CHINESE MEDICINE

2 cautionary tales to contemplate before anyone decides to dabble in Chinese medicine...

from Bloomberg -

A patient in southern China nearly died after being told by his doctor to eat six raw frogs a day in an attempt to cure his illness, a news report said Thursday.
The man from Meizhuo, Guangdong province, followed the prescription for 20 days, gulping down a total of more than 130 frogs to try to cure his cervical vertebra illness.
He eventually fell seriously ill and was told by surgeons the treatment had nearly killed him, according to the Hong Kong edition of the China Daily. The man plans to sue the doctor.

and from todays SCMP -

A teacher at a Shizhu county primary school was forced to apologise after distributing 120 bottles and asking children to urinate in them, the Chongqing Evening News reports. The teacher, a martial arts fan, said he wanted to make a medicine out of urine mixed with alcohol and vinegar to strengthen his kung fu powers. After outraged parents complained to the school, local authorities told the teacher to throw the mixture away.

At least that explains the smell of the chinese medicine drunk by the woman who used to sit next to me. It actually used to make me feel sick, but not as sick as I feel now.