In researching this article, many of the things I came across sounded like some sort of crazy Chinese voodoo, but I think it's more of a problem of bad translation and marketing. When you have things called Nine Taste God Pills or Relax Liver Pills, I know it's hard to take these things seriously. Yet, there is plenty of medicine for everyday ailments that have worked in China for many years. Headaches, stomach problems, and even hangovers have TCM cures that many in Western countries have never heard of before. So, even if you don't have access to a Western pharmacy in China, you still have several options to fix your everyday ailments.

Note: I am NOT a doctor. Please use your best judgment when trying out these (or other) TCM treatments. And of course, if you have any allergies or previous medical issues, consult a medical professional beforehand. Also, all of these remedies, except for the soup I recommend for hangovers, are vegetarian and vegan friendly as they are only comprised of various herbs and seeds, but again, you'll want to double check before taking any of these recommendations.

1) Ailment: Headache. Cure: Zheng Tian Wan (正天丸)
These little black balls are quite useful at alleviating all sorts of headache-related ailments. It's a collection of 15 different herbs including white Peony (白芍), Chinese foxglove (中国毛地黄), white and yellow Angelica (白黄当归), peach kernel (桃仁), and safflower (红花), among others. The most common way to ingest this medicine is to dissolve the black balls in a cup of your favorite boiled beverage. Alternatively, you can just take the medicine straight and wash it down with a glass of water if you don't want to go through all that trouble. Zheng Tian Wan is great for relieving headaches and you can get it at any pharmacy without a prescription.

You are supposed to take this medicine three times a day for 15 days, but that seems a little drastic. I personally treat the medicine like it was Tylenol or Advil, and only use them whenever I have a headache. Zheng Tian Wan has been the subject of many tests and clinical studies and thus far has been shown to be the cause of no long-term health issues. In one study, rats that were given huge doses (25g/kg) of the medicine daily for a whole week ended up dying, which isn't exactly conclusive data, given the fact that force-feeding, when taken to extremes, will kill just about anyone. If your headache is so severe you're contemplating painting M&M signs on the little black balls, you're probably better off just going to the hospital anyways.

2) Ailment: Hangover. Cure: Zhi Ju Zi (枳椇子); rasin tree seed soup
While there have always been many superstitious remedies for curing the dreaded hangover, Zhi Ju Zi has been gaining traction in Western research labs for its efficacy. Researchers who have been testing the compound on rats (presumably the Zheng Tian Wan survivors, and newly alcoholics) have found that taking the medicine before consuming alcohol had a measurable lessening effect on hangovers. In fact, not only did Zhi Ju Zi mitigate hangovers, there is evidence suggesting that it even reduces the craving for booze. There are several medicines that contain the Zhi Ju Zi, so write down the characters on a piece of paper and bring it with you to the pharmacy to look at your many options.

And if you're feeling really adventurous, you can make a soup from the seeds of the raisin tree. Combine 30 grams of the seeds of Hovenia, 100 grams of sugar cane (甘蔗), 150 grams of pig's heart (猪心), and 100 grams of pig lungs (猪肺). Toss all that into a soup, let it simmer (while optionally intoning sinister voodoo chants), and you'll be good to go out and drink yourself silly without the ramifications of a raucous hangover waiting for you the next day.

3) Ailment: Insomnia. Cure: Nine Taste God Capsule (九味神安胶囊)
While Chinese pharmacies do have access to a great number of sleeping pills (An Mian Yao - 安眠药) that are available in the West, such as Diazepam (also known as Valium or Di Xi Pan - 地西泮) and Zopiclone (also known as Imovane, Zimovane - Yi Meng Fan Deng - 依梦返等), there are a great number of Chinese herbal remedies that have shown some effectiveness in dealing with insomnia as well. One of the more popular TCM treatments is the Nine Taste God Capsule (九味神安胶囊). The capsule is comprised of—you guessed it—nine different kinds of herbs, but is mainly Jujube kernels (红枣仁) and lily flowers (百合).

In addition to improving your ability to sleep, the Nine Taste God Capsule can also relieve headaches and dizziness, making it a useful treatment for all of your minor illness needs. Also, it is recommended to take the capsule with Vitamin B1 and B6 tablets to help amplify the beneficial effects. Although there hasn't been much Western research on the sleep-aid properties of the Nine Taste God Capsule, the Jujube fruit, in particular, is rich in all important antioxidants. Also, according to a study conducted by a team of Iranian researchers in 2008, there is evidence to suggest that the Jujube extract may have very important cancer fighting properties.

Note: pregnant women are discouraged from taking this medicine.

4) Ailment: Indigestion. Cure: Shu Gan Wan (舒肝丸)
Living in China can be hard on a stomach that has yet to acclimatize to certain kinds of Chinese food. Even if you've been in China for a while, there are always the looming threats of gutter oil or under cooked street food to give you digestion problems. So, naturally, there is a Chinese remedy to mitigate the various gastronomical effects that you might encounter in China. The most commonly used one in Shu Gan Wan (literally Relax Liver Pills). It is purported to regulate the amount of acid in your stomach and promote the secretion of gastric mucus and, in doing so, cure everything from indigestion to bloating to ulcers. This medicine has been the subject of scientific scrutiny at Xi'an's Jiaotong University and has been shown to help alleviate stomach ulcers in mice.

Note: pregnant women and children should avoid this medicine, and you should not consume ginseng (参参) while taking Shu Gan Wan. So, as with everything on this list, make sure talk to your doctor, or at least WebMD, before you start taking Shu Gan Wan.

5) Ailment: Infertility. Cure: Acupuncture (针刺)
This one has a sordid history. China has a huge problem with poaching tigers and other endangered species for parts of their bodies that supposedly hold great virility powers. So, if you're not particularly interested in killing off rare animals, there are other options that will help you in the bedroom. This cure is distinct on the list in that it doesn't require you to ingest anything, only sticking tiny needles in your body.

Recently, Tel Aviv University published a study in the Journal of Integrative Medicine, claiming that using acupuncture in conjunction with intrauterine insemination (IUI) produced a marked increase in the success rate of fertilization—a 26.1% increase in the conceiving success rate between the test group that used both IUI and acupuncture and the control group who only used IUI. Interestingly, the test group actually had an older average age (39.4) than the control group (37.1), which goes against the commonly accepted notion that it's more difficult for older women to conceive. While this is a fairly new study and it is currently going through the rigors of peer review, it does bring up some very interesting questions about the efficacy of acupuncture and its impact on the body. 

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Keywords: Traditional Chinese Medicine cures treat common ailments in China common health problems in China Chinese medicinal cures Chinese health treatments