Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 172: Making the Medicinal Plaster
After leaving the Ding Family’s villa, Li Xu didn’t return to his clinic.
Instead, he went to Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory.
He was there to check on the production of the Watermelon Frost.
The watermelon and Mangxiao had been mixed together,
and already packed into earthenware jars.
They were sitting undisturbed in a shaded arbor. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Doctor Li, there’s no change yet."
Ding Kaifang came over to accompany Li Xu when he heard he’d arrived.
Li Xu said, "Don’t worry. It takes about three days. Today’s the first day, so I’ll be back the day after tomorrow."
...
Back at the clinic.
It was just after three in the afternoon.
Li Xu decided to open up shop and called Lin Xiaoyu. "Are you free right now? I’m at the clinic. If you are, come on over and I’ll give you a massage."
"I actually took the day off, so I’m free. I’ll head over right now," Lin Xiaoyu said happily.
...
The clinic door swung open, and Lin Xiaoyu walked in slowly, one hand on her lower back.
She was wearing a loose-fitting knit sweater, and her face was paler than usual, her brow furrowed in discomfort.
"Lie down on the bed over there." Li Xu pointed to the examination table, then turned to wash his hands.
The sound of running water, SPLASH SPLASH, mingled with Lin Xiaoyu’s cautious, sharp intakes of breath.
"How did you hurt it?" Li Xu asked as he dried his hands and pulled on a pair of medical gloves.
"I was just changing the water cooler bottle..." Lin Xiaoyu said, her voice muffled by the pillow she was lying on. "As soon as I lifted it, I heard a ’CRACK’..."
Li Xu’s fingers gently pressed into the muscles of her lower back, immediately feeling their stiffness and spasms.
He traced the area on both sides of her spine, discovering a distinct point of tenderness near her fourth lumbar vertebra.
"It’s an acute lumbar sprain combined with lumbar muscle strain," he explained. "The *Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor* says, ’The waist is the abode of the kidneys.’ Sitting for long periods injures the kidneys, and when kidney qi is deficient, the lower back is not properly nourished."
His thumb located the Shenshu acupoint with precision and slowly applied pressure.
At first, Lin Xiaoyu hissed in pain, but gradually, a warm current spread from the point of pressure, and the soreness miraculously subsided.
"If you want this to heal completely, massage alone isn’t enough," Li Xu explained, adjusting his technique. "Three to five sessions can alleviate the symptoms, but the root problem—your deficient qi and blood, and your blocked meridians—will still be there."
Lin Xiaoyu turned her head to the side. "Then what should I do?"
Li Xu was also considering his options.
’Massage isn’t a cure-all.
When medication is needed, you have to use medication.
But what kind of medicine should I use?’
The first thing that came to Li Xu’s mind was a medicinal plaster.
As an ancient medical scholar once said, "A medicinal plaster can cure illness no differently than a decoction. When used correctly, its effects are immediate."
Compared to injections and pills, medicinal plasters are convenient, painless, and more readily accepted by the public.
The elderly, in particular, who often suffer from aches and pains in their backs, are especially fond of them and always keep some at home.
Plasters, or pastes, are one of the five major forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine: pills, powders, pastes, elixirs, and decoctions.
The *Classic of Mountains and Seas* recorded the use of wether mutton fat, applied to the skin to prevent chapping.
The *Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor* also documents the use of "lard paste."
During the Northern and Southern dynasties, these preparations were called "paste formulas" or "thins." In the Tang dynasty, they were known as "rubbing pastes." By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Tang term "decoction" was changed to "nourishing paste" or simply "paste," and was incorporated into the category of paste-based remedies.
Li Xu didn’t have any ready-made medicinal plasters in his clinic.
But that wasn’t a problem for him.
He had just acquired two pieces of top-grade musk.
It was perfect for making Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment.
Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment has a long history, tracing its origins back to the Tang and Song dynasties.
Its primary ingredient, musk, has been a rare medicinal herb for treating sprains and bruises since ancient times due to its efficacy in "unblocking meridians and dispelling blood stasis."
By the mid-20th century, with the development of modern pharmaceutical technology, Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment evolved from a folk remedy into a mass-produced product. It even began incorporating Western medicinal ingredients, making its effects even more powerful.
Today, it is a classic topical preparation for pain relief and anti-inflammation.
The ingredients for Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment are quite complex. They include artificial musk, leopard bone, Aconite (Chuanwu), Aconite (Caowu), ephedra, Danggui, sand ginger, angelica dahurica, atractylodes, star anise, dried ginger, Camphor (Borneol), menthol, chondroitin sulfate, methyl salicylate, camphor, and diphenhydramine hydrochloride, among others.
Each of these ingredients has its own function.
For instance, the main ingredient, artificial musk, can warm the core and open the orifices, invigorating blood circulation and unblocking the meridians.
Leopard bone strengthens the sinews and bones, dispels wind, and alleviates pain.
The Aconites (Chuanwu and Caowu) have the effect of dispelling wind-dampness, warming the meridians, and stopping pain.
...
The complete formula uses both cooling and warming herbs to topically treat localized pain and stiffness, while also balancing qi and blood.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it’s believed to dispel wind-dampness, invigorate blood circulation to remove stasis, reduce swelling, and alleviate pain. Therefore, it’s used to treat symptoms like rheumatism, joint pain, lower back pain, neuralgia, muscle soreness, sprains, and contusions.
This is for the ordinary Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment.
But Li Xu had two pieces of top-grade natural musk.
The effect would be absolutely incredible.
Of course, the price wouldn’t be cheap either.
Li Xu explained the situation to Lin Xiaoyu, adding, "You can go to a pharmacy and buy the factory-produced Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment. It’s not expensive—a box costs a few dozen yuan—but they use artificial musk, so the effect is just average."
"Mine is made with natural musk, and it’s the absolute highest grade. I spent over two hundred thousand yuan on these two pieces. Once I make it into a plaster, the cost for a single patch will be seven or eight hundred yuan. I’ll charge you a thousand."
"So, do you want to buy one from a store, or buy one from me?"
"I’ll buy yours, of course," Lin Xiaoyu answered immediately, without a hint of hesitation.
She’d learned her lesson from the Mugwort Bag incident.
The ordinary Mugwort Bags were free, but they had almost no effect.
The premium Mugwort Bag, on the other hand, cost five hundred yuan apiece, and even the border guards had praised its effectiveness.
The choice was obvious.
"You’ll have to wait, then. I’ll prepare the ingredients and decoct the paste today. You can come pick it up tomorrow."
"No problem."
Lin Xiaoyu sat up on the table and gently stretched. "I feel much better. This should hold me for a day or two."
She left in a car.
Li Xu got ready to make the Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment.
Because so many ingredients were required,
the clinic didn’t have all the necessary herbs.
Li Xu went to the herb market to stock up.
The quality of a few of them was merely average.
Li Xu could only make do with what he could find.
As long as the main ingredient—the top-grade natural musk—was high quality, the overall efficacy wouldn’t be affected even if the other herbs were a bit subpar.
After buying the missing supplementary herbs,
Li Xu called Song Sisi. "What are you up to?"
"Memorizing acupoints... It’s so difficult."
"Stop memorizing for now. Come to the clinic and watch how I make a medicinal plaster."
"That’s great! I’m on my way."
...
The Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment was a well-established formula.
The recipe and dosages were all clearly recorded in medical texts.
The method for preparing the plaster was also straightforward.
Li Xu followed the procedure, laying out all the required herbs one by one.
He sliced off a small piece from the top-grade musk, weighed out the required amount, and set it aside.
Beside it were more than a dozen other medicinal herbs like Aconite (Chuanwu), Aconite (Caowu), and Danggui, along with the newly purchased sesame oil and Yellow Pill.
"Boss, do all of these need to be ground into powder?" Song Sisi asked, wearing a mask and holding a medicine grinder.
Li Xu nodded. "The Aconite (Chuanwu) and Aconite (Caowu) must first be processed to remove their toxins."
He took out a small clay pot, poured in some water, and added the two herbs. "Bring it to a boil over a high flame, then simmer on low until the white core inside is gone."
The water in the pot gradually began to boil, and the bitter, astringent aroma of the herbs filled the air.
Li Xu stirred them occasionally with bamboo chopsticks to ensure they cooked evenly.
Meanwhile, Song Sisi followed his instructions, sorting and weighing the remaining herbs.
"The leopard bone powder needs to be passed through a 120-mesh sieve," Li Xu instructed without looking up. "The Camphor (Borneol) and menthol are added last. They can’t be heated."
