Is there anything I should check before taking restorative herbal medicine (boyak)?

Key points in 30 seconds

1. Tell us three things: your current medications, your illnesses, and any problems with herbal medicine before.
2. Bringing your medicine bags or prescriptions as they are is the most accurate.
3. Liver or kidney problems, pregnancy or breastfeeding, or upcoming surgery need a separate check.
4. If you get hives or shortness of breath, or your eyes or skin turn yellow, stop right away and tell us.
5. If discomfort continues or gets worse, we don't brush it off as a "healing reaction."

What we often hear

• "I'm already on some medication. Can I take boyak with it?"
• "I heard it can be hard on the liver."
• "I guess it's not okay to just take anything, right?"

Is there anything I should check before taking restorative herbal medicine (boyak)?

Yes. The medications you take now, any illnesses you have, and any problems you had with herbal medicine before — you must tell us these three things.

Many people think herbal medicine is gentle on the body, so anyone can take it. That's not true. A medicine that works can also be a medicine that doesn't suit you.

Why do you need to know my medications?

Because some things affect each other when taken together. Be sure to tell us especially if you take blood thinners, blood pressure medicine, diabetes medicine, or thyroid medicine.

This absolutely does not mean you should stop your medications before coming. Keep taking them as they are; we want to decide what to add on top of them.

Bringing your medicine bags or prescriptions as they are is the most accurate. If it's hard to remember the names, just bring photos.

Who needs to be especially careful?

People with liver or kidney problems, people who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, people who are breastfeeding, and people with surgery coming up soon.

The liver and kidneys are where medicine is processed. If their function is reduced, the same medicine can act differently. If you have surgery coming up, some things can affect bleeding and need to be stopped in advance.

If you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, some energy-boosting herbs can raise blood pressure, so we look at that separately.

What discomfort can occur?

Heartburn or indigestion, loose stools, hives or itching, trouble sleeping, or a flushed face.

Most of these settle within a few days or improve when the medicine is adjusted. But hives or shortness of breath can be an allergic reaction, so stop right away and tell us.

If your eyes or skin turn yellow, your urine gets darker, or the upper right side of your belly hurts, stop immediately and see a doctor. It's rare, but these are signs the liver has been affected.

How should I think about the term "healing reaction"?

It refers to a reaction that appears briefly in the process of getting better. But this term must not be used to brush off every discomfort.

Let us be clear. If discomfort doesn't settle within a few days or keeps getting worse, that is not part of getting better. We won't tell you to put up with it. Contact us, and we'll change or stop the medicine.

What are the limits of this assessment?

We can't find out every rare reaction in advance. Especially with a medicine you're taking for the first time, please pay attention to your body early on.

One more note. With herbal medicine obtained online or through acquaintances, we can't know what's in it, so we can't assess it for you. If you're taking something like that, please tell us about it too.

We prescribe based on test results. The right order is to find out what's lacking, then fill it.

If your tests are normal but you're not recovering, come see us. The right order is to find out what's lacking, then fill it.

What to watch out for differs from person to person depending on their condition and the medications they take.