Chinese Herbs Co.

I called them to ask questions. Here’s how it went: I said «Ni Hao» couples of times (you know the people there don’t speak English well) with no response. Then later a lady said, «This is a company.» I responded in English, «Ya I know.» She said,” we are closed. Come back when we are open.” and hung up without letting me say anything more…
If you are not going to help people on the phone, why do you put your company number at the front door?

I went on a saturday and no one would help me much. An old man reading a newspaper spoke to me but I had a lot of difficulty understanding him. So pretty much a language barrier problem. I ended up leaving with sleeping pills that I could have just purchased online. Perhaps an appointment would have gone more smoothly.

So I came here in February because I was having such intense digestive/​inflammation stomach problems that I was at my wits end. I wasn’t getting any answers from Kaiser, so it dawned on me one day to try herbal medicine. I looked on Unilocal,and this place got great reviews so I went the next day. First of all, the chinese doctor speaks spanish, which blows my mind and puts me to shame. He checked my pulse, looked at my tongue, and told me my symptoms before I could tell him. Sent me home with packets of herbs to boil up and although the stuff was just plain nasty, it helped.

I have been to many Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctors and it is my opinion that Dr. Leung is a great doctor. The medicine he prescribed helped me a great deal. My ailments either subsided or disappeared. Dr. Leung is a very compassionate person who listens attentively to his patients and does a thorough investigation to find the root causes of your illness. He speaks Spanish fluently. I don’t know his English speaking ability because I only spoke to him in Spanish. Perhaps a patient would need to speak Spanish or Cantonese, or need to bring a translator who does.

Went to see Dr. Leung recently for a bad cold and cough. If his daughter is not there, there may be some difficulty with English (better Spanish speaker). Anyway, he still does a good job going over everything with you regarding concerns with health status, checking blood pressure, pulse and so on. Just have an open mind once he decides what herbs will work well for your condition. Some of the things I was given was interesting, but it did work! After just a few days, I was feeling much better. It takes me more than one hour to drive to his business. Worth the drive

I went in for a cough. The doctor is friendly, but he seems a bit «scattered» and unable to focus. He asked the same questions 3 times. I’m not sure if he didn’t hear the answer or perhaps he couldn’t retain the information.
His fees are $ 20, most other Chinese herbal doctors in SF only charges $ 10. So my expectations were definitely higher.
I took 5 doses of the tea he gave me and it was meh… didn’t get worse, didn’t get better, so no harm was done.
The front desk people were not helpful. They refused to give me a copy of the tea prescription, which is strange, cos I certainly paid for the consultation.
Later on when I asked around, I realized that this place is more expensive than other herb places, they charge me $ 8.50 per dose for some ordinary herbs, which other places would charge around $ 5-​$ 6. Perhaps that is why they refuse to let you have the prescription, they worry that you won’t go back?
But truthfully, if the doctor can cure me, why would I go anywhere else? The way they run this place, it feels more like a profit center («we just want to make money») than a compassionate medical place.
I would be cautious about this place. Not sure they have my best interests at heart.

I went with my mom back in 2006 to see Dr. Leung. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but he speaks fluent Spanish and I was able to have my mom interpret my symptoms to him. I was feeling very depressed, I would start crying for no reason, I had gained weight and was sluggish and tired a lot. I also had very bad seasonal allergies to the point that prescription meds only took the edge off.
Dr. Leung examined me by taking my pulse and listening to my heart and lungs. He told me that my liver was no good and needed to be cleansed and healed (I wasn’t surprised because at the time I was 23 and drank like a fish). He wrote down my prescription in Chinese and I took it to the counter.
I needed three prescriptions, one for my liver, one for weight loss, and one for my allergies. For my liver I received some pouches full of liquid that had a picture of a deer or elk with a root under it on the front. I had to drink one pouch in the morning and one in the evening I think for a week. For the weight loss I was given some powder in a bottle that I had to take a spoonful of, half an hour before I ate for two months. And for the allergies some paper packets filled with a special dosing of dry herbs to boil down into a tea once a day.
I followed all of the regimens to a tee and low and behold I began to feel happy and energetic again! I lost 20 pounds in two months and my allergy symptoms were gone. Chinese medicine works wonders and I would highly suggest visiting Dr. Leung when Western medicine fails (which usually it does, or just has side effects that require more pills). I will soon be going back with my Husband for some ailments that we have. I have been suffering from some mysterious pain in my uterus/​ovaries for three years now and after multiple ultrasounds and examinations from doctors and specialists no one can tell me what is wrong with me, I’m at my wits end! I can’t wait and I’m looking forward to feeling well again!

The doc is nice. Worst part is only one employee speaks English. I spent 15 min just to wait for someone who can solve a small issue with prescription. I was denied a copy of prescription!!! So I cannot buy from any other place but this… Not impressed :/

Their recommendation on the herbs really cured my cough!

Have difficulty getting pregnant, but don’t want to take fertility drugs and want a natural solution? Chinese Herbs Co. is the place to go.
My husband and I tried for 3 years and was unsuccessful at getting pregnant. We were seriously considering to make an appointment with a fertility clinic. My mom asked me to give chinese herbs a try. She specifically recommended an Herbologist, Lok Shan Leung, at the Chinese Herbs Co.
I was skeptical at first because I had pretty much given up hope at getting pregnant naturally without the help of fertility drugs or getting an IVF. So, I figure what’s the hurt in trying natural herbs or an alternative medicinal method? I went with my mom to see Dr. Leung and he was wonderful. He asked me how long I have been trying, what medical issues that I’ve had that’s related to my reproductive system and took my pulse and blood pressure. He then explained to me that he has helped a number of women in getting pregnant during his many years of practice. However, there are no guarantee that he will be able to get me pregnant but he will try his best. He told me that it will require a lot committment on my end to have any success. At that point, I was really desperate to get pregnant and was willing to anything natural a shot without having to put drugs in my system.
Based on my medical history, Dr. Leung told me that he will need to get my reproductive system in order and fix the foundation before he can build on it. So, my initial visit ended with a recommended herbal regiment. The ladies at the counter helped me pick out all of the recommended herbs and gave me step by step directions on how to cook the herbs. After the first couple of visits and herbal regiments, my monthly period was on the right track. Previous to seeing Dr. Leung, my period was unpredictable and lasted for at least a week and a half or more. Now, it comes and go within four days and I can precisely predict the day that it will come. I no longer experience extreme cramps.
I learned through my visits with Dr. Leung that there a number of reasons why a women cannot get pregnant. Two of them are due to the temperature in your womb and the lining of your uterus. So, he recommended a procedure for me in addition to the herbal regiments that he placed me on. The procedure involved a large incense stick. He would like the incense stick and heat up specific pressure points of my body. By doing so, he helping increase the temperature in my womb so that the egg and adhere to it and increase the chances of fertilization. In addition, he would recommend specific herbs for me to take each month to help thicken the lining of my uterus.
He was right, it took a lot of committment and patience. After five months, I finally got pregnant without taking a single pill. It took me five months instead of four because I am supposed to do the procedures in consecutive months, but i had skipped one month after starting it. He had to start over. Also, this process may be different for different people. So, it may take less or more time to get pregnant, depending on the individual.
I can’t thank him enough. My baby is now 14 months old and we come back and visit him from time to time. The baby is absolute healthy and growing! I have also recommended him to my co-​worker, whose wife also became pregnant after five months. They’ve tried other western methods that failed them for a few years. He overheard me talking about how I got pregnant with Chinese Herbs and wanted to give it a shot. Once my co-worker’s wife got pregnant, she also recommended Chinese Herbs Co. to another friend of hers and her friend got pregnant in one month!
I just visit Chinese Herbs Co. again today. I wanted to let them know that I will be back in a month to see Dr. Leung about getting pregnant for a second time. My husband and I want to add a second child to our family. I recommend this pharmacy and their staff to anyone looking for an alternative method in getting pregnant or for any other issues. Their business is mostly from repeat customers and referrals. Please don’t hesitate in giving them a try!

The whole thing might seem like witchcraft if you’re not used to the methods of Chinese medicine. I think so even though I’m Chinese and grew up with this stuff. I went because I’m constantly cold. My hands, feet and body are always freezing and I figured it was just a girl thing because many girls complain about the same thing. But a friend told me she went to an herbalist, drank some smelly soup for a few weeks and she no longer felt cold. I was desperate to try it. Found this place on Unilocal and went right away without an appointment. Waited about half an hour while the doctor was helping someone else. My turn, yes! The doctor is a traditional looking chinese man who doesn’t speak english so we did a lot of sign language. It was so laughable at how he tried to ask me if I was dizzy (hands circling the head, as the head sways back and forth) or if I had stomach troubles (hand on stomach with anguished face). But we managed to get through the physical and he took my blood pressure and pulse. He then wrote chinese words on a scratch piece of paper, gave me the paper and sent me out. I went to the lady at the counter with the paper in my hand not really knowing what else to do with it. She took it and said to wait 15 min while she got my medicine. I watched in amazement at how she would pull out stuff from a wall full of drawers, measure the weight on a hand scale, put them all together on a piece of paper, then wrap them up. The items looked like witches brew: one twig here, 3 leaves there, a few other abracadabra stuff and topped off with fresh ginger. My instructions are to soak each package in water, boil for an hour and then drink. I was to use one pack for 2 days and continue for a month. The brew stinks! It stinks the whole house even with windows open. But surprisingly tasted good. And I stuck with it for a month. I gradually noticed that I complained less and less about being cold. I could finally walk out of the house without a trusty snow jacket. The true test was going snowboarding in Tahoe for the first time in years because I hated being cold. And while in Tahoe, I didn’t feel cold! Miraculous. Totally have faith and go see him.

One morning, I woke up with no voice.
Blame it on the cigarette I smoked the night before, or maybe the staying up late, or maybe the cold air… but I had musical theater auditions that day and could not afford to be voiceless! Trying not to freak, I consulted my friendly local acupuncturist who knows a thing or two about Chinese herbs (Hi Tiffinie!), and she recommended Pang Da Hai — an herb that Chinese opera singers use to soothe their vocal cords. They totally worked and I sang my face off at my audition. Woohoo!
So, since then, I decided that I needed to keep a supply of Pang Da Hai on hand at all times. I stopped by an herb store in the Sunset, and brought a sample of the herb, and the woman gave me something else that she swore was the same thing. It looked different… I may not be a plant specialist, but I really doubted that it was the correct herb. My friend who was with me spoke Cantonese, and she acted as my translator, confirming with the woman behind the counter several times that it was what I needed. Slightly skeptical, I bought some and took it home, then took it to my friend… and sure enough, it was the WRONG thing. Grr.
Cut to last week, when I was strolling down Clement and ran into this little gem of a store. No translator needed — the woman behind the counter spoke great English and gave me EXACTLY the herb I was looking for. They also have shelves of homeopathic Asian medicines and syrups and teas aside from the giant wall of drawers with herbs. In short, it was so easy to shop in here, I will come back for any of my Chinese herbal medicinal needs in the future.

Thank you Unilocal for adding this business! Now, if you know a thing or two about alternative medicine and if you accept its methods of healing, then you will definitely like Chinese Herbs Co.
The specialist here is Lok Shan Leung, whose American name is Tony. I came to him last April because I was under a lot of stress, which turn made my skin break out with pimples on my forehead and my cheeks. I assume it was stress taking its toll on my skin because my skin was fine before. I went to one dermatology center and a woman who was giving me a facial suggested I see Lok Shan Leung.
Anyways, he is a sweet little man (heavy accent, but I was able to understand him just fine) who will tell you about your health mainly by listening to your pulse. That’s right, he listened to my pulse, examined my tongue and told me things about my health and even my personality that made me think, WOW, he’s so right, how did he know?
So, during your visit, he’ll also take your blood pressure and prescribe herbs that you will have to boil. Depending on what kind of herbs you get, it can be a hassle or hassle free. Mine was a hassle because I had specific herbs that were supposed to target my forehead and they did not smell very pleasant. In fact, he and his saleswoman both told me that my «medicine» was going to be disgusting (how encouraging, yikes!). However, I had will power and convinced myself to drink that stuff. I realized that Theraflu (nasty!) is lemonade compared to my required selection of herbs. haha.
Did the herbs work? Yes! My pimples decreased and I did not have any breakouts while I drank the herbs. If you go there for acne, he might also suggest an organic night cream and an organic cleanser that does not have Sodium Lariel Sulfate, a controversial chemical substance (supposedly it opens the door for cancer in the long run?) that is in most most cleansers and any soapy products (just look at your shampoo).
Anyways, I’m not drinking the herbs anymore and I’m pretty happy about that. Also, I think you can go to him for detoxifying your body or for any other health concerns (high blood pressure, digestive problems, insomnia, body aches, etc.). I doubt it’s only for preventing acne. After all, we are talking about medicinal herbs here.
Appointments:
I would suggest making an appointment, because they take you on a first come first serve basis. One time I arrived and saw five people already waiting for their turn. I was able to go right ahead because I had an appointment. First time you call, a woman who does not speak English might pick up the phone and she’ll tell you to call back. I think there is only one woman there who speaks English, and she is the one who schedules appointments and explains how to boil the herbs.
Bottom line, check it out if you have any health concerns. Your body is your temple, fix the problem at its core. It’s not covering up the problem, instead, it prevents it from occurring. Also, I found out there are certain foods that are hard on the digestive system, which in response make you breakout. Go figure!
A very detailed review, I know, and I hope it helps. =)