I don’t understand Chinese medicine. And quite honestly, I don’t believe in it. It seems like a lot of potions and nonsense to my western mindset. But then again, there are cures in herbs and roots. Chinese medicine can get controversial when it comes to using the body parts of endangered animals to make various concoctions (seahorses, rhino horn, tiger bones, etc.). That aspect makes me sad, but mostly Chinese medicine is just herbs and roots like you see below.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
At the bottom you can see the vendors’ cups of tea. The banners in the background are verifying the quality of their goods. Below is a Chinese doctor at work. She’s applying a brown paste to a very bruised knee. Can you see the black on her knee above the brown paste? That’s the bruise. Ouch! I don’t know if it will help, but generally Chinese medicine is inexpensive (compared to western medicines and treatments).
Applying a Paste
More stalls of herbal medicine. The vendors are friendly and willing to give medical advice. My husband jokingly asked what herb could help him look 20 years younger. They had an herb for him!
Chinese Medicine Stall
Chinese Medicine Stall
Do we use Chinese medicine? Well, not really. We’ve never sought the advice of a doctor of Chinese medicine. But we’ve been given lots of potions (already prepared and packaged) by well meaning friends. And in that situation you really have to take a dose in their presence! They’ve never hurt us, and some seem to have had a slight healing effect. One in particular I remember was a cough syrup made from a fruit called the pipa. (I don’t know what this fruit’s English name is because I’ve never seen it in America.) It really soothed my scratchy throat and did stop the coughing for a short while.
That’s one difference between Chinese and western medicines. Western medicines are STRONG, fast-acting, and have serious side-effects. Chinese medicines are weaker, slower-acting, and have (supposedly) fewer side-effects since they are “natural.”
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