Herbal medicine is found in health shops and mainstream food markets such as Capers and Choices around the city. But traditional Chinese herbalists continue to hold their own in Chinatown and elsewhere in the Lower Mainland, and people of every background seek them out.
One of the oldest in the city is the Beijing Trading Co. (89 East Pender Street, Chinatown, 6o4-684-1563) Typical of traditional herbalists, the business has a long wall stocked, top to bottom, with large containers of medicinal ingredients — everything from seahorse tO ginseng in dozens of forms. Orders are mixed at the counter by trained practitioners At a desk behind the counter sits Dr. Hong Wei-Xian, a Guangzhou-trained doctor with all the docu¬ments to prove it (he’s also an acupuncturist). Dr. Hong will diagnose your ailment, write a prescriPtio0 see it filled in the shop, give you careful instructions on taking it, and expect you to return to see him if it doesn’t do the job intended.
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