Clinical Herbal Medicine Treatment Process & Costs

There are two options for clinical herbal medicine treatment with Folkwise Clinic.

• Treatment with custom herbal formulas

• Treatment protocols with Classical Pearls capsule formulas

In both cases, your treatment starts with scheduling a consultation.

Please read the sections below to understand more about the process and treatment options. 

Custom Herbal Formulas

Individualized treatment with custom herbal formulas is the backbone of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In my clinical practice I draw from the complete Chinese materia medica of 400 individual herbs to make formulas which are a combination of 12 to 18 single herbs. This means I have tens of thousands of unique formula combinations at my fingertips, and  am able to craft highly specific herbal formulas tailored to you and your health concerns.

My custom herbal formulas are made with granule extracts. These are concentrated herbal extracts that you add to water and drink like a tea. 

If you went back a hundred years, no one would even use the word “custom” because it was implicit in the word formula itself. In Chinese the character for formula is 方, Fang. In a greater sense, Fang means ‘direction’. In the context of treatment, a Chinese herbal formula is created after the diagnostic process has been completed and we understand what direction your body needs to move towards so that your health improves and you feel better. The word for herb or medicine is 药, Yao. Herbs on their own are not inherently useful, not without 方 Fang, the specific direction. This is why Chinese herbal medicine treatment is referred to as 方药,  Fang Yao. The treatment process involves crafting a formula that combines individual herbs to work together and help get your body moving in the right direction, towards health. 

Treatment Plan with Custom Formulas

Your treatment starts with scheduling a 1 hour consultation ($100), which can be in-person, over the phone or through secure video chat. At this visit I gather and review all the necessary information in order to understand your condition, symptoms, and the underlying factors that are driving them. 

Then I create your first custom herbal formula. You might be wondering why I said your first formula. Custom herbal formulas are not like prescription medications that only suppress symptoms and therefore require taking the same meds for life. They also aren’t like your zodiac sign or personality type. A Chinese herbal formula isn’t your formula for life. 

The process of Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment is about unwinding the factors driving your condition and symptoms, with the goal of actually changing your body and health for the better. This is complex, dynamic, and is inherently more challenging to accomplish than simply suppressing symptoms.

An essential part of this process is frequent re-evaluation to determine if your body needs the same direction or if it needs to be adjusted. As we pilot your body towards better health, the formula direction (方) and the herbs needed to get you there will change along the way. 

Your body is dynamic, complex, and constantly changing. Chinese herbal medicine treatment is dynamic and complex to mirror the reality of your body and health. Frequent evaluation and formula adjustment is one of the key reasons my approach has successfully treated many cases where other doctors have failed. 

Once we have begun treatment with your first formula, I will send you a short form to complete every two weeks. The form provides me with the information I need to understand what adjustments your formula needs. Then, I send you another formula that will last two weeks, and we continue on the path of guiding your body toward feeling better. 

Herbal Treatment Plans - $280 to $400 per month

Custom formulas are $200 for a two week supply (160 grams of granule extract), or $400 a month. The subscription option brings the cost down to $140 for two weeks of herbs, or $280 per month. 

I recommend the subscription option to everyone because it solves one of the biggest challenges to successful herbal treatment, which is forgetting to order herbs on time. 

The subscription option is not required, but it is offered at a significant discount to encourage everyone to go this route. It makes your life easier, it makes my life easier, and it leads to better treatment outcomes because your herbs are ordered automatically so that you can take them regularly, and feel better. 

The subscription runs on an automated synced schedule. Your card is charged $140 every two weeks, which automatically orders your herbs. You’ll receive a form every two weeks on the same schedule so that you can update me on your symptoms and progress, and I will make adjustments to your treatment as needed. 

The synced ordering schedule allows me to plan around your care, so that I don’t leave you high and dry without herbs when I take the occasional backcountry vacation. I am always available and in cell service when you need herbs. 

You save $120 per month. Your herbs are ordered automatically & on time so that you don’t run out, miss a week or two of herbs and derail your treatment. You can cancel, pause, or skip shipments anytime easily by clicking the giant orange button in every order confirmation email. I’ve made this very straightforward because I know how annoying it is to deal with subscriptions that are hard to cancel. 

It’s all upside. That said, again, it is not required. You can order herbs manually, on your own schedule. You can pay for your custom herbal formula anytime in the Folkwise Store after our initial consultation. To stay on track you will need to manually order herbs every two weeks, which are $200 per formula or $400 per month. 

Treatment Plan Duration

It’s important to understand that the monthly cost of herbal medicine treatment is not a perpetual ongoing cost. Unlike medicines that only suppress symptoms and effectively need to be taken for life, Chinese herbal medicine treatment is working on unwinding the disease pattern so that your body actually changes. 

The average treatment plan is 3 to 6 months long. During this time period we expect to see significant changes in your condition, and most people do not need herbs after this. 

In some cases it can be beneficial to use a maintenance dosage of herbs ( ½ to ¼ of treatment dosage and cost) for 3 to 6 months after treatment. 

Anxiety and panic attacks are a good example. I’ve had clients go from several panic attacks per week to zero panic attacks over the course of 3 months of herbal treatment, from daily anxiolytic medication to not needing any. But a client may have stress triggers that are not going anywhere, like a stressful job or family situation. We still need to do something to support the body and push back against the negative impacts of stress. For some people, maintenance treatment is a lifestyle change like regular exercise, yoga, or an hour of meditation every day. For others, it includes taking a maintenance dosage of herbs as a preventative measure to combat the external drivers of the pattern. 

Throughout your treatment, follow up consultations ($100) are recommended every 3 months. These appointments can be in-person, over the phone or through secure video chat. You can schedule appointments more frequently if you want, but it is not required since it adds to the treatment cost. 

Classical Pearls Treatment Protocols 

Capsule formulas have pros and cons. The main pro is that many people find capsules easier to take. I can recommend a capsule formula, or combination of capsule formulas, that you can take for several months without needing a provider to re-evaluate progress. And there are some excellent formulas in the Classical Pearls line that in certain cases (like chronic yeast infections and UTIs) I even prefer to use over custom herbal formulas.

The biggest drawback to capsules is that they are inherently less individualized. Instead of the tens of thousands of formula options I have with custom formulas, we are limited to approximately 30 or 40 capsule formula options that might match your pattern. A capsule formula is pre-made, so herbs can’t be added or removed to better suit your current needs. 

The process of frequent re-evaluation is less effective than with custom herbal formulas because there aren’t that many options to choose from if we need to change your protocol. Rather than re-assessment every 2 weeks, I re-assess most capsule protocols every 3 months. 

With capsule protocols, you will need to take an average of 12 capsules/day. Most people are used to swallowing teeny pills like ibuprofen. Modern drugs are hyper-concentrated single chemicals. It’s possible to get an effective dosage of one chemical with one or two convenient pills. This is not true with herbs, which have much more complex chemistry with hundreds of phytochemicals. 

You may also be familiar with an average supplement dosage of 1-2 capsules/day. The supplement industry is an entirely different thing than actual clinical herbal medicine treatment. Most supplements recommend a dosage that is 25 to 50 times lower than a clinically effective dose. So even with Classical Pearls 10:1 concentrated granule extracts, an effective dose for most conditions is still going to be 12 capsules/day. 

At your consultation, I will recommend the treatment that I think will work for you the best. In some cases a treatment protocol with Classical Pearls capsules will be my first choice. In other cases I will recommend custom formulas but will work with you to create a capsule protocol if that’s your preference. In some complex conditions, capsule protocols may not be a realistic treatment option and I will let you know if that is the case. 

Cost of Classical Pearls Capsule Protocols - $120 to $240 per month

Capsule Treatment Protocols cost $240 per month at the standard dosage of 12 capsules/day. For mild conditions or a maintenance phase dosage, a dosage of 6 capsules/day can be effective, and costs $120/month. 

Follow up consultations ($100) are recommended every 3 months. These appointments can be in-person, over the phone or through secure video chat.

Protocol re-evaluation through the progress update form costs $50 and can be done as needed. 

Ready to Get Started?

You can get started by scheduling a consultation today! I look forward to working with you.

Sincerely, Sean Dugan L.Ac.

Sean Dugan L.Ac. is a licensed and board-certified herbalist and acupuncturist. He holds a Master’s degree in Chinese Medicine from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine as well as a Diplomate in Chinese Medicine from the NCCAOM. He has studied under many Master Herbalists including Dr. Guohui Liu, Dr. Jimmy Wei-Yin Chang, Dr. Fang Zhang, Dr. Greg Livingston, and Dr. Darren Huckle. Sean’s herbal medicine practice draws from both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Classical Chinese Medicine treatment methods, with a focus on clinical efficacy above all. He has been treating patients with Chinese Herbal Medicine since 2013.