LIMDA JOURNAL
Taking Korean Herbal Medicine Home — Travel Pouches & International Shipping
Visited a Korean medicine clinic in Busan and want to continue your herbal prescription back home? Here is how custom herbal medicine travels — pouches for your suitcase, international shipping, and what to know at customs.
One question comes up at the end of almost every international consultation at LIMDA: "Can I take this home?" The answer is yes — and there are two ways to do it.
How Korean herbal medicine is packaged
Custom herbal prescriptions at LIMDA are decocted at a licensed external dispensary and sealed into single-dose liquid pouches. Each pouch is vacuum-sealed, needs no refrigeration for the duration of a normal trip, and is taken as-is — no brewing, no preparation. A 15-day prescription is a compact, suitcase-friendly box.
Option 1 — take it with you
Sealed liquid pouches go in your checked luggage (they exceed the 100ml carry-on limit, so check them in). We provide an English document listing the ingredients and stating that this is a personal prescription from a registered Korean medicine clinic — useful if customs asks. Most patients from the US, Japan, Singapore, and Europe report no issues with personal-use quantities.
Option 2 — international shipping
If your trip is short or your prescription continues after you leave, we ship. After your 15-day review (done remotely if you have already left Korea), the next batch can be sent to you by international courier. Availability and shipping terms vary by country — some countries restrict herbal ingredient imports — so we confirm what is possible for your destination before you leave.
Why 15 days at a time
LIMDA prescribes herbal medicine in 15-day units only. Your body changes; your medicine should too. After each 15-day course we review — in person or by message for overseas patients — and adjust the next prescription to your current state. You are never asked to commit to months of medicine up front.
Q. Can you prescribe without me visiting Busan?
A first prescription requires an in-person consultation with pulse diagnosis. Follow-up prescriptions for existing patients can be arranged remotely.
Q. How do I ask about my country?
Message us on WhatsApp (+82-10-7925-6248) or LINE (@533ntugz) with your destination country, and we will confirm shipping availability.
Read more
Custom herbal medicine, explained → How much does Korean medicine cost in Busan? → Acupuncture at LIMDA, Busan →
Written by Dr. Cheongrim Kim, Director (KMD, Kyung Hee University College of Korean Medicine)
Kyunghee LIMDA Korean Medicine Clinic (LIMDA K-Medical Clinic) — 1F, I-Park T1, 38 Marine City 2-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan +82-10-7925-6248 | Weekdays 10:00–19:00 · Saturday 09:00–17:00 · Closed Sundays & holidays
글: 경희림다한의원 김청림 대표원장 (한의사 · 경희대학교 한의과대학 졸업)
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