"Dr. Lu, what medicine should I take?"
"Spleen deficiency, stomach discordance, the source of regeneration has gone astray, the nutrient and protective qi are weak, the Chong and Ren meridians are out of balance, and worm accumulation is a concern."
"What does that mean?"
Zhou Liting was full of confusion. She could understand the first two sentences, but the latter part troubled her, coming from a pure Western medicine background.
Lu Xuan pondered for a moment and smiled as he explained, "It means, Dr. Zhou, you're too thin and have a deficiency in qi and blood. You can't directly treat the symptoms aggressively, but should first harmonize and regulate your period for a few days and then consider strengthening the spleen and expelling worms."
"Alright then."
"Anyway, I don't understand, just prescribe the medicine for me."
Zhou Liting appeared indifferent, unable to figure it out and unwilling to think more about it.
Lu Xuan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. What's the point of asking if you don't get it after being told?
"The medical record book."
"Ah! I still need a medical record book?"
Zhou Liting opened her mouth and said, "Western medicine doesn't use this thing anymore."
Lu Xuan explained, "Traditional Chinese Medicine is different from Western medicine. It requires recording the symptoms and prescriptions for future reference. Also, many old TCM doctors don't use computers, so they prefer to note things in the medical record book to better understand the patient's condition."
Zhou Liting had no choice but to get a new medical record book from the registration window downstairs.
Once she had the record book, Lu Xuan carefully remembered the prescription he just gave and recorded it with great care.
Fried Danggui 9g, Fried White Atractylodes 9g, Chuanqiong 4.5g, White Peony 9g, Salvia miltiorrhiza 9g, Guang Curcuma 9g, Prepared Cyperus 9g, Albizia Bark 9g, Huai Niu Xi 9g, Rose 0.9g.
Four doses.
"Dr. Lu, your handwriting is quite impressive, so neat and beautiful, very pleasant to look at. There aren't many young people who can write so well nowadays."
Zhou Liting stretched her head to look and was instantly astonished.
"Compared to your handwriting, mine looks like a crab's."
Lu Xuan looked up and smiled, "Most students of Traditional Chinese Medicine are required to pass handwriting assessments."
Zhou Liting pointed to the prescription Lu Xuan wrote and asked, "I've never studied TCM, but I've read quite a bit about it online. They say there are many prescriptions in TCM, but what's the name of the one Dr. Lu gave me?"
Lu Xuan chuckled, noting that Zhou Liting had some understanding of TCM, but clearly not much.
After thinking for a moment, he explained, "There are indeed many prescriptions in TCM, and those who practice TCM remember them by heart. However, a genuine TCM doctor doesn't just stick to these prescriptions, unlike in Western medicine."
"What do you mean?"
Zhou Liting raised her eyebrows.
"In Western medicine, medications generally work for the same symptoms."
Lu Xuan gave an example, "For instance, with a cold, medicines like the granules of Paracetamol and Pseudoephedrine are suitable for almost all cold symptoms. But not in TCM; for a hundred people, there are a hundred illnesses, and a thousand people have a thousand symptoms. The illness might be the same, but the symptoms in different people may vary. At this point, it naturally requires adjusting the medication according to different situations.
Some herbs need to be removed, some reduced, and some increased to ensure efficacy, rather than relying on a single prescription to treat all ailments.
I'll give you one formula: Cinnamon Soup."
"Cinnamon Soup?"
"Yes."
"Cinnamon Soup is often called the best formula under heaven in TCM, why is that?"
Zhou Liting rolled her eyes, like how would I know.
Lu Xuan didn't mind and continued, "Cinnamon Soup is a diaphoretic, with the effects of warming and releasing the exterior, releasing muscle surface, and harmonizing nutrients and defensive qi.
Clinically, it's often used for treating colds, flu, unexplained low fevers, postpartum or post-illness low fevers, pregnancy vomiting, polymorphic erythema, frostbite, urticaria, and other cases of discordance in nutrient and defensive qi.
And with modifications, Cinnamon Soup can be adapted for more illnesses; for those with severe cold and wind, add Fangfeng, Schizonepeta, and Fermented Soybean to disperse wind and cold; for those with weak constitution, add Astragalus to boost qi and expel pathogen. If coughing or wheezing accompanies, add Apricot Seed, Suzi, and Platycodon to clear the lungs and stop coughing and wheezing.
So, even though Cinnamon Soup is called the best formula under heaven, very few TCM doctors would use it alone. They would adjust it based on the patient's symptoms to maximize its efficacy while suiting the patient's physical condition."
Zhou Liting seemed to understand and not understand, but there was one thing she did get.
She looked up, her smile gentle, "If I understand correctly, you're saying only truly skilled TCM practitioners would use medicine like this, while those less skilled would just stick to the recipes?"
Lu Xuan didn't think much about it and nodded, "Pretty much!"
"Then you also said you're just a recent graduate?"
"With skills like yours, there must be some connection to TCM in your family. Otherwise, who would believe it?"
Zhou Liting's expression suggested she thought she had discovered something.
Lu Xuan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry; what does this have to do with my family?
Knowing Zhou Liting, being in her thirties, surely understood the thoughts behind Lu Xuan's expression, she smiled and said, "Just admit it, you didn't stick to the recipe, did you?"
"No… I didn't."
Zhou Liting spread her hands, "See, a truly skilled TCM practitioner makes their diagnosis and prescribes accordingly, not automatically prescribing Four-Ingredient Soup just for menstrual issues like they say online."
"Neither my parents nor my grandparents are in TCM. Really, I'm the only one in medicine at home."
Lu Xuan shrugged helplessly.
Zhou Liting patted Lu Xuan's shoulder and winked at him, "I get it. Don't worry, I won't say anything."
Well! Such a misunderstanding.
The main thing is, it's hard to explain.
There's no way I can say these prescriptions come from herbal samples, right?
Even saying it, someone has to believe it!
For a moment, Lu Xuan was a bit sullen.
Still, surprisingly, someone who's never seen a TCM doctor before knows about Four-Ingredient Soup, which aroused Lu Xuan's curiosity to ask further.
"Dr. Zhou also knows about Four-Ingredient Soup?"
Zhou Liting pouted, "How would I know, it's because Sister Cheng had that problem. She used to see a lot of TCM doctors, tried many, and guess what, almost every time it was Four-Ingredient Soup, so how could I not know?"
"But now with your explanation, I understand why Four-Ingredient Soup didn't work. Prescribing by the book without differentiation, it's no wonder it wouldn't work."
After speaking, her face showed some disdain, apparently having some contempt for those TCM doctors prescribing Four-Ingredient Soup.
Lu Xuan didn't say much. If he couldn't hear the 'Heart's Voice' of the herbs, he might have prescribed Four-Ingredient Soup for Cheng Gaowen and Zhou Liting as well.
Being indecisive with Four-Ingredient Soup, it's definitely a safe choice.
Though it might not cure the illness, at least it won't cause any harm.
However, situations that worsen the condition aren't unheard of, in which case no one would prescribe something like Four-Ingredient Soup again.
Once he finished preparing the medicine, Zhou Liting didn't linger on the second floor, but before leaving she gave Lu Xuan a thumbs up: "Dr. Lu, keep it up, we older ladies are counting on you for our monthly troubles."
Leaving Lu Xuan in a state where he's not sure whether to laugh or cry, utterly embarrassed.
Ladies, I'm still young... so young!