(Ecns.cn)--Despite the downfall of the once unbelievably popular doctor Zhang Wuben, who prescribed beans and eggplant as cure-alls, another online collection of folk nostrums for almost all diseases has recently stormed the country's internet. Without a doubt, it once more highlights the enthusiasm of many people for food therapies that are rooted in Chinese medical traditions.
Like many other best-selling diet books, the 10,000-word-long online post encourages people to take care of themselves on a daily basis when dealing with diseases, rather than turning to a doctor. It echoes Zhang Wuben, the "diet guru" who claimed: "The best doctor is yourself. The best hospital is the kitchen. The best medicine is food. The best curative effect can be achieved by persistence in food therapy."
Slightly different is that the so-called folk medicine report appears much more ambitious.
Sensational cure-alls
The online post, "A review of world famous exclusive prescriptions made by an old Chinese Medicine master," made guarantees that it was capable of solving almost all health troubles. For example, it recommended a bowl of cooked pumpkin, a bit of lard oil, and salt as a cure for constipation. "Put a ginger slice into your mouth. Then you don't have to worry about carsickness," said the post.
The self-proclaimed "report" drew quite a lot of attention with its sensational title and self-declared cure-alls, becoming extremely popular in its debut, said the Yangtze Evening News on Monday.
Aimed at becoming a "nostrum bible," the review encapsulated a wide range of internal medicine, chirurgery, pediatrics, as well as andriatrics with more than a hundred "exclusive" nostrums. Thus, it styled itself as "an indispensable handbook for every household in China and valuable references for licensed doctors."
Adding to the attractiveness is the food therapy loaded in this review. "Pumpkins can help to kill roundworms dwelling inside the body; willow leaf tea is a diuretic; hot Chinese chive juice rubbed on the neck will cure a stiff neck," says the review.
