Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome! At Lin Sister Herb Shop, Inc., we take a holistic, time-tested approach to wellness using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Below, we answer common questions to help you understand how our herbs and treatments work. For more details, check out our Clinic Services.

Important Note:
Our herbal recommendations are dietary supplements, not medical treatments. They are designed to restore balance in the body, not replace emergency care or diagnoses. Always consult your primary care provider for serious health concerns.

FAQs - General and for First-time Visitors

Yes, we accept all three forms of payment. There is not an additional charge for card purchases.

Unfortunately, we do not accept insurance.

  1. Mixed appointments and walk-ins are available, but limited, but available. Visit https://linsisterherb.noterro.com/ for details. If you are having difficulty booking appointments, it’s likely because we are fully booked. In that case, stay tuned until we open further appointments. We typically announce appointments for the next month on the third week of the month prior.
  2. Our general recommendation is that walk-in patients arrive by 9am on weekdays (except Wednesdays when we close). Each day, we may have to turn away walk-in patients as early as 10:30am, due to high volume. Wait times may be as long as 5 hours, as early at 10:00am (especially on weekends).
  3. To ensure that every patient receives a careful and sufficient consultation, we can only see 25 patients (each of whom will receive a number) per day. For instance, by 12:30pm on weekends, it’s safe to assume that we are no longer taking new walk-in patients for the day.
  4. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, we have mixed appointments and walk-in consultations. Accordingly, Saturdays especially are not very reliable for walk-ins to have a consultation because it get so busy.
  5. We do not take virtual appointments nor phone consultations. If you live far away, while we appreciate your interest, you may be better served by a practitioner more local to you. There are many quality Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners across the country. Healing is a lifelong journey, and thusly, TCM treatments typically require multiple visits.

Yes, but not in the way you might have in mind. Unlike Western medicine, which often targets specific diseases, Chinese medicine focuses on restoring harmony in your body’s natural systems. This means:

  • Two people with the same chief complaint may receive different herbs based on their unique imbalances.

  • Healing is often a gradual process, requiring consistent use of herbs (sometimes for months).

  • Success depends on your commitment—taking herbs daily, managing stress, and supporting overall wellness.

Think of it like adjusting your body’s “internal climate” rather than just treating symptoms. Check out our Google reviews for real patient experiences!

Keep in mind, our herbal recommendations are dietary supplements, not medical treatments. They are designed to restore balance in the body, not replace emergency care or diagnoses. Always consult your primary care provider for serious health concerns.
@linsisterherb #linsisterherb #linsister #tcm #chinatown ♬ You Blues You Lose – Jeff Lofton

There are three different approaches to treatment that we offer

#1 – Over-the-counter:
If your health complaint is acute and not intertwined with several other health issues, an over-the-counter formula may be right for you. Herbal practitioners will usually know hundreds of classical formulas in the Chinese cannon indicated for common patterns and symptoms. These are so common that distributors in China have prepared these teas in the form of tea-pills and granules. Some more benefits of over-the-counter herbs are that they are relatively cheap and can be easily taken. They may also serve as a good starting point for people new to Chinese medicine. The staff at the store here are generally qualified to recommend these for customers.

#2 – Herbal Consultation
If your health complaints are chronic and intertwined with other health issues, having an herbal consultation may be right for you. Importantly, this approach may be fairly expensive and requires more commitment from a patient than does taking over-the-counter herbs. After the cost of the consultation and herbs, new patients will typically spend around $156 for two weeks of a formula. When appointments are fully booked for the day, limited walk-ins are available.

If you come in for a consultation, the herbalist will use the tools of traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis (see: pulse and tongue reading and the 10 questions) to come up with a treatment. Consultations take, on average, about ten minutes. Then, you can take your prescription to the first floor to be filled. Typically, we will prepare patients’ herbs in granule form. If you would like to have your formula as raw herbs, please inform Frank, during your consultation.

#3 – Acupuncture
Our acupuncturist, Zhuang Cai performs treatment of chronic pain, emotional disturbances, and pain resulting from acute injury or illness. Mr. Zhuang Cai is an acupuncturist in New York, NY with 19+ years treating symptoms of physical and mental health disorders. As an

Acupuncture sessions are $55. Walk-ins are available Tuesdays and Fridays 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.. No appointments. 

Typically, coming in early is your best bet. We open at 10am every day besides Wednesdays and major holidays (when we are closed). Saturdays are typically our most busy, with Thursdays and Fridays coming in second place. Frank begins to see his last patients at 4pm. Please check our website and facebook for updates regarding vacation and holiday hours.

As we only offer walk-ins, we recommend coming in before 3pm on regular business days.

Often times, patients with chronic conditions will need to take their prescribed herbs very consistently, almost every day, for a few months. This is to build a certain level of strength and balance, before one may consider spreading out their treatments. It is important to note that health is a journey that also involves managing stress, lifestyle, and environmental factors, not just ingesting herbs.

There are no guarantees with this medicine, as with any treatment. Despite how some patients may describe their experiences, Frank is not a miracle worker. If you haven’t already, reading our reviews of Google may give you some idea as to how effective Frank’s treatments

While we encourage people to do their own research online, take what you see with a grain of salt, especially if you are new to Chinese medicine. Scientific articles are often written for the purpose of communicating to other researchers in order to open up more research on a topic. They usually lack information for the layperson to practically utilize any of the information for their own benefit. For example, an article may omit the doses of the herbs and/or directions for preparation. Often times, these articles have only used rats as subjects.

If you are coming to us and are inexperienced in Chinese medicine, we would usually suggest you come into the store for a recommendation. We may recommend something from our store, or we might even approve of a formula you found online. Otherwise, you may send an email with a brief description of health complaint to linsisterherb@gmail.com, if it is inconvenient for you to travel here.

If you are inquiring about an individual herb, very often we will encourage you to consider how a formula might suit you better. The information online and in the dominant culture often focuses on individual herbs and isolated symptoms. When in actuality, Chinese medicine almost entirely uses herbs in combinations, known as formulas or decoctions. Furthermore, the individual symptoms that usually determine research, only offer a limited scope of one’s overall condition. Often times, symptoms that appear the same in different patients will warrant different treatments. 

In the case you are coming to us because you have found a specific formula that you are certain of, but cannot find it to purchase elsewhere, please tell us the doses of each herb and the quantity of formula sets you would like (typically, one set is for one day’s dose). Unfortunately, this approach also runs into problems as articles frequently will not disclose the doses of each herb (perhaps to discourage people from self-diagnosing).

Yes, this is common (especially if a patient cannot physically come into the clinic or if they do not speak English or Chinese) for a loved one to come in and act as an intermediator. However, it is incredibly important that the patient has a commitment to and an understanding of this medicine. Not everybody is willing or able to take herbal tea consistently. Many of the statements made here in these FAQs are made to prevent people from spending money on something that they or their loved ones will not take.

If you’re interested, and it’s possible for you and your loved one, you may come in person for a consultation and call your during the session. 

Frank speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. Unfortunately, our staff only have the capacity to speak those two languages. If you or a loved one want to be treated by him, but cannot speak English, we highly suggest bringing in a translator. Translator can be done via phone call, if the patient or translator cannot be physically present. We discourage non-English speaking patients arriving with only Google Translate as their communication tool. Unfortunately, we’ve found that Google Translate has limited capacity when it comes to relaying information regarding health concerns. A lack of communication may result in a patient receive improper treatment.

Yes, this is common (especially if a patient cannot physically come into the clinic or if they do not speak English or Chinese) for a loved one to come in and act as an intermediator. However, it is incredibly important that the patient has a commitment to and an understanding of this medicine. Not everybody is willing or able to take herbal tea consistently. Many of the statements made here in these FAQs are made to prevent people from spending money on something that they or their loved ones will not take.

Yes. Occasionally, people will only want the consultation so that they can research their prescribed formula before committing to purchasing the herbs. While we appreciate that line of thinking, we also want people to know that the consultation does not offer much value without the herbs. As mentioned above, the language of Chinese medicine contains a lot of terminology that, admittedly, will sound incomprehensible to the uninitiated. Learning to bridge that gap in understanding from written word to felt experience is much better facilitated while taking the herbs and doing research. To make an analogy, having the consultation without the herbs is like taking a pottery class without clay to sculpt. The following question will shed more light on this topic.

We cannot guarantee that any of our herbs are organic. As for the health benefits of our herbs, we can point to the many positive reviews from customers and patients on Google. Whether or not that health benefit is outweighed by one’s sensitivity to inorganic herbs is ultimately for a patient to decide.

Unfortunately, due to the unpredictability of charges at customs, we typically do not ship overseas. In the rare case that we do, we require all overseas customers to accept responsibility for shipping costs and charges, even in the case that the package is declined and returned back to us. If you accept this responsibility, we may be willing to ship overseas. The cost of shipping depends mostly on the weight of the order and distance. 

If you have anyone in the U.S. who can purchase it from us and then ship it to your country, some times customers find that approach more preferable.

If you are the inquisitive type, we strongly encourage you to have your questions prepared to ask during your consultation. As we are a high-volume clinic, our herbalist Frank can be difficult to reach between patients for questions. Please also keep in mind, we are a high-volume clinic, not an education center. There is only so much time for Frank and the staff to answer questions while also having time to treat. Experience can be enriched by research and vice-versa, so we encourage anyone interested to delve into the world of Chinese medicine literature. A common starting point for beginners is the book The Web That Has No Weaver by Ted Kaptchuk

We do not. We only sell herbs used commonly in the pharmacopeia of Chinese medicine. If you are not sure if that fits the description of your herb, try looking up the name of your herb in Google with “American Dragon” after it. If there is a page for that herb, we may have it!

FAQs - After Getting Your Herbal Formula

@linsisterherb

How to prepare a custom herbal formula. It is as simple as making instant coffee. Remember to make once, drink twice, and make sure everything dissolves ☕️

♬ original sound – Lin Sister Herb Shop

Take the following instructions, unless otherwise instructed by Frank the herbalist. 

Standard directions – Make once, drink twice:
Each clear plastic baggie (holding green and white tea packets) represents one set of your daily formula. Each day, empty the contents of one set into a cup. Then, fully dissolve the granules with 16 ounces of warm water.  Drink half of the tea in the morning, after having some food (a snack will suffice). Drink the remaining half in the evening (again after having some food). We recommend preparing your tea in a thermos, so that it will still be warm by the time of your evening portion.

Each foil packet is a different ingredient that together makes a formula. Therefore, it is important for all of these ingredients to be combined. If after drinking your evening portion, you find undissolved granules at the bottom of your thermos, mix it with more warm water to ensure you have fully taken your daily dosage. If you do not have a thermos, you can store your evening portion of your formula in the refrigerator and then reheat it before ingesting.

Alternate direction  – Make once, drink once:
Follow the Standard instructions above, but drink all of the fluid once. Also, in this direction, your formula should also be taken after having some food. This direction is usually taken by patients for whom it is more convenient to take it all at once.

If you find your formula to be too bitter, instead of adding sweetener, we instead recommend having some honey or candy as a chaser. Adding honey directly into a very bitter formula will usually not be enough to make it palatable. Having sweets as a chaser with your tea, however, is cautioned for certain patients, like those with diabetes, for example.

At Linsister Herb, every formula is custom-blended to match your unique body patterns and health needs—not just your symptoms.

Why Can’t I Get a Quick Explanation?

  • Chinese herbs work in combinations, not alone. Their interactions are complex and tailored to your consultation.

  • Fully explaining a formula requires understanding your diagnosis (like pulse, tongue, and health history).

  • Our clinic is high-volume, so Frank and staff may not always have time for detailed herb education during visits.

How Can I Learn More?

  1. Check the Label: Each herb packet lists common + scientific names for your research.

  2. Ask During Your Consultation: Come prepared with questions—Frank will explain your personalized formula.

  3. Explore Online: Many resources explain TCM herbs (but note: terms can be technical!).

A Note for Curious Patients

We welcome your questions but encourage researching basics beforehand. This helps you:

  • Get the most from your consultation.

  • Avoid delays (Frank may need days to respond to emails).

Tip: Focus on how the herbs feel in your body—TCM’s true “proof” is in your lived experience!

After completing your initial formula, you have two options:

1️⃣ Refill Your Current Formula

  • Choose this if:
    ✔️ You’ve noticed positive changes (e.g., reduced symptoms, reduced system imbalances).
    ✔️ Your chief complaint has not changed, but your previous formula was beneficial
    ✔️ Frank did not specify a follow-up consultation.

  • Simply fill out our refill form (typically, you should order the same amount of sets as your first batch).

2️⃣ Come in for another Consultation

  • Consider this if:
    ✔️ Your symptoms have shifted significantly.
    ✔️ You’ve hit a plateau in progress.
    ✔️ New health concerns have arisen.
    ✔️ It’s been several months/years since your last visit.
    ✔️ If Frank suggested you to come in after your first round of herbs

⚠️ Important:

  • If you experience severe side effects, stop the formula immediately and refer to our side effects FAQ.

  • Herbs work gradually—your needs may change as your body rebalances!

Tip: Many patients refill 1-2 times before needing formula adjustments—this is a normal part of the healing process!

Chinese medicine is a slow-system building process. It can take several months for patients to see significant results, especially if the issue is chronic. You don’t have to take herbs every day of your life, but many issues will benefit from consistent treatment, before spacing out herb doses and/or herbalist visits. The treatments are intended to bring one closer to a balance of yin and yang. Accordingly, the length and consistency of treatment will depend on each patient. The right choice of treatment depends on a few factors, the most important of which is how you feel.

You might be surprised to learn that your current herbal formula is likely already addressing your additional concern! Here’s why:

How Chinese Medicine Works

  • TCM treats your whole body pattern, not just individual symptoms.

  • The tongue, pulse, and health history Frank assessed during your consultation reveal underlying imbalances that often connect multiple issues.

Real-Life Example:
A patient came in for stomach problems—only to realize later that her formula also improved her mood. In TCM, these issues are frequently linked!

When to Stick With Your Current Formula

  • Unless you omitted a severe issue (e.g., heavy bleeding), we recommend:
    1️⃣ Finish your prescribed course (typically 1–2 weeks).
    2️⃣ Observe changes—many “unmentioned” symptoms improve as your body rebalances.

Exceptions:

  • If your new concern is urgent or worsening, please discontinue your formula. For emergencies, we suggest you see your doctor.

Please bring up any medications you are taking with Frank during your consultation. For the most part. Frank generally prescribes herbs that are commonly used and gentle. Therefore, the likelihood of a contraindication with one’s medications is rare. As a precautionary measure, space out the ingestion of your pharmaceutical drugs with your herbal tea by 1-2 hours.

🚨 Severe Reactions (Vomiting, Migraines, etc.)

  • Stop taking the formula immediately.

  • Email us right away at linsisterherb@gmail.com with details of your symptoms.

🌱 Mild Discomfort?

Some temporary adjustments are normal as your body adapts, but we still want to hear from you!

  • Email us to describe your symptoms—we’ll help determine if it’s part of the healing process or needs attention.

💡 Pro Tips for Common Issues

  • Sleep disturbances? → Take your doses earlier in the day.

  • Extra sensitivity to herbs? → Try splitting one day’s formula across two days to ease into it.

Why This Might Happen

  • Frank uses widely tolerated herbs with low risk of reactions (even alongside medications).

  • Rarely, an unexpected allergy may occur—we’ll help adjust your formula or provide a refund if needed.

Next Steps

1️⃣ Pause your formula if symptoms concern you.
2️⃣ Email us—we’re here to help!
3️⃣ Adjust as guided (timing, dosage, or formula change).

If you notice a change in your herbs’ appearance:

1️⃣ First, check the labels – The herb names on your package will confirm if it’s the same formula.

2️⃣ Why the difference?

  • We work with multiple trusted suppliers to avoid shortages.

  • The packaging of the herbs may be inconsistent, but the core ingredients remain identical.

3️⃣ Still concerned?
Mistakes happen. If you’re sure one happened, email us at linsisterherb@gmail.com with:

  • A photo of all the ingredients in one set of your formula

  • Details about what seems different

We’ll verify your formula and explain any variations!

If you’ve researched your herbs and found alarming information, here’s what you should know:

Why an Individual Herb’s “Toxicity” Doesn’t Tell the Full Story

  • Traditional Preparation Matters: Many herbs are detoxified or balanced through specific processing methods before use.

  • Synergy is Key: Formulas are carefully designed so that other herbs counteract any harsh effects (this is core to TCM’s approach).

  • Dose & Duration: What might be risky in isolation or high doses becomes therapeutic when properly combined and prescribed.

Our Safety Standards

✔️ FDA-Compliant: We regularly update our inventory based on the latest safety regulations.
✔️ Restricted Access: Some herbs are only available in formulas—never sold individually—to ensure safe use.
✔️ Professional Oversight: Frank selects herbs specifically to gently restore balance, not overwhelm your system.

When to Be Cautious

  • Extreme risks are rare when taking properly prescribed formulas.

  • The more common issues (like allergies or sensitivities) are covered in our questions on side effects above.

Regarding herb functions, one must look at the formula as a whole to understand the treatment. There are herbs that show up in many different formulas that have wildly different indications and actions from one another. This emphasizes how important the herbalist is determining which dynamics between herbs are appropriate for use. While we encourage people to research their formulas, learning to bridge that gap in understanding from written word to felt experience may be much better facilitated while also taking the herbal formula.

For custom herbal formulas prescribed by Frank, we accept returns with a 30% surcharge. Preparing the individual herbs together and then having to redivide them after a return requires labor on our behalf. Therefore, we strongly recommend people have consultations only if they are thoroughly prepared to take the herbs and understand what the process entails.