Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 51: The Dog Has a Problem

After breakfast, Li Xu and Song Sisi took a taxi to the medicinal herb market. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The place was already bustling, and the air was thick with the rich aroma of herbs.

Li Xu led Song Sisi through the stalls, stopping from time to time to inspect the quality of various herb seeds.

This time, he had no inside information to go on.

He could only rely on his own judgment.

However, Li Xu had been putting a lot of effort into studying herbs recently, and his eye for quality had improved significantly.

"Boss, how much for these Huang Qin seeds?" Li Xu asked, squatting in front of a stall and rubbing a few seeds between his fingertips.

The goatee-wearing stall owner looked him over. "These are freshly harvested wild Huang Qin seeds from this year. 80 a pound."

Song Sisi’s eyes went wide. "That expensive? Over there they’re only 30 a pound!"

The stall owner chuckled and explained, "Miss, these aren’t artificially cultivated seeds. Wild Huang Qin seeds have a higher survival rate and better medicinal properties. You get what you pay for."

Li Xu nodded. "I’ll take five pounds. Do you have any Solanum nigrum seeds? Wild ones."

"Yes, yes, of course!" The stall owner’s spirits lifted. He turned and pulled several paper packets from a cloth bag behind him. "I gathered these from the mountains myself. Guaranteed 100% wild."

Just as Li Xu was selecting his seeds, an argument broke out at the next stall.

An old man was shouting at the middle-aged stall owner, "These are clearly cultivated, and you’re passing them off as wild! Do you think I’m some old fool you can easily trick?"

Li Xu glanced over at the sound and noticed that the color of the seeds in the old man’s hand was indeed off.

’Just as the book described,’ he recalled. ’These seeds are fakes.’

He said to the stall owner, "He’s right. There’s definitely something wrong with this batch of seeds."

The middle-aged stall owner’s expression changed. "What nonsense are you talking?"

"Wild Solanum nigrum seeds should have fine vertical lines on their surface and be darker in color." Li Xu held up a seed to the light. "The surface of these seeds is smooth. They’re obviously artificially cultivated."

The old man looked at Li Xu in surprise. "You’ve got a good eye, young man! Thank you."

Seeing he’d run into an expert, the stall owner resentfully put the seeds away.

The owner of the stall Li Xu was at saw that he was knowledgeable and didn’t dare try to trick him, bringing out only genuine seeds.

In addition to Huang Qin and Solanum nigrum, he also bought motherwort, dandelion, and a few other types of seeds.

He didn’t buy much, as Wang the Third already had some at his house.

"Let’s go."

Li Xu packed the seeds, and he and Song Sisi took a bus to Tang Mountain.

Wang the Third was already waiting for them. Parked beside him was an electric tricycle, its cargo bed piled high with farming tools and several bulging burlap sacks.

"Doctor Li, you’re here!" Wang the Third greeted them with a cheerful smile. "I’ve prepared some seeds as well. Shall we get started now?"

Li Xu nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Wang."

The three of them walked up a small path at the foot of the mountain. As they walked, Wang the Third explained, "This area is full of gravel and has a thin layer of soil, but it gets plenty of sunlight. It’s perfect for planting Huang Qin!"

Li Xu squatted down, grabbed a handful of dirt, and rubbed it between his fingers. "Indeed," he said with a nod. "Huang Qin is drought-resistant and has a well-developed root system, so it’s suited for this kind of environment."

Wang the Third took a handful of Huang Qin seeds from a burlap sack and handed them to Li Xu. "Doctor Li, why don’t you give it a try?"

Li Xu took the seeds and, with a gentle toss, scattered the brown specks into the wind, letting them fall evenly between the cracks of the gravel.

Song Sisi copied him, grabbing a handful of seeds and tossing them excitedly into the air. "Wow! It’s like scattering snowflakes!"

Wang the Third burst out laughing. "Young lady, you’re scattering them too closely together. They need to be more even!"

Song Sisi stuck out her tongue. "It’s my first time! I don’t have any experience!"

The three of them continued walking and scattering seeds, and soon, the gravelly ground at the foot of the mountain was covered.

Halfway up the mountain, Wang the Third stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Doctor Li, are you sure you don’t want to till the land? The soil is a bit thicker here. If we turn it over, the herbs will definitely grow better."

Li Xu shook his head. "No need. Let them grow naturally. Wild herbs have better medicinal effects."

Although Wang the Third didn’t quite understand, he still nodded. "Alright, you’re the boss!"

Song Sisi asked curiously, "Boss, are wild ones really better than cultivated ones?"

Li Xu explained, "The medicinal properties of an herb are closely related to its growing environment. Wild herbs undergo natural selection, which makes their effects purer. Cultivated ones might have a higher yield, but sometimes they ’have the form but lack the spirit.’"

Song Sisi had a flash of insight. "No wonder Wild Ginseng is so expensive!"

Wang the Third chimed in, "You bet! Someone in our village once dug up a Wild Ginseng root and sold it for tens of thousands!"

"What’s suitable for planting in this area?"

"Let’s plant motherwort," Wang the Third suggested.

"I know about motherwort," Song Sisi said. "A lot of gynecological compound medicines contain it."

"That’s right," Li Xu nodded.

Motherwort is also known as ’woman’s grass’.

It’s found in most regions of Dragon Country, and it’s an especially common sight in rural areas.

Motherwort blooms in the summer, with flowers that can be purple or white.

The purple-flowered variety is edible, while the white-flowered variety is only used for medicinal purposes.

Shennong’s Materia Medica states: Motherwort is pungent, slightly bitter, and slightly cold in nature.

According to the Compendium of Materia Medica: "The root, stem, flower, leaf, and fruit of motherwort can all be used in medicine. It can treat wind-heat in the Jueyin meridians of the hands and feet, improve vision and essence, and regulate a woman’s menstrual cycle."

It has the effects of invigorating blood, dispelling stasis, regulating menstruation, and reducing swelling. It is a first-choice treatment for gynecological issues such as irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, postpartum vertigo, amenorrhea, persistent lochia, hematuria, and bloody stools.

Furthermore, motherwort contains various trace elements like selenium and manganese, which can enhance beauty, combat aging, and promote longevity.

For this reason, for thousands of years, motherwort has been regarded in traditional Chinese medicine as the "sacred herb of the blood" and the "sacred herb of gynecology."

...

After a busy morning, the three of them finally finished scattering all the seeds they had brought.

Wang the Third dusted the dirt off his hands and said with satisfaction, "Doctor Li, after a little while and a good rain, these seeds will start to sprout!"

Li Xu nodded. "Uncle Wang, I’ll have to trouble you to look after them from now on. Contact me anytime if anything comes up."

Wang the Third waved his hand breezily. "Don’t you worry. I’ll check on them when I’m out in the fields every day. I guarantee there won’t be any problems!"

Afterward, Wang the Third warmly invited Li Xu to his home for a meal.

"It’s lunchtime. I already had my old lady make a meal. You have to come."

"Then we’ll be imposing on you."

"Heh, you’re too kind, Doctor Li."

They rode Wang the Third’s tricycle to Wangjia Gou.

Wangjia Gou was a gully extending from Tang Mountain, situated right beside a river.

"Come in, come in. This is my place. It’s a bit of a mess, so please don’t mind."

The tricycle came to a stop, and Wang the Third gestured for Li Xu and Song Sisi to go inside.

WOOF WOOF~

A skinny dog rushed out, barking at the two of them.

"Hey, stop barking! These are our guests."

Wang the Third gave it a light kick.

The skinny dog sulked over to a corner and lay down.

"Hmm?"

Li Xu noticed that the skinny dog was swaying and unsteady on its feet as it walked.

"Uncle Wang, there’s something wrong with your dog."