Chinese pharmacies

So this morning, my mom went to the pharmacy here in China. There, they have a Chinese medicinal doctor. You can go up to her to have her look at your issues. She puts three fingers on your wrist as if she's taking your pulse, but for some reason, she can also feel your entire bodily functions. She then can tell you all of your bodily issues -- oddly accurate for my moms reading. Then according to that reading, she gives you a recipe for medicine that you then take to the pharmacy. But this pharmacy consists of a bunch of drawers, each with its own herb name written on it. The pharmacist then measures out little doses of medicine like a recipe and bundles it for you. You then take it home and stew the herbs in a giant ceramic bowl over an open flame for hours -- i think like 10 hours? In the end you take the water from the stew, bottle it into daily drinking amounts and then drnk it every day :) Pictures to come when I"m back in the states :)