Within two years of the establishment of Boston’s Chinatown, there was a Chinese herbal doctor in the community. In the early newspapers, the importance of such herbalists was very evident, and they’re still vital in Chinatown today. 

One of the first detailed references to a Chinese herbalist, who wasn’t named, was in the Boston Post, April 26, 1896. The writer sought treatment for a severe cold in his chest and the herbalist felt his pulse. He then wrote a prescription which contained 15 distinct herbs and natural ingredients. 

Some of these ingredients included: Kan chaok, a hairy plant from Fukien province, that “..,has apparently no special mission on earth.”; Kat kang, credited “as possessing the same efficacy generally attributed to an American oyster cocktail..”; Pak cheuk, which may be regarded as a counter irritant to the fourth ingredient; Pak chut, a sweet cordial from Chekhiang province, much used by Chinese gourmands; Leng pak, from the bark of the mulberry tree; and Ts un Kan, which stands high among the “Mongolian rheumatics….” 

The Boston Journal, December 5, 1897, described Yee Quok Pink, a famed herbalist at 31 Harrison Avenue. The article noted, “…Yee Quok Pink can render just as good service in his humble quarters as a Back Bay doctor surrounded by modern comforts.” He might have been the first herbalist in Chinatown, having come to Boston in 1886. Again, the writer wanted a prescription for a cold and Yee wrote him one. 

Some of the herbs in the prescription, including: Chun fo too, which is like ginger and is included to warm a person; Hoot sut, to strengthen the belly; Mook hant, to drive away all pain; Hoy woo, which drive the medicine to all parts of the body; Fook sing, to strengthen the bladder; and Chun sor, to strengthen the kidneys. The writer inquired why he needed all of these herbs for just a cold and Pink replied, A “man got to have his organs working well, if he have a cold,…”

Around January 1904, Foo & Wing Herb Co., opened at 564 Massachusetts Avenue, advertising in local newspapers, providing much information about their practices. This practice was run by T. Foo Yuen, who had graduated with highest honors from the Imperial Medical College at Pekin. In the U.S., he had started a herbalist practice in Los Angeles, although curiously, he chose not to cater to Chinese patients. 

In the Boston Herald, January 31, 1904, it was said that the Chinese medical system relied on pulse diagnosis, where “..the physician asks the patient no questions whatever, but determines his bodily condition, the seat and extent and nature of the disease, in every instance, solely and entirely by feeling the pulse of both wrists.” It was also noted that over 3000 varieties of medicinal herbs existed, but commonly only 300-400 were used. 

Up to this time, Chinese herbalists weren’t legally considered to be medical doctors so they could, and some were, charged with unlawfully practicing medicine without a license. They would generally be fined, and then simply continue acting as an herbalist. In 1914, efforts were initiated to recognize herbalism as a legitimate medical practice and allow them to be licensed, but such efforts wouldn’t be successful. 

One of the sponsors of the bill was Rep. McGrath of Boston, and the primary impetus for the bill was Pang Suey, a famed Boston herbalist, who had even treated McGrath’s father. Pang had been charged with illegally practicing medicine on multiple occasions. However, Pang, a graduate of the University of Canton, China, had many supporters, both Chinese and non-Chinese, claiming that his treatments had resolved their medical issues. 

For the next few years, a number of hearings were held on the matter, with the primary opposition coming from licensed physicians. The Boston Globe, March 9, 1916, reported on an examination that occurred at the home of Pang. 

Pang explained that he made a diagnosis by pulse alone. “It is a method recognized in China for hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of years.” He would then write a prescription, which was filled in the basement of his house, “where his private herbarium is maintained, in charge of a Chinese dispenser.” He charged only for the herbs, and not the consult, and thus, “He does business as a person dealing in natural herbs and not as a doctor.” 

Sadly, Pang died in April 1917, and the bill still hadn’t been passed. Efforts to pass the herbalist bill would continue for a few more years, but without Pang, it lost much of its impetus. 

Despite this illegality, Chinese herbalists would continue to operate, as they had done for the past forty or so years in Boston, and still are in existence today. These herbalists had much support from their patients, both Chinese and non-Chinese. Now, as you wander the streets of Chinatown, and see one of the herbalist shops, you’ll understand better some of their local history.

For more information on the history of Chinese herbalists, you may read Richard Auffrey’s lengthier article on the topic at: http://passionatefoodie.blogspot.com/2021/06/an-early-history-of-chinese-herbalists.html

Photo from the Boston Journal, December 5, 1897: It depicts Yee Quok Pink, with a sample prescription on the left side, a picture of this office at the bottom, and the image on his sign on the right side.