GM food in Canton

just read from news paper, 70%  papayas grow in Canton region are GM. authority said  fruit is not easy to be label, so these papaya would not required to be label as GM food. when you are buying papaya in Guangzhou, be careful about that.  

Chinese medicine

two weeks ago, my grandma broke her spine and was sent to the hospital. she is 80, and has Rheumatoid Arthritis, 2 years ago, she was given some pills by doctors to release the pain of her bone. some of the pills are steroid, after 2 years taken, which caused her osteoporosis, so now her bones are very fragile and easy to be broken. we took her to the chinese medical hospital this time. According to the doctor, Chronic diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis, are better to use chinese medical therapy. modern western medicine are good at dealing with emergency situation, while for chronic, western drugs usually  cause some side effects when taken for a long time. 

SARS was a very horrible disease, which  happen in 2003 in the whole china and hk. in HK and Beijing many healed  SARS patients have sequela of Avascular Necorsis while in Guangzhou no Avascular Necorsis cases was found, as doctors here use both western mix chinese medical therapy. 

Compare with the north, Cantonese are more conservative, when getting sick, many people still like use traditional chinese medicine. so there are many chinese medical hospitals in Guangzhou, the 1st hospital of the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine  is the best in south China. 

Address: 16 Jichang Rd, Baiyun, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

for illnese of bones, the Foshan hospital of chinese medicine is the best chinese medical therapy of bones in southeast asia.

Address: 6 Qinren Rd, Chancheng, Foshan, Guangdong, China 

Chronic and Sub-health are better to go to see a traditional Chinese physician, as chinese medicine is more moderate and considerate.  Chinese medicine has a history of 2000 years, it has more clinical experiences than the modern western drugs which results are usually tests on white mouse, so it is relatively safe, I think. 

if feeling a small problem or a bit of under the weather, many cantonese will go directly to a herbal tea shop to buy a cup of herbal tea first before going to a doctor. 

you can find many herbal tea shops on the street in Guangzhou. there are varieties of herbal teas to solve different problems. 

here are some common herbal tea menu

龟苓膏-Turtle jelly, main ingredients: Turtle, Smilax glabra. use for: Acne, Eczema, Mouth ulcers ... some skin related problems. 

廿四味- 24 herbs, contains 24 main ingredients, but different stores have its own secret 

recipes. this herbal tea tastes very ugly! extremely bitter, but very effective when you were 

on the beginning of your cold. 

五花茶 - five flowers tea, main ingredients:  Lonicera japonica, 

Chrysanthemum,Sophora japonica L,Kapok flower,Plumeria. use for: Diuretic, Heatstroke, and  Eczema.

火麻仁 - Hempseed shake. main ingredients: Hempseed. it looks and taste like milk shake. use for: Constipation, and make hair more shining. 

茅根竹蔗水 -  Imperata cylindrica root and Chinese sugar cane drink.  use for: Heatstroke, in dry season you feel dehydrated. 

罗汉果茶 - siraitia grosvenorii tea. use for :Cough and phlegm, and deal with dehydrated and good for liver.

酸梅汤 - sour Chinese plum soup. use for: Refreshing, Loss of appetite, Heatstroke, Indigestion

we usually call these herbal tea 凉茶 (cool tea), which means they are served to  against the  uncomfortable feelings caused by the humid weather. the Canton province only have 2 months winter in a year.  the effect of herbal teas are very modest, if you was just passing by a herbal tea shop, in the summer, i suggest you try a  cup of sour Chinese plum soup, that is the entry-level. if you really feel sick, must go for a doctor. 

herbal tea shop