Si Jun Zi Tang
Four Gentlemen Decoction: ginseng, white atractylodes, poria and licorice. The classic starting point for a tired, low-appetite pattern.
Herbs and acupuncture on Mission Drive, San Gabriel
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas from a family practice
Qiang and Chun Lu see patients together, with their daughter Jolie at the front desk and a pharmacy of loose herbs and ready formulas behind it. Visits begin with a long talk and a look at your pulse and tongue. Chinese terms on this site are in pinyin, and we speak Mandarin and English.
What a visit can include
Four ways we work, often in the same visit
Your acupuncturist tells you what they plan before they begin, and you can say no to any of it.
Acupuncture
Fine, single-use needles at points chosen after you talk. A first visit takes about 75 minutes.
About acupunctureHerbal formulas
Classical formulas, adjusted for you and made up in our pharmacy as granules, loose herbs or pills.
About our formulasCupping and gua sha
Glass cups or a smooth stone on the back and shoulders. Faint round or pink marks are common and fade.
About cupping and gua sha
Our pharmacy
A formula is written for the person in front of us
We start from a classical formula, adjust it after your visit, and make it up in the pharmacy behind the front desk.
Most of our formulas come from texts that herbalists have used and argued over for centuries. We keep the old names, in pinyin, because they tell you what a formula is built around. Your formula is written in your chart, with everything else you take, so the next person who sees you knows what you are on.
Granules, loose herbs to simmer, or pills: your choice
Your formula and everything else you take are written in your chart
Bring a list of your medicines and supplements to every visit
Credentials
Who sees you
Qiang Lu is the practice's owner and its herbalist.
License
Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.)
CA Lic. 000000 · California Acupuncture Board
Licensed to practice acupuncture in California
National certification
Diplomate of Chinese Herbology, certified by the NCCAOM
National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
Education
Master's degree in acupuncture and Chinese medicine
Languages
Mandarin
Cantonese
English
Qiang Lu
Owner, Licensed Acupuncturist and herbalist
I grew up in the back of my parents' herb shop and learned to read a pulse before I learned to drive. I still like a long first talk.
Qiang writes every formula in the pharmacy and sees patients most weekdays and Saturday mornings. He speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English, and he will explain a formula in whichever you prefer.
What he does
- Pulse and tongue assessment
- Classical herbal formulas
- Acupuncture
- Cupping and moxibustion
Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.) · CA Lic. 000000
The pharmacy
Our formulas, by family
Classical formulas are grouped by what they are built to do. The families below are a few of the ones we keep; your own formula is often a blend.
Tonifying formulas
Built around herbs that traditionally strengthen digestion and energy (qi). Quiet, everyday formulas.
Liu Jun Zi Tang
Six Gentlemen Decoction: Si Jun Zi Tang with tangerine peel and pinellia, chosen when a heavy, damp feeling goes with the tiredness.
Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang
Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi: astragalus, ginseng and cimicifuga, a formula for a sinking, worn-out pattern.
Blood-building and harmonizing formulas
For patterns of thin, dry or scattered energy, and for the tension that comes from holding too much.
Si Wu Tang
Four Substance Decoction: rehmannia, Chinese angelica, white peony and ligusticum, the base of many formulas for women's cycles.
Gui Pi Tang
Restore the Spleen Decoction: longan, jujube, astragalus and polygala, for worry, poor sleep and a tired, anxious pattern.
Xiao Yao San
Free and Easy Wanderer: bupleurum, angelica and white peony, for stuck, irritable patterns that flare with stress.
Warming formulas
For people who run cold, and for cold that settles in the stomach or the joints.
Li Zhong Wan
Regulate the Middle Pill: dried ginger, ginseng, atractylodes and licorice, for a cold, weak stomach.
Gui Zhi Tang
Cinnamon Twig Decoction: cinnamon twig, white peony, ginger, jujube and licorice, a gentle formula for early chills with sweating.
Dang Gui Si Ni Tang
Chinese Angelica Decoction for Frigid Extremities, for hands and feet that stay cold.
Cooling and clearing formulas
For heat patterns, the kind with a red tongue, a dry mouth or a short temper.
Yin Qiao San
Honeysuckle and Forsythia Powder, a light formula from the warm-disease tradition for the first days of a sore throat.
Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang
Pinellia Decoction to Drain the Epigastrium: pinellia, scutellaria, dried ginger, coptis and jujube, for a full, upset stomach with a bitter taste in the mouth.
Qing Shu Yi Qi Tang
A summer formula for tiredness and thirst in the heat, with a light, sour-sweet taste.
Yin-nourishing formulas
For dryness, night sweats and the worn-thin feeling that comes with long years of work or change of life.
Liu Wei Di Huang Wan
Six-Ingredient Pill with Rehmannia, the most familiar of its family: rehmannia, cornus, dioscorea, poria, moutan and alisma.
Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan
Liu Wei Di Huang Wan with anemarrhena and phellodendron, for the same pattern with more heat.
Suan Zao Ren Tang
Sour Jujube Seed Decoction: jujube seed, poria, ligusticum and anemarrhena, a calming formula for restless nights.
Formulas are traditional descriptions, not promises. This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Tell us everything you take before you start a formula.
Bring a list of everything you take
Prescriptions, supplements, teas and the cream you only use sometimes. We check it against every formula before we write one.
Questions
Common questions about herbs and acupuncture
Are Chinese herbs safe with my medicines?
Some herbs affect how a medicine works, and some medicines change how an herb works. That is why we ask you to bring us a list of everything you take, including over-the-counter products and supplements, before we write a formula. We tell you what we find and say when your prescriber or pharmacist should hear about it.
Will I have to stop my medicine?
No. Tell your prescriber and your pharmacist about everything you take, including any herbs we give you, and keep taking your medicine as they direct.
Does it hurt?
Acupuncture needles are much thinner than the ones used for injections. Most people feel a brief pinch, a dull ache or a sense of heaviness at some points, and some feel nothing. Tell your acupuncturist at any point and they will adjust or remove a needle.
Are the needles clean?
We use sterile, single-use needles, opened in front of you and discarded in a sharps container after your visit.
What do herbal formulas taste like?
Loose herbs simmered at home taste bitter, earthy and sometimes sweet, and granules are milder. If the taste is a barrier, tell us, because there are pills and granules for most formulas.
Can I use my HSA or FSA?
Many health savings and flexible spending plans cover acupuncture visits. Ask your plan administrator before you book.
Is acupuncture safe in pregnancy?
Some points and some herbs are avoided in pregnancy. Tell us before the first visit if you are pregnant or might be, and tell us again if that changes.
What does acupuncture not do?
It does not replace your doctor, your medicines or emergency care. If something is sudden, severe or new, see your doctor first.