Elle: Herbal Essence

An insider tip: Chinese herbs taste like dirt. Well, at least my particular blend did as I choked it down on a hot spring day. I’d followed the preparation instructions given to me by a herbalist in the hope it would cure the painful, cystic acne that had plagued my back for months. Diligent sipping, I was told, would start to clear it within two weeks. The mercury nudged 32 degrees, and I was drinking a cup of boiling dirt.  Desperate times, I thought, call for desperate measures.