As I mentioned in my recent blog post on acupuncture, I’ve been seeking out some medical advice from Dr. Wu Jiaqi, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner at Oasis Hospital. Having exhausted the available offerings from conventional “western” medicine, I thought I should let Dr. Wu take a poke at me. While the acupuncture helped a lot, he also prescribed some herbal medicine to help alleviate my ailment.
TCM herbal remedies have always been a bit of mystery to me. I tried them before for a couple of things, but I never knew much about the process or what was in the medicinal tea. The TCM pharmacist at Oasis not only took the time to show me all the raw materials that went into my particular remedy, but the staff also brewed the tea and packaged it in sealed individual serving so that I would not need to make it myself at home and risk upsetting my wife (TCM medicine can have a very pungent odor). The pharmacist even took the time to explain how each herb assists the various parts of the body.
Not satisfied with the explanation, I also asked for an English translation of the ingredients. It took some time, but the pharmacist was eventually able to email the list to me. It was pleasant to see that I was ingesting such ancient ingredients as frankincense and myrrh; and who doesn’t like a touch of nutmeg in a beverage made with bitter orange? Unfortunately, the combination of ingredients did not make a delicious beverage, but rather some strong bitter medicine with an inexplicable aftertaste. Nevertheless, I dutifully drank it twice a day.
All in all, I would rather just have the acupuncture and some Chinese massage, but as long as it helps me maintain my health, I’ll drink the medicinal tea too. I’ll just hold my breath while I do it.
For the curious, here’s the list of the ingredients, but don’t try making this at home without professional supervision:
麸炒苍术 Atractylodes Rhizome
枳实 Immature Bitter Orange
厚朴 Officinal Magnolia Bark
麸炒白术 Large-head Atractylodes Rhizome
木香 Costustoot
丁香 Flos Caryophyllata
降香 Rosewood Heart Wood
鸡内金 Chicken Gizzard Membrane
砂仁 Villous Amomum Fruit
肉豆蔻 Nutmeg
小茴香 Fennel Fruit
乳香 Frankincense
没药 Myrrh
黄连 Golden Thread
黄柏 Amur Cork Tree Bark
茯苓 Indian Buead
焦山楂 Focal Hawthorn
焦麦芽 Focal Malt
焦神曲 Medicated Leaven
槟榔 Areca Seed
甘草 Liquorice Root
