Chapter 536: Chapter 229: Has the Doctor Had a Change of Heart, or Has the Patient’s Heart Changed?

The woman hesitated for a moment.

"This..."

"Dr. Lu, you know how to do it, that’s why it seems simple to you. I’ve never done these things before, so even if you tell me this is how to do it, it won’t be as easy when I actually go to do it."

The woman said this and glanced behind her; except for her, there was no one else in line. The few people originally behind her left as soon as they heard that going to Huian Pharmacy tomorrow would be more cost-effective, saving a couple of hundred yuan.

Seeing this, the woman thought for a moment and said, "Dr. Lu, as there aren’t many people in line today, if you have some time, could you explain in detail to me? I don’t want to make a mistake and not get the right effect."

As she spoke, she had already taken out her phone, clearly prepared to record.

Speaking of making honey pills, not just the woman, even Ji Xiuwen next to them couldn’t help but touch Lu Xuan, giving Lu Xuan a few looks.

Seeing this, Lu Xuan did not refuse.

Although it would waste quite some time, there were no patients waiting afterwards, so spending some extra time was not an issue.

Thinking this, Lu Xuan nodded and then said, "Alright, I’ll explain."

The woman’s face brightened, and she quickly opened her phone to record.

Ji Xiuwen on the side wasn’t idle either, while taking out his phone, he also prepared to jot down some key points with paper and pen.

"Honey pills are the most commonly used form in Chinese medicine. Apart from powders, the most important thing in modern Chinese patent medicine is to make them into honey pills. Although the effect may not be as good as freshly brewed Chinese medicine, they win in convenience, easy to carry, and the shelf life is unmatched by freshly brewed medicines."

Upon hearing this, the woman nodded. She had suggested this because she had heard that Chinese medicine can be made into honey pills.

"It’s okay if the effect is less; I can always take it for a longer period. The main thing is convenience."

"Convenience is one thing, but if you go back and take it without any effect or poor effect, you should stop taking it. Medicines without effect not only don’t help but can also burden the body; you need to keep this in mind," Dr. Lu advised.

The woman said, "I remember, if it doesn’t work, I’ll stop the medicine immediately, but I don’t know how to contact you then."

"That’s not a problem. I’ll have him add you to the patient group, and you can directly message me in the group if you have any questions." Lu Xuan said, pointing to Ji Xiuwen sitting beside him.

The woman’s face lit up with joy, nodding repeatedly.

Lu Xuan continued, "Actually, regarding honey pills in Chinese medicine, ancient medical texts have relevant records. ’Health Care Formulas’ mentions the preparation of pills using honey and jujube paste: ’It is not cheap, including malva nut, stonecrop... made into pills with honey or jujube paste, as large as sheep dung.’ This is the earliest record of honey pills seen in Chinese medical history.

It’s not just ’Health Care Formulas’; even in the renowned ’Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Warm Pathogenic Diseases,’ there are records of 5 types of pills, 3 of which are honey pills, namely Lizhong Pill, Wumei Pill, and Hemp Seed Pill.

As for the ’Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet,’ it contains even more examples of pill formulations. Among them, although honey is mentioned, the honey used to make honey pills must be refined, as in the Kidney Qi Pill formula, ’Right eight flavor powder, refined honey, and round Wuzi size.’"

"Why must honey be used to make pills? Can’t something else be used?"

The woman thought for a moment and asked, "Like maltose, for example. After boiling, it should also be able to be used to make pills."

Lu Xuan smiled slightly and explained, "The reason honey is used to make pills is because refined honey has the effect of tempering the medicinal properties, often used for chronic illnesses.

Moreover, honey pills can prevent the oxidation of components in Chinese medicine, enhancing stability. Refined honey has strong adhesiveness, allowing the pill to resist hardening, offering greater plasticity, and resulting in glossy, smooth, slow-dissolving pills with lasting medicinal potency."

"Oh!" The woman suddenly understood.

Indeed, if maltose were used as an adhesive, she wasn’t sure if it could temper the medicinal properties, but pills made with maltose would likely harden easily, lacking plasticity. Perhaps once the melted maltose is mixed with the medicine powder, it immediately hardens, making it impossible to form pills.

"Regarding the making of honey pills..."

Lu Xuan continued, "Actually, it’s not as complicated as you think. The process mainly involves formula, powder preparation, refining honey, mixing, pill formation, and packaging.

Of course, packaging doesn’t require much for personal use, as long as it’s clean enough."

The woman nodded and jotted it down.

Lu Xuan continued, "Now let’s talk about the formula and powder preparation, which is quite easy. According to the formula, the medicinal herbs are roasted with low heat or sun-dried, then ground into fine powder, ready in a disinfected basin for pill making."

After grinding to fine powder, next is honey preparation. Mix honey in proportion to the weight of the powder, 1:1.2 to 1.5. For instance, for 1000g of powder, mix with 1200-1500g of honey. If the medicine contains substantial sugar, gelatin, or starch, adjust to a 1:1-1.2 ratio."

The third step is refining honey, which involves boiling honey to remove impurities, destroy enzymes, kill bacteria, evaporate water, and enhance viscosity.

This step is crucial; you can’t use raw honey; it must be refined to ensure the quality of honey pills, prevent bacterial growth, preserve medicinal effects, and extend storage time.

When refining honey, first use high heat until boiling, then switch to low heat to simmer. Place a bowl of cold water nearby, and observe the honey’s color. When yellowish foams appear on the honey, dip a bamboo chopstick in the honey, and let it drip into the cold water bowl. If the honey doesn’t spread in the water and sinks, achieving what is commonly known as ’dripping water forms beads,’ then the honey is considered refined."