🌿 Folk Prescriptions

In ancient times, traveling physicians always carried a gourd on their backs. The gourd served as a symbol of medical practice, and this tradition has an interesting origin.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Fei Changfang observed an old man selling medicine in the street. Anyone who took his medicine would recover immediately. Intrigued, Fei Changfang waited until the crowd dispersed, then followed the old man. He saw the old man jump into a gourd hanging on the wall of a tavern. Realizing this old man was no ordinary person, Fei Changfang resolved to become his disciple. He prepared a fine banquet at the tavern where the gourd hung, waiting patiently. Soon, the old man emerged from the gourd. Fei Changfang immediately knelt and begged to be taught. Impressed by Fei’s sincerity, the old man accepted him as a student and passed on his medical knowledge. Later, Fei Changfang became a renowned physician of his time. To honor his teacher, he always carried a gourd during his medical practice. From then on, physicians used the gourd as a sign of their skill, and people began associating the gourd with doctors.
Indeed, the gourd itself is a medicinal herb—sweet and bland in taste, neutral in nature. It promotes diuresis and relieves urinary obstruction, useful for treating edema, difficulty urinating, jaundice, and abdominal distension. Dose: 15–30 grams, decocted and taken orally, or combined into compound formulas. Gourd seeds can also treat toothaches and gum swelling; rinsing with a decoction made from gourd seeds and cow knee (Niuxi) yields quick relief.