The herbs taste nasty. Can I add some flavorings to it?

Chinese herbal medicine surely did not survive thousands of years based on taste. The first time usually is the worst but most people can adapt to it after a while. You should not add flavorings to alter the taste because Traditional Chinese Medicine believes it is the taste that moves the Qi. Adding flavorings to your herbs may affect its efficacy. What you can do is drink your herbs quickly and then follow your herb with some hard candy or chewing gum that remove the aftertaste.