Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 85: Toad Skin

Wild Ginseng?

At least fifty years old?

Li Xu picked up a "Wild Ginseng," weighed it in his hand, and suddenly chuckled.

Lately, he had been working hard to apply the knowledge from his books to real-world practice. He was no longer the novice he once was.

Besides, the Wild Ginseng in front of him was just too fake.

"Boss, is this carved from a radish? Your craftsmanship is pretty good. You even managed to replicate the texture."

The stall owner’s expression changed. He gave an awkward laugh and lowered his voice. "Young man, you’re an expert... How about you take a look at the cultivated ginseng over here? Guaranteed authentic!"

Li Xu shook his head and pulled Hu Qiming away.

"Holy shit, I could tell it was fake too, but based on its appearance, I just thought the age was off. I can’t believe it was actually a radish!" Hu Qiming was completely speechless.

"There’s plenty more where that came from," Li Xu said, pointing things out as they walked. "See that stuff they’re calling ’Saffron’ over there? It’s actually just dyed corn silk. That ’cordyceps’ is pressed from flour molds. And those ’Natural Bezoars’ are basically just resin and pigment..."

Hu Qiming sighed. "With so many fakes, it’s a miracle any of this could cure an illness."

Li Xu shook his head. "Normally there aren’t this many fakes. Besides, these are so poorly made that anyone with a little knowledge wouldn’t buy them. They’re mainly targeting ordinary people who don’t know any better, especially small-time merchants who sell them online... For example, 80% of the Chinese medicinal herbs sold on certain discount shopping apps are fake."

Hu Qiming, who knew a little about the inside scoop, lamented, "And the relevant authorities don’t do anything about it."

"Heh..."

Li Xu smiled. "It’s like how so many tourist spots rip people off. Why don’t the local tourism authorities do anything? It’s the same principle."

The two of them stopped at a stall selling Musk. Li Xu picked up a small, dark-brown granule. ’Real Musk should be...’

He suddenly frowned, brought the granule to his nose, and sniffed. "This one is a fake made from animal liver and spices."

The stall owner, an old man with a wrinkled face, didn’t get angry at his words. Instead, he gave a thumbs-up. "Impressive, young man! Want to see the real stuff? As for the price..."

Li Xu waved his hand dismissively and continued on.

After walking a short distance, they came to another stall on the ground.

Li Xu crouched down. "Boss, how much for the Danggui?"

"Forty yuan a tael. Take your pick."

The owner enthusiastically handed him a bag. "Authentic Nanshan Danggui. The pieces are large, and the quantity is generous."

Li Xu grabbed a handful, observed its color, smelled its fragrance, and then asked Hu Qiming, who was beside him, "What do you think of this Danggui?"

Hu Qiming studied it seriously for a moment. "I think it looks good."

"It is good. It’s all authentic."

Li Xu picked out five jin, paid, and they left.

The two of them continued walking and selecting items. In less than an hour, both Li Xu and Hu Qiming were carrying several large bags of medicinal herbs.

"You dragged me here to be your manual laborer. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come."

Hu Qiming complained.

"Haha, I’ll treat you to lunch. You can pick the place."

"Alright, I’m going to make you bleed. We’re going to the Feng City Restaurant."

...

They rounded a corner, and the market suddenly opened up. A number of professional buyers were gathered here. Some were using magnifying glasses to carefully inspect herbs, while others haggled with the stall owners.

Li Xu’s gaze suddenly locked onto an inconspicuous corner—an old farmer in a blue cloth shirt had several glass jars set up in front of him.

’Found it.’ Li Xu quickened his pace and walked over.

The information he’d received today mentioned that a rare toad skin was available at the market.

This was the main reason he had come.

The old farmer’s stall had several glass jars on display, with various medicinal herbs soaking inside.

The most eye-catching item was a bamboo tray, upon which were spread several pale-yellow membranes as thin as a cicada’s wings, shimmering with a pearl-like luster in the sunlight.

"Boss, how much for the toad skin?" Li Xu asked, crouching down.

The old farmer looked up, sizing up Li Xu. "An expert?"

"I know a little," Li Xu said, gently picking up a piece of toad skin and holding it to the light. "Farmed?"

"A good eye." The old farmer nodded, pointing to several other incomplete pieces. "These are wild, but the quality is a bit poorer."

Finally, he pointed to a nearly perfect one in the corner. "This one is also wild. The quality is excellent, but it’s expensive."

Li Xu carefully picked up the high-quality toad skin.

It was about the size of his palm, so thin it was almost transparent, with a fine, web-like pattern on its surface. There were only minor imperfections along the edges.

Hu Qiming leaned in closer. "Now this is good stuff."

"Of course it is."

A toad shedding its skin is a purely natural phenomenon.

Before hibernating, a toad will shed its skin and eat it to ensure it can survive the winter. This means a toad has new skin every year.

In reality, when a toad molts, it eats its skin as it sheds it. Therefore, it’s nearly impossible to find a complete, naturally shed wild toad skin. Most of the whole skins sold on the market are obtained through human intervention, using water to get a complete piece—a so-called water-shed skin.

A natural toad skin will inevitably be incomplete. However, if too much is missing, it becomes difficult to verify its authenticity. It’s best if at least 50% of the skin is preserved.

An authentic product will have a strong, proper aroma with no pungent odor.

True toad skin, or pure natural toad skin, is the keratinous membrane shed by species like the Chinese Giant Toad in their natural ecological environment. Skin collected from farmed toads that have not been stimulated by any drugs also falls into this category.

This type of toad skin is a genuine ingredient for traditional Chinese medicine.

The characteristics of a true toad skin are: the head, torso, and limbs are all present and intact, with no damage or holes;

the membrane is smooth and orderly, not messy, appearing like a dorsal view of a specimen cut open along the central abdominal line;

the color is natural and consistent, not greasy, with no discoloration;

it has a faint, crisp aroma, with no greasy smell or other strange odors;

and its thickness is uniform, thin as a cicada’s wing and translucent, with a soft and comfortable feel.

Most importantly, the information he’d received indicated that this particular toad skin came from a Changbai Mountain giant toad, which had even better medicinal effects.

"Doctor Li! It really is you!"

A booming voice interrupted Li Xu’s thoughts.

He turned to see a man in casual clothes striding over, followed by a younger man who looked like an assistant.

"President Ding?" Li Xu recognized the man—Ding Aiguo, a well-known local entrepreneur whose wife’s insomnia he had cured a month ago.

Ding Aiguo enthusiastically shook Li Xu’s hand. "I never expected to run into you here! I’ve been wanting to treat you to another meal but haven’t had the chance!" He glanced at the stall on the ground. "Are you...?"

"Just stocking up on some herbs," Li Xu replied simply. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Ding Aiguo caught sight of the toad skin in Li Xu’s hand and immediately understood. "Boss, how much is this? I’ll buy it for Doctor Li!"

The old farmer held up three fingers. "Three thousand. No bargaining."

"That expensive?" Hu Qiming exclaimed.

"It’s not expensive," Li Xu shook his head. "A complete, wild toad skin goes for at least five thousand on the market. The boss is giving us a fair price."

Ding Aiguo had already taken out his wallet. "Let me pay..."

Li Xu placed a hand on his. "President Ding, there’s no need. It’s better for us practitioners to buy our own herbs. If you buy it, and this herb is particularly valuable, who does it truly belong to?"

Ding Aiguo was taken aback for a moment, then he understood. "Right, right! Well... can I tag along and watch? To be honest, I’ve always been quite interested in Chinese medicinal herbs."

Li Xu knew this to be true.

Back when Ding Aiguo was trying to cure his wife’s illness, he had searched everywhere for rosewood and had also come into contact with other precious medicinal materials.