Stories About Chinese Herbal Medicine (6)
There was once a young man who had a stomachache that hurt so badly his forehead broke out in a sweat. Unfortunately, the doctor had gone on a house call to a neighboring village, so the young man had to return home. Along the way, the pain became even greater, and he lay down on the ground to rest. Suddenly, a white-haired old man appeared.
"What's wrong? Why are you lying down?" he asked.
"My stomach hurts. . . ."
"Well, I'll go look for some herbs to cure you. Hey, here are some growing right beside you. The roots of this plant are good for stomachache. Simmer them in water, drink the concoction three times and you'll be cured."
"Really?"
"Would I try to fool anyone, at my age? This is a remedy that's been handed down in my family for generations. Please tell other people about it if you have the chance."
The young man took the plant home, rinsed the roots, chopped them up and simmered them in water. He drank the concoction once that evening and again the next day. By the third day, his stomachache and diarrhea were gone.
Later, several of his fellow villagers came down with the same ailment and were all cured by drinking the same medicine.
The young man returned several times to the spot where the white haired old man had appeared, hoping to thank him, but he never showed up. Suddenly he caught sight of some of the feathery, white plants waving in the wind.
He then realized that the old man must have been the legendary Immortal of the South Pole, who had specially descended to the mundane sphere to favor mankind with his secret remedy. To commemorate his benevolence, the young man named the plant pai-t'ou weng, or the Hoary-Haired Old Gentleman, otherwise known as Chinese pulsatilla.
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