Excited
Anyone who grew up a child of Chinese immigrants can probably relate to the embarrassment of having to use medicines that aren’t commonplace in American society, especially those that leave an unmistakable odor. Just this week, the smell from Chinese medicinal herbs on board United flight 972 caused the plane to undergo a delay for a second security check, once a flight attendant caught a whiff of the herbs (which she described as a toxic chemical smell) in a carry-on bag. The owners of the bag containing the herbs were an elderly Chinese couple. They were not charged and the plane eventually made its way to its final destination of Chicago.
While I’ve never experienced anything that embarrassing due to Chinese medicines, I’ve had my share of history and ridicule for using wan-jian-you (tiger balm); seirogan (a creosote based laxative); and salonpas (pain relieving patch). All of these produced a highly distinct odor and were immediately noticed by my non-Chinese classmates during my school years. To store these medicines, I’ve often put them in double ziploc bags, but usually even that doesn’t do much to contain the odor.
As offensive as the smell is of many of these medicines, I still rely on them to get the job done. I just haven’t found any American medicines that are as effective at producing results as my Asian medicine standbys. So I guess I will continue to offend others with my unmistakable odor.
I’m sure there are other equally offensive Asian medicines out there, and plenty of stories to go with them. Lucky for me, while my smell may have offended others, I never stopped a plane from leaving for its destination.
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OMG TIGER BALM IS 'DA SHIT!
dont judge us, but when we have really bad coughs, some indians will put a tiny bit in tea, and force you to drink it.. i had my fair share of tiger balm tea, and let me tell u-- no vicks can even come close to the miracle that is tiger balm!
"Are they small, look like rabbit poo and smell super strong?"
You just described half of all Chinese herbal medicines, Moye. (The other half are big, look like big rabbit poo, and smell super strong.)
;)
Ok, being the resident student pharmacist on here, you know that the menthol really just distracts you from the pain--it really doesn't do anything for it. ;) Oh, and creosote is only carcinogenic if you use massive amounts of it, so unless you literally bathe in it, you should be fine. ;)
(I have a clinical pharm final tomorrow--can't you tell?)
Are they small, look like rabbit poo and smell super strong?
I must say, Chinese medicine packaging rocks. All the ones in Japan look modern and boring.
I swear by seirogan too! Even after reading that creosote (the main ingredient in seirogan) is considered carcinogenic. My mom wouldn't use anything else.
I don't think I know what Seirogan is.
Does anyone know if they're anything like Po Chai pills?
Nope, you're right; it was absolutely u00e7u00b6u00a0u00e6u00b2u00b9u00e7u00b2u00be. Holy crap, I just read that out
loud in Chinese and I totally got a Pavlovian reaction of my back getting
tingly.
I don't know if Gold Bell is the same as the Green Oil (u00e7u00b6u00a0u00e6u00b2u00b9u00e7u00b2u00be) I used as a kid, but I LOVED the way that stuff smelled. Way better than Tiger Balm! I also liked White Flower Oil but the Green Oil was better.
I remember that u00e7u00b6u00a0u00e6u00b2u00b9u00e7u00b2u00be had these annoyingly catchy jingle TV ads in Taiwan and we would run around singing it until we got hollered at to shut the heck up. Check it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1AqysgsU0o
Those little green bottles of Gold Bell Menthol Oil was my moms go-to choice of strong smelling menthol oils to relieve itching from insect bites. That stuff was gangsta.
Seirogan user for life! I have yet to convince my husband to even go near those pills, even if he has the worst tummy ache ever.
LOL - I understand what you mean. Long live Tiger balm!
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