Chinese Patent Medicine

Chinese patent medicine is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. They are standardized herbal formulas. Several herbs and other ingredients are dried and ground. They are then mixed into a powder and formed into pills. Chinese patent medicines are easy and convenient. They are not easy to customize on a patient-by-patient basis, however. They are best used when a patient's condition is not severe and the medicine can be taken as a long-term treatment. "Patent" refers to the standardization of the formula. All Chinese patent medicines of the same name will have the same proportions of ingredients.