Traditional gaofang preparation is just the tonic
Shanghai Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine began making gaofang, a seasonal herbal paste tonic on Saturday.
Saturday is lidong, which means the start of winter according to the Chinese calendar. It is the traditional time to start to prepare gaofang, which is taken by people in winter to enhance health.
In traditional Chinese medicine, gaofang is a herbal paste made of condensed liquid herbal medicines chock full of ingredients like honey and brown sugar. Each paste is tailor-made according to a doctor’s prescription.
While other hospitals buy mass-produced tonics from pharmaceutical companies, Yueyang is the only one to sustain a traditional measure by having a special plant with 100 bronze vessels to make the tonic.
The hospital writes over 20,000 prescriptions for gaofang each year.
“Yueyang launched its Gaofang Clinic over 40 years ago," said Dr Zhou Jia, president of Yueyang.
"Gaofang now is not only popular among elderly people but also young and middle-aged people, who have higher awareness of health protection and care to improve immunity and control sub-health status.
"Gaofang is not only part of TCM but also part of Chinese culture. To keep the plant to make gaofang is also to keep Chinese culture.”
Dr Zhou Jia (right), president of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, ignited the pots on Saturday.
Herbs and traditional medicine ingredients are put into different pots to make gaofang according to different prescriptions.
There are 100 bronze vessels in Yueyang.
