In the treatment of thyroid nodules, many of you ask: “Can thyroid nodules only be treated surgically? Can I take medicine to make it smaller? Does it help to take herbs that disperse stagnation?” The answer is: At this stage there is no evidence that herbs are effective in shrinking existing thyroid nodules. Of course, in response to such a conclusion, there are often many different opinions and arguments, which can be summarized into three schools of thought. Doctors are saying that Chinese medicine is useless! I knew herbal medicine was useless, it’s especially bad!” Strongly opposed: “Nonsense! Have doctors ever drank it themselves? I drank it myself, my nodules were lost by drinking Chinese medicine, I am the proof!” The wavering faction:: “Although I do not know whether it works or not, but you can try it first, in case it really works.” About this answer, first of all, to understand the phrase – “no evidence to prove effective”. The difference in the understanding of this statement can be said to be the difference between the two ways of thinking of traditional medicine and modern medicine. Traditional medicine relies mainly on experience, curing one person or another, but it may not be able to cure them at all; modern medicine promotes finding the cause of the disease and then treating it, and only if the method can cure most people or is effective for most people, will it be declared effective. Therefore, Western medicine’s argument that “there is no evidence that herbal medicine is effective” is not a denial of the existence of successful cases, but a denial of its universal effectiveness. If drinking herbal medicine does not work for everyone or most people, its statistical validity is not up to par. Second, a statement needs to be affirmed – herbal treatment does work for a small number of people. In clinical practice, many doctors have encountered cases where thyroid nodules have been found to be smaller by simply taking herbal medicine without any other treatment. However, there are many reasons why thyroid nodules become smaller, such as cystic nodules (meaning that the nodules are filled with tissue fluid or blood) rupture for some reason and the fluid flows out and becomes smaller; for example, a certain ingredient in herbal medicine induces a certain bodily function that makes its tissue thyroid nodules become smaller. But the real reason is not known. In conclusion, our opinion is – herbal medicine can be tried, but caution is recommended. Since herbal remedies for nodules are justified by the public and the private, the final choice is up to the patient himself. If you are a fan of Chinese medicine and are willing to try it, then it is perfectly fine to do so. However, you must be careful when choosing a hospital and doctor, and should go to a doctor in a regular hospital. You should not believe in the so-called experience of charlatans or neighborhood mothers, and you should not try the so-called “secret recipes” and “ancestral magic medicine” without permission. There are actually many cases of permanent liver and kidney damage caused by taking Chinese medicine indiscriminately. The ultrasound report will tell you whether taking Chinese medicine is working for you or not. Of course, taking it as a placebo is not a bad thing. But in the end, it all must be communicated properly with the doctor in charge and be wary of being duped.