3 traditional Chinese medicine remedies for when pharmaceuticals aren’t cutting it

Fed up with pharmaceuticals and looking to dabble in traditional Chinese medicine? This expert has you covered.

“Western medicine often focuses on mopping up the water on the floor — your symptoms. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) looks for the leaky faucet. It asks, why is the water leaking in the first place?” Lulu Ge, founder of Elix, a wellness brand rooted in TCM, told The Post.

But where to start? Ge broke down the basics you need to know and shared her three go-to remedies, including one she always carries in her purse.

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Though Ge notes that many people are now turning to TCM because of concerns about what’s in their food and drugs, this isn’t about wiping Western cures from your medicine cabinet — it’s about finding the balance between both.

“The real power lies in blending Eastern and Western medicine,” she noted. “Western tools for acute issues and diagnostics, TCM for long-term support, prevention and personalized care. Together, they offer something truly holistic.”

“TCM has always emphasized whole-body wellness, clean ingredients and balance,” Ge added. “TCM is not just for when something’s wrong; it’s for helping you feel your best, every day.”

Ge spilled on her favorites below.

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Ginger

Used in Chinese and Indian medicine for thousands of years, ginger comes from the roots of the Zingiber officinale plant.

Ge always keeps organic ginger in her purse and at the ready: “It’s a warming spice shown to help with digestive issues, nausea and bloating.”

Ginger contains the compound gingerol, which has been shown to have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

“It’s an all-around herb that does it all. If you feel like a little bit of a cold or flu coming on, or you feel a little bloating and indigestion, it’s simple and gentle to take ginger. Ginger has also been shown to help with headaches,” Ge said.

As The Post previously reported, ginger neutralizes free radicals, which cause oxidative stress and contribute to cellular damage and aging.

It also enhances the body’s ability to burn calories, making the spice helpful to dieters.

Elix offers organic Ginger Aide, a pure concentrate of decocted organic ginger slices that allows users “to feel the effects of plant medicine in a gentle, daily ritual.”

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Angelica sinensis

Native to China and Japan, Angelica sinensis, commonly known as dong quai, is an aromatic herb of the parsley family.

Ge says Angelica sinensis, a k a “female ginseng,” is a boon for balancing hormonal health and treating period pain.

“In TCM, Angelica sinensis is used to nourish and invigorate blood, regulate menstruation, and ease cramps. Research has shown it contains bioactive compounds that support circulation, reduce inflammation, and may help modulate hormonal activity,” Ge said.

As a testament to the power of Angelica sinensis, the wonder herb is used in nearly all of Elix’s formulas.

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Elix’s Cycle Balance Formula

Ge notes that for many people living with chronic hormonal conditions like painful periods, irregular cycles, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, premenstrual dysphoric disorder or fibroids, Western options are limited to hormonal birth control, surgery or a grin and bear it approach.

“That’s not care, and it’s certainly not empowerment,” she said.

Rather than simply labeling or diagnosing a condition, TCM looks at why the body is experiencing those symptoms.

“Is your Qi stagnant? Is there internal heat? Are your organs out of sync? The goal is to identify your unique pattern of imbalance,” Ge said.

She recommends Elix’s personalized Cycle Balance Formula to support individual menstrual and hormone cycles.

Prior to purchase, Elix customers are asked to complete a health assessment that includes questions about sleep, digestion, stress and menstrual cycle.

“Because no two bodies — or cycles — are the same, personalization is everything. Each formula is tailored to your unique pattern of imbalance, using carefully selected herbs that support hormone regulation, reduce inflammation, nourish energy, and ease pain at the root. It’s gentle, yet deeply powerful,” Ge noted.

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Possible ingredients include corydalis, mint, cyperus, licorice, bupleurum, white peony root, poria, atractylodes and gardenia pods.

Backed by two independent, Institutional Review Board-approved clinical studies, Cycle Balance has been shown to support PCOS management and reduce 15 of the most common premenstrual syndrome and period symptoms.

“We see it as a complement to conventional care, offering support where Western medicine may fall short, and helping people finally feel like they have a complete, holistic plan for healing,” Ge said. “It’s not just herbal support, it’s root-cause healing made accessible.”

TCM getting to the root of it

Ge notes that Western medicine often focuses on symptom management and quick relief.

“While that’s sometimes necessary and lifesaving, it can also be like pressing a mute button on your body’s signals — suppressing a symptom without asking why it’s happening,” she said. 

“TCM asks why those symptoms are happening in the first place — it’s a root-cause, whole-body approach that aims to prevent future imbalances, not just patch them up,” she added.

“A key part of TCM is pattern diagnosis — the idea that symptoms don’t exist in isolation, they’re clues pointing to deeper imbalances in how your body’s energy (Qi), fluids, blood, and organ systems function,” she said.