About Us

The Meaning of Boncho

Boncho means "medicinal herb" in Korean (본초). It also carries a double meaning that reflects our philosophy: Bon (본) (本) means "foundation" or "root," representing our commitment to building a strong foundation and staying true to the basis, root, and origin of Oriental Medicine. Cho (초) (初) means "beginning," "start," or "inception," symbolizing our desire to remain faithful to the mission that inspired this company:

To help those who are helping others become healthier and happier.

 

 OMD Cho & Master Bon

About Us

Hi friends! We’re a husband and wife team, Isaac and I. Both of us attended acupuncture and herbal medicine school in the U.S.

Bora’s Story
Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine are deeply rooted in my family. My parents, Dr. Cho and Dr. Choi, are both acupuncturists and herbalists (KMDs) in Korea and were also certified by the NCCAOM in the early 2000s. They continue to inspire us as mentors and have played a key role in helping us develop our materials.
I was licensed in California in 2018 and later became NCCAOM-certified as a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine (Dipl. O.M.) in 2020, marking the beginning of my professional journey in acupuncture and herbal medicine. I continue to practice acupuncture and herbal medicine while also dedicating my time to building and growing Boncho Friends.

Isaac’s Story
Isaac didn't grow up with an Oriental Medicine background like me. He was born in Oklahoma City, USA, and grew up without much exposure to acupuncture or herbal medicine. He studied art to become an architect. However he dove right into TCM after his experience of getting acupuncture treatment for his back pain. After struggling for 10 years with back pain from an accident in high school, he was amazed that it only took 3 months of dedicated acupuncture treatment to make the pain go away for good. He was hooked and applied to Acupuncture School the same year.

While studying at acupuncture and herbal medicine school, Isaac initially struggled mainly because of the foreign concepts and especially with Chinese characters. He was discouraged, but soon discovered how Chinese characters deeply shaped the understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). He realized that once he began learning the etymology and meanings behind the Chinese characters, complex TCM concepts became much easier to grasp. This led him to create the Acupuncture Chinese Character book we have today.

Isaac also worked at the school's herbal pharmacy for almost 2 years—cooking herbs, tasting, and testing them to strengthen his knowledge. His love for herbs grew from this experience, and in order to easily memorize herbs, he drew cartoon characters for the herbs - prototypes of the Boncho products we have today.

With his unique background in both art and herbal medicine, he has fully dedicated himself as Boncho’s art director, creating educational tools that bring Traditional Chinese Medicine to life through visual learning.

Our Work
Our work integrates TCM knowledge from around the globe, with a strong emphasis on the U.S. curriculum that shaped our education.

From the very beginning, our dream with Boncho Friends has been simple: to make TCM knowledge accessible to anyone. Just as King Sejong created Hangul so that ordinary people could gain strength through knowledge, and as Heo Jun wrote the Dongui Bogam so that common people could understand and use herbal medicine through home remedies, we hope to carry that same spirit in our own way.

Even more importantly, we want to share the greatness of TCM with the world, so that those who truly need healing can find their way to amazing TCM practitioners just like you and regain their health.

We hope this gives you a little insight into who we are and what we do. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out—we’d love to hear from you! 

Warmly,
Bora Choi & Isaac Lee