What you grow up with, that’s what becomes normal. You could be smack dab in the middle of something extraordinary, but it’s simply everyday life for you.
In this conversation with Yvonne Lau we reflect on her experience of growing up as the daughter of immigrants from Southern China who ran an herb store in San Francisco’s Chinatown. It was a time when a few dedicated young people from the mainstream culture began to show a respectful and insatiable interest in Chinese medicine.
The interest of those young people was part of what would become a growing acceptance of Chinese medicine in the west. And the herb store; it too has grown through the years.
Listen into this conversation of playing hide and seek behind bags of uncut herbs, some of the characters who made up the Asian Chinese medicine community, how her parents herb store has become a major supplier of medicinals, and some of the challenges we face in this moment of time.
When in doubt, always go back to the basics rather than focus on the western diseases your patient tells you he or she is suffering. What is the differential diagnosis? The answer will naturally lead you to treatment principles and a solution.
Yvonne Lau, Business Owner
I have worked in our family Chinese herb business since childhood and in the role of Mayway President since 1997. I first visited China in 1982, and still travel there annually for business and pleasure. I have had the good fortune and honor to work with many people both in China and in the US who are also passionate about Chinese Medicine and herb quality.
I have also served as the Vice President of the Chinese Herb Trade Association of America (CHTAA) since 1998. The CHTAA was founded in San Francisco in 1984 and represents over 300 Chinese herb importers, distributors, and retailers primarily in California. I chair the Regulatory Compliance Committee for the Association, updating members on various regulatory issues, lecturing about Good Manufacturing Practices, Prop 65 and best business practices, as well as organizing and moderating meetings between regulatory agencies and the Association.
Visit Yvonne and her family’s herb business at www.mayway.com
