Today, there are more than 3000 Chinese Herbs commonly used in Chinese Herbal Medicine – most are of plant origin though some animal and mineral herbs may also be used. You may find some in your kitchen, such as ginger, garlic and cinnamon, while others such as chrysanthemum and peony flowers, are more likely to be found in your garden! Many of the herbs used will be unfamiliar to you and have names like Chai Hu (Bupleurum), Di Huang (Rehmannia), and Huang Qi (Astragalus). These Herbs are all Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved.

Some substances that were used traditionally are no longer part of modern professional Chinese Herbal Medicine practice. For example, traditional remedies that are derived from endangered species have been replaced by other substances with similar actions.