Yunnan Pay Yao Restrictions Continued

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone:

 

Thank you for all the comments on Yunnan Pai Yao. It makes me

nervous that there are secret ingredients and as you say, if things

ever went to court, one would look pretty stupid. I've decided not

to carry it anymore. But still, does anyone know why they have

listed cautions not to use within 24 hours of ingesting fish, broad

beans, sour or cold foods?

 

Thanks,

Diane

[Guest guest]

Diane,

 

With out the label, which as discussed

omits some of the ingredients, it's not

going to be possible to answer the question

you pose in detail. But the principles

involved relate to the combination of

drugs (herbs) and foods of the various

flavors, temperatures, etc.

 

A lot of these precautions are based on

folk medicine. I am always a little surprised

even after years in China when I'm eating

at someone's home and they caution me not

to eat the pickled radish with the ginseng chicken,

for example.

 

It's quite usual when getting either formulas

for decoction or patent medicines in China

that the dispensing pharmacist will provide

adivce and warnings about combinations of

the medicine with various foods.

 

If you had a complete ingredients list you

could perhaps map out the incompatibilities using

the standard lists of combinations to be

avoided. Although I suspect that in this case

there is a fair helping of folk knowledge

that may have no other rationale other than

" that's the way we do it. "

 

It's really quite interesting, however,

how much such knowledge is in the common

possession of Chinese, many of whom boast

no special knowledge of herbal medicine.

 

Ken

 

, diane@s... wrote:

> Hi Everyone:

>

> Thank you for all the comments on Yunnan Pai Yao. It makes me

> nervous that there are secret ingredients and as you say, if things

> ever went to court, one would look pretty stupid. I've decided not

> to carry it anymore. But still, does anyone know why they have

> listed cautions not to use within 24 hours of ingesting fish, broad

> beans, sour or cold foods?

>

> Thanks,

> Diane