You know how you hear that đậu xanh (some kinda tiny green pea/bean) is mát (cool) and eating to many mandarin oranges are gonna make you nóng (hotter) inside?

I have this hyper-sense to that kinda stuff and can tell right away - do you?

Like if you are having a flu and your internal tempurature rises, take đậu xanh drink and it flushes the heat out - kinda cool, I'm sure there are chemical explanations but I'm too lazy to look em up. Just know it works.

I prefer medicine! and drugs

I hope that's sarcasm. I'm the opposite, I prefer natural remidies. Western medicine isn't bad per say, but a lot of side effects, and money has control of the trade, so research is really stunted with capitalist aims.

The fact is that traditional remidies of VN are very effective. Westerm medicine praises itself because of the scientific tests and results. In VN and more so the past, medicine doesn't have the same conditions economically to go through the testing but that's OK with me. The medicine in VN is passed down through generations so the collective experience is deep, and modern science today is only beginning to peak into the traditions of other countries and natural fixes. Natural is by far safer because it's "natural".

Take ginger for example. In VN ginger is known as a root to "chống gió". I read an article last year in Time Magazine saying that scientists are still trying to unlock the secrets of ginger, because so far they have identified atleast 12 anti-viral compounds in ginger.

Also take "cạo gió" and "giác hơi" (I love giác hơi). To the western mind it seems rediculous, but under closer examination, giác hơi is very effective. By re-opening the pores on your skin and applying intense bursts of heat (either through cạo gió, or giác hơi) with the addition of concentrated menthol (dầu xanh), your muscles get soothed and also get the benefits that come with menthol. The heat comes in bursts as to momentarily open your pores, rub in menthol, then naturally contract to hold it in. Also the "bruising" that comes with cạo gió is a way to effectively rupture superficial muscles cells to a minor degree. This in turn created a reaction that calls upon white blood cells or other components of the immune system to focus on that area. Of course I never knew this until I learnt about Viet culture at the Pagoda, but it is totally cool that we have these traditions. Our people tend to not have enough time (cause they overwork) to explain these traditions to the younger generations and live more in the present moment: apply the remedy and continue with life.

Anyways - I hate using Tylenol for headaches, fresh air and realxing meditation or rest does the job without putting chemicals in your body.

To me, western and eastern medicine work nicely together - though I prefer natural stuff more.