Mao's Revenge & The Cure !!

[mr.stinky]

so does this go under 'food' or 'living in china?'

having had by far the worst case of 'bumbly tummy' that i've had in years, and suffering

from nearly a week of efp's, i finally found something in the local pharmacy that works.

fast. like in under 12 hours.

happy happy joy joy !!

[Laska]

Yansuan xiaobo pian, commonly known as huanglian su (黄连素 I believe), is a godsend for diarrhea. It's available all over China in many forms and is very cheap. The active ingredient is berberine hydrochloride, which is a chemical isolated from Chinese traditional medicine. It's also one of the main active ingredients in goldenseal, for people who know that and, and in grapefruit seed extract.

Amazing stuff. It's not bioactive--doesn't get into your bloodstream--and it kills any bugs in your gut, even the toughest, within three days. Usually you'll be feeling pretty much better in 24 hours.

If you're really sick, you should also take loperamide, which will stop the symptoms and allow you to stay hydrated. That's probably what the other medicine in the picture is, right Mr. Stinky? In Shanghai the main brand of loperamide is called "nimeng ting." Actually, most doctors would probably tell you to take loperamide even if you're not very sick. It's rare I believe to have a form of diarrhea where there is any point in "rinsing out your system."

I'm glad Mr. Stinky posted this. If I had known about this medicine four years ago, I would have saved myself a lot of pain. But luckily after a year or two in China, my system has adapted and I know have an iron gut... or maybe it's because I cook most of my own food now.

Stay healthy everyone!