🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Recently, our emergency department received a middle-aged patient who reported: since the Winter Solstice, he had been taking ginseng daily for tonification, but recently experienced symptoms like nervous sensitivity, rashes, swelling, depression, and poor appetite. After examination, the doctor diagnosed him with “Ginseng Overuse Syndrome.”
Since winter began, new nutritional or tonic supplements have flooded the market, backed by aggressive marketing campaigns convincing many that taking more tonics aids longevity. However, from a pharmacological perspective, there is no such thing as a “tonic drug.” To date, no medication has been proven to comprehensively enhance human health, so treating drugs as tonics is misguided.
Some believe herbal tonics have no side effects, so they casually consume herbs like astragalus, codonopsis, angelica, and notoginseng with chicken or duck, or assume that more ginseng, deer antler, or donkey-hide gelatin is always better. Yet excessive use of these herbs causes side effects like dry mouth, nasal bleeding, and other issues. For example, long-term use of deer antler leads to yang excess and yin deficiency; prolonged ginseng use causes chest tightness, abdominal distension, and indigestion; taking tonics during a cold is like adding fuel to the fire…
“All medicines carry toxicity; ginseng kills without guilt”—a fact long recognized. Overusing tonics inevitably causes toxic side effects. Therefore, taking tonics should be targeted and appropriate, just like treating illness. Even if one is weak and needs herbal tonification, it should be done under medical guidance, tailored to individual conditions and dosages, to avoid harm to health.
As the saying goes: “Medicinal supplementation is inferior to dietary supplementation.” After winter sets in, moderate consumption of chicken, duck, or dog meat can strengthen the body. Combined with regular exercise and psychological adjustment, these practices enhance immunity and promote robust health.