Frequently Asked Questions

Chinese Herbal Solutions: High-quality KPC Granule Formulas, Discounted Shipping, Affordable Prices!

Who can order from your site?


What shipping methods do you use? How much does shipping cost?

How long will it take to receive my order?

Do you ship orders directly to patients?

Do you have any tips for quick site navigation/ordering?

How do I order multiple custom formulas?

Can I request that a single herb or standard KPC formula be packaged separately?

How do I access previously ordered formulas?

Can I save formulas to be ordered later?

What forms of payment do you accept?

Do you collect sales tax on orders shipped to Massachusetts?

What is your backorder policy?

What is your minimum order amount?

What is your return policy?

What is your privacy policy?

What are my responsibilities in using your site?

Do you stock standard KPC formulas?
 
Who can order from your site?

We provide formulas only to: licensed herbal practitioners, practitioners who have otherwise met the requirements to practice in their state, and students currently enrolled in an accredited master's level Chinese Herbal Medicine program. We encourage individuals to find herbal practitioners who have appropriate training and certification so that they can use Chinese herbal medicine in a safe and effective manner. Please see the “My Account>Create an Account” link for additional information about the registration process.
We do not ship formulas outside of the U. S. We do ship orders to all 50 states and to Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Top

What Shipping Methods do you use? How Much Does Shipping Cost?
Currently we ship all orders via the U.S. Postal Service. We offer $5.00 flat-rate shipping on orders sent via First Class Mail and $9.25 flat-rate shipping on orders sent via Priority Mail. Additional
orders shipping to the same address on the same day only cost an additional $1.00 per order—enter the coupon code "sameship" to deduct $4.00 from the $5.00 shipping charge. If you've paid for Priority Mail shipping on your first order all subsequent orders (placed before 2 p.m. on the same day as the first order) will ship by Priority Mail. Select First Class Mail shipping on the subsequent orders to avoid over-payment of shipping charges. Top

How long will it take to receive my order?
All orders received by 2:00 p.m. EST on weekdays (excluding postal holidays) ship the same day. Orders placed after 2:00 p.m. on weekdays and orders placed on weekends ship on the next business day. We also make every effort to ship orders that come in after 2:00 p.m. and before 4:00 p.m. EST on the same day, but this depends on the number of orders being filled.
   
Priority Mail transit times: According to the Postal Service, one-day transit times can be expected for most of Eastern and Central Massachusetts, and two-day transit times can be expected for the vast majority of the rest of the United States (remote rural areas may require three days). Three-day transit times can be expected for Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Please see transit times from zip code 01379 at USPS.gov.

First Class Mail transit times:
According to the Postal Service, one-day transit times can be expected for most of Eastern and Central Massachusetts; two-day transit times can be expected for the rest of New England, Eastern New York State, Eastern Pennsylvania, and New Jersey; and three-day transit times can be expected for the rest of the contiguous 48 states. We suggest, however, that you plan for an additional day of transit time beyond these estimates when selecting First Class Mail shipping. A transit time map can be viewed at USPS.gov (Select “013”).
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Do you ship orders directly to patients?
We are happy to ship orders directly to your patients! Because we don't collect patient information on our website, however, you will need to e-mail us separately with the patient's name and address. This method ensures that we meet the HIPAA standards for handling protected health information as we do not store any PHI online. Please see our “Standards and Practices” page for additional information about shipping directly to patients. Top

Do you have any tips for quick site navigation/ordering?
Yes! More information can be found on our "How to Order" page. Herb searches can be conducted using Pinyin, the Latin binomial, or the common name, and each search result returned will have an "add to formula" button below it. We've found that it is faster to click on the "add to formula" button than to open the product link. The "add to formula" button only adds 1 gram to the cart but it is faster to add all the herbs to the cart and then input quantities while viewing the cart.       
The herbs are also arranged by their categories as delineated in Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, 3rd ed. by Bensky et al. This affords you (we hope) the opportunity to look at the herbs that we stock in a more intuitive way, to find substitutes or more appropriate herbs, and to continue to think about the components of the formula as you are adding them to the order. The “product index” lists all the products we carry in alphabetical order: this may be helpful when a search term entry is not returning results. Top


How do I order multiple custom formulas?
Multiple custom formulas should be ordered separately as distinct transactions. There are some significant advantages to this approach: each formula can be clearly linked to one set of patient instructions, and each formula can easily be referenced by its associated order number. If you'd like to order standard formulas or single herbs either for a patient or for your own dispensary, you can request that any number of items be packaged separately (see next FAQ below). You can also order a custom formula and one or more standard formulas/single herbs in one transaction--in this case it is understood that the patient instructions apply to the custom formula.  
 
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Can I request that a single herb or standard KPC formula be packaged separately from herbs that I have added to a formula?
Yes! In order to do this you will need to go to the product page for the herb that is to be packaged separately by clicking on the product link or the product’s picture (rather than adding the herb to your cart by using the “add to formula” shortcut). You will see “Choose Options” near the bottom of each product page, and the second of these options has a dropdown box that will allow you to select “package this single herb or KPC standard formula separately.” We package separated single herbs or standard formulas in quantities of less than 50 grams in resealable bags, and dispense them into plastic bottles if the quantity exceeds 50 grams. Top

How do I access previously ordered formulas?
Your account page provides access to all of your previous orders unless and until you cancel your account. They are listed by date and by order number and, as mentioned above in “Can orders ship directly to patients,” NO protected health information (patient name/address) is stored on the website's servers. It is therefore easiest to first look at your own records to find a previous order number and order date. We do store complete order information (patient information combined with formula information) offline and can help you locate a past formula if you do not have ready access to your own records. Top

Can I save formulas to be ordered later?

Practitioners can save formulas in shopping carts for up to 60 days without purchasing them. Your main account page displays your saved carts arranged by date and also displays the cost of the cart contents—you can review them and/or proceed to checkout to purchase them.

All purchased formulas remain on the site for as long as you retain your account, and they can be reordered simply by clicking the reorder link. Please remember, however, that you will need to access your own records to locate the order date and order number associated with a particular patient and formula. If you have any problems locating your record contact us—we can search our offline database and match patients to order numbers. Top

What forms of payment do you accept?

We currently accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express cards. We also accept money orders and personal checks mailed to:
Chinese Herbal Solutions
5 Morse Village Road
Wendell, MA 01379
Orders are shipped upon receipt of money orders but we do hold orders paid for by personal checks for up to 5 business days after receipt. We typically waive this hold after establishing a relationship with a practitioner.  Top

Do you collect sales tax on orders shipped to Massachusetts?

For orders shipped to Massachusetts we must collect sales tax unless practitioners possess resale certificates and have provided us with form ST-4. We strongly feel that herbal formulas should not be subject to the state sales tax, but we must obey the law.

Herbalists in Massachusetts are encouraged to register as resellers: this will allow you to purchase without paying sales tax and to collect the sales tax when the formula is sold to your patient. Resale certificates can now be obtained online at: https://wfb.dor.state.ma.us/webfile/Business/Public/WebForms/Registration/Register.aspx  If you navigate the process successfully you should receive a notice by e-mail (within minutes) that you have been issued a temporary certificate and you will later receive a permanent certificate in the mail. Top

What is your backorder policy?
We do not accept backorders as we realize that, if an herb is out of stock, you may need to have your formula filled by another dispensary. We place close attention to inventory levels, but if you find that an herb is out of stock we suggest that you save the shopping cart and e-mail us: we will provide you with our best estimate for resupply time and notify you as soon as we can fill your formula. This allows you the flexibility to order from another source when necessary. Top

What is your minimum order amount?

We maintain a minimum order threshold of $15.00.
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What is your return policy?
We generally do not accept returns on custom formulas because they must be discarded. If, however, your patient has an unusual reaction to a formula and/or you feel that our dispensary is party to or responsible for an error, or is otherwise at fault, we will seriously consider the situation and refund payment when appropriate. It is your responsibility as a practitioner to inform your patients about potential allergens and to be aware of any allergies that they may have. We cannot be responsible for allergic responses to known common allergens but we will participate professionally and responsibly should an adverse event occur. 
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What is your privacy policy?
Chinese Herbal Solutions respects the privacy of our customers and does not sell or share your information under any circumstances. We will not contact you with information about new products or promotions unless you choose that option on the checkout page, and you can deselect it at any time.
Credit card payments are processed through a secure server and we do not have access to or store your card information.  Top

What are my responsibilities in using your site?
Registered users are responsible for keeping their account information confidential to prevent unauthorized use. By using this site you agree to assume all responsibility for any and all activities associated with the usage of of this site through your registered account, and you agree that this usage is associated with your license and/or credentials to practice herbal medicine. You also agree to not to violate the HIPAA Security Rule and, more specifically, to never enter protected health information into any data field on this website. Top

Do you stock standard KPC Formulas?
Many KPC standard formulas (eg. Si Jun Zi Tang) are offered, enabling you to
modify a formula with additional herbs or to provide your patients with quantities smaller than 100 grams. KPC formulas are decocted as formulas whereas most other manufacturers combine herb granules that have been decocted separately: we believe that this is an important difference that results in a higher quality product. For this reason we suggest that you use the formulas whenever they exist within a larger custom formula as long as the dosages remain appropriate (eg. adding Si Jun Zi Tang to your formula rather than adding Ren Shen, Bai Zhu, Fu Ling, and Zhi Gan Cao).

We cannot, however, offer full 100 gram bottles of KPC formulas (or of individual herbs) at any savings relative to other online sources—we don't receive significant discounts from distributors that lower our costs below what you would pay yourself. If you order a single bottle and select free First Class Mail shipping our shipped prices are competitive, but you may save if you order multiple full bottles directly from distributors. Top