Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 125: Persuasion

Most of the Aconite on the market is soaked in Daban Liquid?

It’s all become dregs?

Guo Yu couldn’t quite accept it at first.

But there was no reason for Li Xu to lie.

"Then what should we do?"

Guo Yu asked, worried.

"Director Guo, I went to Jiangyou and secured a harvest of Aconite from a plot of over three acres. It’s all being prepared using traditional methods. Their workers are processing it for me now. If the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine needs any, you can purchase it from me."

Li Xu proposed.

"This..."

Guo Yu was tempted.

Aconite was the primary ingredient in True Martial Soup.

If there was a problem with the Aconite, the effectiveness of True Martial Soup would be greatly diminished.

"The hospital’s medicinal material procurement isn’t something I can decide... Come on, let’s go find the dean together."

Li Xu and Guo Yu walked through the hospital’s long corridor, their footsteps echoing clearly in the quiet hallway.

Guo Yu was still reflecting, "If the Aconite problem is really this widespread, then all those prescriptions we’ve been writing..."

Li Xu nodded. "That’s why we have to solve this problem as soon as possible."

In front of the dean’s office, Guo Yu took a deep breath and knocked softly.

"Come in." Dean Sun’s steady voice came from inside.

Upon entering, they saw Dean Sun at his desk, reviewing documents. He looked up, slightly surprised to see them. "Director Guo, Advisor Li? Is something the matter?"

"Dean Sun, there’s something important I need to report to you." Guo Yu’s tone was uncharacteristically serious.

Dean Sun put down the documents in his hand. "Sit down and tell me. What’s so urgent?"

Li Xu concisely explained the issue with the Aconite again, with Guo Yu occasionally adding details.

As the conversation deepened, Dean Sun’s brow furrowed, and his fingers tapped unconsciously on the desktop.

"Are you saying that the Aconite we’re using at the hospital is all... dregs?" Dean Sun’s voice was laced with disbelief.

"Strictly speaking, it’s a medicinal material with drastically reduced efficacy."

Li Xu took a small cloth bag from his pack and poured out a few slices of darker-colored processed Aconite. "This is traditionally prepared Aconite that I brought back from Jiangyou. Please, see the difference for yourself."

Dean Sun picked up a slice and held it to the light, observing it carefully. "The color is indeed a bit darker than what we have in our pharmacy, and the smell is stronger."

He turned to Guo Yu. "Director Guo, how serious do you think this problem is?"

Guo Yu sat up straight. "Dean, Aconite is hailed as the ’number one herb for restoring Yang Qi and reversing collapse.’ It’s the principal herb in classic formulas like True Martial Soup and Sini Tang. If the Aconite is ineffective, it’s like the prescription has lost its backbone. For the past two years, my success rate using True Martial Soup to treat symptoms like Yang Qi deficiency and internal retention of cold-dampness has been less than 30%. This is very likely the reason."

Dean Sun pondered for a moment, then picked up the internal phone. "Xiao Zhang, have Director Han from the Pharmacy Department come to my office immediately."

Ten minutes later, a slightly heavyset middle-aged man in a white coat hurried in.

"Director Han, are you aware that our hospital’s Aconite is substandard?" Dean Sun asked, getting straight to the point.

Director Han was stunned for a second, then immediately retorted, "Impossible. Chuanlong Medicinal Materials Company supplies most of the Chinese medicinal materials for the entire city. We’ve worked with them for years, they have all the proper qualifications, and they pass every spot check."

"Advisor Li attended a conference where Professor Wang Tao said that most of the Aconite on the market is over-soaked in Daban Liquid, causing a major loss of efficacy." Dean Sun pushed the Aconite Li Xu had brought across the desk to him. "What do you make of this?"

Director Han picked up a slice of Aconite and sniffed it, his expression a little unnatural. "Well... Dean Sun, we have a strict inspection process for medicinal material procurement. Chuanlong’s Aconite meets all the standards in the Materia Medica. As for soaking it in Daban, that’s a modern processing technique. You can’t really call it a problem, can you?"

Li Xu couldn’t help but interject, "Director Han, soaking in Daban is originally for preservation and detoxification, but modern techniques widely overuse it, causing a massive loss of the aconitum-type alkaloids in the Aconite. The Materia Medica standards can only detect the presence or absence of a component, not measure the activity of the effective ingredients."

"Advisor Li has a point," Guo Yu immediately chimed in. "It’s like ginsenosides. The activity in Wild Ginseng and cultivated ginseng is worlds apart, but a lab report might show similar content levels."

Director Han’s expression soured. "Dean Sun, hospital procurement must go through official channels and public bidding. If we suddenly change suppliers, it’ll be hard to explain to the auditors. Besides, President Dong from Chuanlong and the people at the Health Commission..."

"Director Han!" Dean Sun suddenly raised his voice, cutting him off. "We are discussing the quality of the medicinal materials right now. Don’t drag other things into this."

The office fell silent.

Director Han shut his mouth awkwardly, but his eyes showed clear defiance.

Dean Sun rubbed his temples. "How about this, Advisor Li? You said you have Aconite from a plot of over three acres in Jiangyou, all prepared with traditional methods?"

"Yes. When I left, the local Village Chief Ma was preparing it for me. The finished product should be ready in about a month," Li Xu replied.

"What about the price? How much higher is it than our current procurement price?"

"About 50% higher."

Director Han immediately cut in, "Dean, that’s way over our budget! And procedurally..."

"We can purchase a small amount for a trial first," Guo Yu quickly suggested. "We don’t use a large quantity of Aconite at this hospital. Formulas like True Martial Soup and Ephedra, Aconite and Asarum Decoction don’t even use a few kilograms a month. We can use discretionary funds and go through a special approval process, which doesn’t require public bidding."

When a hospital purchases medicinal materials using government funds or in large quantities, it must go through a public bidding process. However, purchasing a small amount with discretionary funds doesn’t require bidding, making the procedure much simpler.

Dean Sun’s gaze shifted between the three of them before finally settling on the Aconite sample Li Xu had brought. "Advisor Li, how much of this high-quality Aconite do you have on hand?"

"About two kilograms. Village Chief Ma from Jiangyou gave it to me."

"Is that enough for a clinical comparison?"

Li Xu’s eyes lit up. "More than enough! One dose of True Martial Soup uses 10 to 15 grams of Aconite. Two kilograms can make over a hundred doses."

Dean Sun nodded, seemingly having made up his mind. "Alright. Director Guo, you will be responsible for selecting some patients suitable for True Martial Soup and dividing them into two groups. One group will use our current Aconite, and the other will use the sample provided by Advisor Li. Director Han, your pharmacy department will provide full cooperation."

Director Han looked like he wanted to say more, but Dean Sun raised a hand to stop him. "That’s final. If the trial proves that the traditionally prepared Aconite is significantly more effective, we will discuss subsequent procurement. Remember, only the four of us are to know about this. Don’t let word get out."

After leaving the dean’s office, Director Han hurried back. He still couldn’t quite believe that the Aconite in the pharmacy was ineffective.

He decided to select the very best Aconite from the pharmacy for the test.

Guo Yu, on the other hand, excitedly pulled Li Xu aside to discuss the trial protocol. "We have a few patients in the hospital right now who are perfect candidates for True Martial Soup. The diagnosis fits!"

...

In the internal medicine clinic, Guo Yu pulled out a case file.

Ms. Zhu, female, 53 years old. First consultation on May 25, 202X.

Chief Complaint: Edema in both lower limbs for over 10 years.

For more than 10 years, the patient has experienced intermittent edema in both lower limbs, which repeatedly subsides and returns. She was previously diagnosed with deep vein thrombophlebitis, but her condition did not improve after taking medication...