care providers, not using it to replace or delay conventional care, and being especially careful if you are pregnant, nursing, or treating a child. [1]

Urgent first

If someone feels unwell after taking a herb, stop it and get medical care. In the US, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, or 911 in an emergency. Other countries: Poison Help by country.

Shops and herbal pharmacies

Hong Kong health authorities advise buying medicinal plants from licensed shops with a good reputation and not collecting, buying or consuming medicinal plants of unknown origin. [2] Hong Kong's regulator also advises collecting information about a brand before buying and not believing exaggerated or false claims. [3]

Questions you can ask a shop:

• Which exact species and plant part is this, and what is the batch or lot?
• Where was it grown and how was it processed?
• Is there a registration or licence number, and can I look it up?
• Does the shop sell any herb that a regulator limits to practitioner prescription? In Hong Kong, 31 herbs listed in a schedule to its Chinese Medicine Ordinance, including unprocessed aconite and Strychni semen, can only be bought on a registered practitioner's prescription. [4]

A reasonable shop will answer. An unwilling answer is itself information.

Online sellers

Online buying carries extra risk. In a 2018 review of 30 Spanish-language retail websites for Chinese herbal medicine, only one third followed the law, since the others used illegal Western disease claims in marketing; two offered potentially toxic herbs. [5] The NHS says not to buy unlicensed herbal medicines online because they may not be safe. [6] FDA says contaminated products appear in online marketplaces, social media advertisements, pharmacies, gas stations and supplement stores, and that talking to a health care professional before buying is wise. [7]

Hong Kong's regulator notes that selling, importing or possessing an unregistered proprietary Chinese medicine, including online or bought abroad, is an offence there. [3] Rules differ elsewhere. Importing a herb into your own country may also be restricted; that includes species protected by CITES (see herb sourcing and sustainability).

Reading what is on the package

See reading a Chinese patent medicine label. In short: a full ingredient list, species, manufacturer, batch and expiry. Health Canada says the eight-digit NPN indicates a licensed natural health product, and its absence does not necessarily mean unsafe, only not assessed. [8] The NHS says check for a Traditional Herbal Registration (THR) mark and product code in England. [6]

Red flags

• Promises to cure serious disease, or "detox" or "miracle" language.
• No ingredient list, or a list in a language you cannot read with no named species.
• Products that claim to contain endangered animals or mineral ingredients such as cinnabar or realgar. We do not recommend them. Hong Kong places cinnabar and realgar among its strongly toxic listed medicines. [4]
• Sellers who will not give batch, origin or contact details.
• Pressure to take large amounts or to stop prescription medicines. Do not stop prescribed medicine without speaking to your prescriber. [6]

Practitioner or shop?

Many people get herbs through a practitioner rather than a shop. Rules for practitioners differ by place, and in England the NHS says herbal medicine practitioners do not need to be registered by law and suggests choosing one registered with a professional organisation accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. [6] See how to choose a TCM practitioner and TCM qualifications and licensing.