Hometown Friday - herbal medicine

HOUSTON (FOX 26) -  

Herbalist Michelle Dao's family has been in business Hoa Da Herbal Medicine in the Chinatown district since 1996. Many loyal customers believe in the ancient tradition.

Visitors meet with an herbalist, explain their symptoms and their prescription is filled, although with herbs acquired from different parts of Asia rather than pills.

Patients who visit Hoa Da Herbal Medicine can also schedule acupuncture sessions. It is another form of traditional medicine that targets pockets of energy in the human body. 

At the center, Dao says she and her staff do more than just help people feel better by lifting the energies of their patients' bodies.

The business is also working to keep traditions alive through carrying on what her great-grandfather started many years ago.

Cosmetic acupuncture has also become popular. The practice brings collagen, oxygen and blood to the face to help plum it up, an alternative to Botox.