China's time-honored remedies find recognition overseas. (Photo: Li Hao /GT)
When it comes to cultural exports, China is best known for things like dragon dancing and its exquisite cuisine, but recently foreigners have found something else to latch onto - its medicinal remedies.
Just ask 35-year-old Filipina Aleli Roxas Javina who had no bones about telling Metropolitan that the best thing to happen to her in recent memory is a Chinese hemorrhoids ointment.
"I think it's effective and I like it," Javina told Metropolitan on Facebook, praising the product for its blissful, cooling tingle.
Javina isn't the only one who's become a fan of the ointment, which is called Ma Ying Long. The cream's Amazon page boasts a four-star rating and over 1,000 reviews, including scores of rapturous commendations from newly pain-free users.
Recently, a number of these positive reviews from foreigners were translated into Chinese and began circulating on Chinese social media platforms, erupting into a hotbed of conversation.
Part of the topic's popularity among Chinese netizens has to do with mixed opinions towards Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as an alternative medicine in general, as well as the pride that some feel in seeing China's time-honored remedies finding recognition overseas. Whatever the case, there's no denying that TCM remedies are gaining traction all over the world, as foreigners discover the apparent magic of these products thanks to the Internet.
Praise from foreigners
Another foreigner who has become a believer in TCM remedies is Anastasia Sukhoretskaya, a 27-year-old journalist and teacher from Russia who has been working in China for five years.
She told Metropolitan that just this week she came down with a sore throat, and that after the third day she took some Ganmao Qingre Keli, a TCM powder designed to treat colds, including symptoms like headache and sore throat. Soon, she felt much better.
"It was very effective. I almost could not eat anything on Monday and today is Sunday and I am at the gym now feeling perfect," she said.
Another of Sukhoretskaya's favorites is Yunnan Baiyao toothpaste, which she has been using for two years. Yunnan Baiyao, which literally translates to "Yunnan white drug," contains a hemostatic powder known in China for stopping bleeding. It also purports to prevent gingivitis and improve gum health.
"Of all the toothpastes I've tried, I feel like this is the best," Sukhoretskaya said, adding that she likes the taste and how her teeth feel after she uses it.
Positive reviews on the American version of Amazon added that the toothpaste boasts a nice taste, helps relieve toothaches and can indeed improve gum health.
Sukhoretskaya says she'll recommend Yunnan Baiyao toothpaste to her friends and family when she goes back home.
But it isn't just expats like Sukhoretskaya who are becoming converts of TCM products; thanks to the Internet, especially a number of international online retailing platforms, many consumers overseas are gradually learning about TCM remedies. Javina, for example, found out about Ma Ying Long on Facebook, and bought it for 500 pesos ($10.8) online.
It isn't just availability that's made the difference, however, but good, old-fashioned word of mouth. Ma Ying Long, for example, seems to have inspired an almost religious devotion among reviewers on Amazon, many of whom say that the ointment worked where countless Western treatments failed.
In one of the top reviews, a 2011 ode entitled "Cool Off Your Poop Chute and Make It Smell Chinese," a user named J. Stern writes, "This product is fantastic! It is extremely cooling - even after the initial application. You'll feel nothing but a blissful cool tingle as the swollen 'roids shrink. Seriously, it is like applying rose-colored ice cream to your bum... and the cool LASTS."
The two comments below are equally effusive, with the first one starting out, "First of all I want to say that this product is AMAZING! It did miracles for me," and the user below, Nemo, adding, "This stuff is a miracle. I don't even want to know what's in it, I don't care. I lived, I feel great, and nothing else worked. Buy some."
Just as the herbal ingredients in Yunnan Baiyao can both stop bleeding and treat dental issues, many Chinese remedies have multiple uses. While Ma Ying Long is usually used for hemorrhoids, some Chinese consumers deploy it to treat skin problems such as dark circles under their eyes. In fact, it became so popular for that purpose that the brand even released a product line designed specifically for such skin problems.
But Chinese consumers aren't the only ones getting creative with TCM products; foreigners have also discovered alternative uses for these remedies.
"I have used the 'Chinese oil' since I was born. Usually I use it everywhere except in my eyes," Hai Nguyen, a 23-year-old Vietnamese-American, who has been living in America for eight years, told Metropolitan on Facebook. The "Chinese oil" that Nguyen mentioned is Feng You Jing, a Chinese essential balm, which is effective in alleviating pain and itch caused by mosquito bites.
"I use it right after I've been bitten by a mosquito, and the itch usually goes away about an hour after I put it on my skin," Nguyen said.
"Nearly all Vietnamese use it. We have 15 Chinese medicine stores in my hometown. My mom likes the essential balm very much. She bought it from our local Chinese medicine store and the price is reasonable."
Nguyen's mother is a fan of the balm's smell, which she says gives her a boost when she's tired. Nguyen, though, uses it for something else. He said that the balm can treat stomachaches as well. "Rub the essential balm on your stomach, and the stomachache usually goes away after 30 minutes," he said.
"I also have used it to treat headaches," he added. "I apply the balm on the side and in the middle between my eyebrows. I can feel it getting a little bit hot, but the headache goes away without me realizing it."
