Xiǎo Chái Hú Tāng for jet lag, and other herbs I don’t travel without

Since I’m going out of town soon, I decided it would be good to jot down the herbs I always travel with. Here are 4 Chinese herbal l formulas I don’t travel without.

Xiǎo Cháihú Tāng (小柴胡湯): for jet lag prevention, take 10 pills twice daily starting two days before your flight, and continue up to 2 days after you land if you have any jet lag symptoms at all. This is a great formula for cold prevention so it does double duty regulating your body’s systems so that the germs you encounter en route don’t make you sick. Minor Bupleurum is a classic formula that works for symptoms that come and go, like allergies. It is my go-to formula for both “I think I’m getting sick but I don’t have clear symptoms yet” and “I think I’m mostly better but I’m not sure I’m completely recovered” situations.

Rénshēn Bàidú Sǎn (人參敗毒散): If XCHT is for “maybe sick” then this formula is for when you’re actually sick. You might have a cough, or body aches, and thick pasty white tongue coating.

Huòxiāng Zhèngqì Wán (藿香正氣丸): for vomiting, diarrhea and other stomach flu symptoms. Also good for motion sickness nausea if your travels involve boating.

Bǎo Hé Wán (保和丸): for overeating or indigestion, in case I consume something that doesn’t agree with me. I actually keep these in the car for road trips and family visits as well as taking them with me when flying.

Bonus: I can’t and don’t drink alcohol but there’s an analogous formula to Bao He Wan called Géhuā Jiěchéng Tāng (葛花解酲湯). My patients who have used it tell me that taking it before an event where there are alcoholic beverages helps prevent them from having one too many drinks, but if you forget it will also speed up the hangover process. It’s been studied for the prevention of liver cancer. It doesn’t come in teapill form, though you can get just-add-hot-water granules.