🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Fresh jellyfish contains high water content and thick skin, along with toxins. Only after being washed twice with salt and alum (commonly known as "three-alum") and undergoing two dehydration processes can the toxins be fully removed. Two-alum jellyfish appears pale red or yellow, evenly thick, elastic, and does not release water when squeezed—only then is it safe to eat. When visiting jellyfish-producing areas, avoid purchasing or tasting jellyfish that hasn't been properly processed or only briefly salted.
Fresh daylilies, also known as golden needle vegetables, contain colchicine in their raw form. Colchicine itself is non-toxic, but once ingested, it oxidizes into highly toxic tri-colchicine in the body. Experiments show that just 3 milligrams of colchicine can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, and abdominal pain. Larger doses may lead to hematuria or melena, and 20 milligrams can be fatal. Dried daylilies are steamed and cooked, causing colchicine to dissolve out, rendering them non-toxic.
Fresh mushrooms contain a photosensitive substance called porphyrin. After consumption, exposure to sunlight may cause skin itching, swelling, and in severe cases, skin necrosis. If swelling occurs in the throat mucosa, breathing difficulties may arise. Dried mushrooms are sun-dried, which breaks down most porphyrin, and soaking before cooking dissolves any remaining toxins, making rehydrated mushrooms safe to eat.
Fresh pickled vegetables: Fresh vegetables naturally contain harmless nitrates. During salting, these convert into toxic nitrites. Generally, nitrite levels begin rising significantly after 4 hours of pickling, peak between 14–20 days, then gradually decline. Therefore, either consume pickled vegetables within 4 hours of salting, or wait until they’ve been pickled for over 30 days. Nitrites can cause facial cyanosis and oxygen deficiency symptoms, and can combine with secondary amines in food to form carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Bottled water: Whether distilled water, mineral water, or other purified water, most bottled water undergoes ozone sterilization before bottling. Thus, freshly filled bottles contain high concentrations of ozone. Ozone is toxic to humans. Drinking fresh bottled water immediately means ingesting poison. If left for 1–2 days, ozone dissipates naturally. According to regulations, bottled water must undergo 48-hour testing before being released for sale. Therefore, only water tested and approved according to standards is safe.