Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

As autumn draws to a close, winter is approaching.

The palace was covered with heavy curtains, and the work of the Imperial Hospital gradually shifted from emergency cases to conditioning and prevention.

Every winter, many people in the palace fall ill due to the cold weather, especially the emperor and his concubines, who need to take extra care of their health.

Early that morning, the Imperial Hospital became busy.

"Miss Yang, come and take a look! Is it time for our 'Winter Health Class' to begin?" Zhu Yuan was holding a thick list of medicinal herbs in one hand and a brush in the other, and was busy checking the list.

I walked over, took a look at the list in his hand, and couldn't help laughing. "Zhu Yuan, it's only the beginning of winter, why are you in such a hurry? But it's time. Winter tonics and health preservation really need to be put on the agenda, otherwise when everyone gets sick, we really won't be able to handle it."

Zhu Yuan's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Then how about we give everyone a 'Winter Health Lecture' first? Look, our Imperial Hospital has been quite popular lately! How about we also come up with a 'Winter Nourishing Recipe'? Wasn't your 'Imperial Hospital New Recipe' quite a success last time?"

I pursed my lips and smiled, secretly sighing that this guy was good at going with the flow. "You are quite thoughtful, but the emperor hasn't fully recovered yet, so we still have to wait and see how things develop. Besides, not everyone likes to listen to health lectures."

Zhu Yuan chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Miss Yang, as long as you can explain it in a simple and easy-to-understand way, I guarantee everyone will like it!"

Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuan’s proposal really became a big deal.

When I proposed the idea of ​​"Winter Health Class" to several senior imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau, they unexpectedly all agreed.

"Miss Yang is right. This winter is very cold, and many people in the palace are afraid of the cold. It is indeed time to take care of themselves in advance."

One of the old imperial doctors stroked his beard and said, "Especially the Emperor and the Empress. They haven't been in good health recently. We must be extra careful."

Another imperial physician nodded in support, "Yes, especially the Empress. She's been having nightmares lately and is weak, especially in winter when it comes to catching cold."

Therefore, the Imperial Hospital decided to hold a unique "Winter Health Class" to explain to the concubines in the harem and some palace maids and eunuchs how to take care of their bodies in the cold winter.

After all, nourishing the body in winter is of utmost importance, especially in this era when everyone pays attention to "winter storage" and wants to store up energy and vitality in winter.

A few days later, the winter health care class was held as scheduled in the courtyard in front of the Imperial Hospital.

I stood in the middle of the courtyard, looking at a group of concubines and palace maids wearing thick cotton clothes, and I couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

Although it was a small-scale lecture, he was still facing many masters in the palace, so any mistake would be bad.

"Miss Yang, don't be nervous, everyone is waiting." Zhu Yuan was standing next to me. Seeing that I was a little dazed, he quickly gave me an encouraging look.

I smiled, took a deep breath, and tried to look calm.

"Ladies and sisters, we are gathered here today mainly to talk to you about how to take care of your body in winter."

I started off lightheartedly, trying to use easy-to-understand language. "Winter is cold, and people tend to have cold hands and feet, and feel weak and tired. So we need to take good supplements. However, there are some things to consider when taking supplements. It depends on each person's constitution, and we can't just blindly take supplements."

The concubines in the audience nodded one after another. Some of the older concubines obviously resonated with these words. Even the queen nodded slightly to show her agreement.

"For example, red dates and longans, these warm ingredients can help replenish qi and blood, and are suitable for people with cold body; while mutton soup is a good tonic in winter, but you can't eat too much, as it can easily cause getting angry." I said while observing everyone's reactions.

The Queen suddenly spoke up, "Miss Yang, tell me, my hands and feet have been feeling cold lately. Should I eat more red dates and longans?"

I smiled slightly: "My Lady, you are right, but in addition to diet therapy, you can also soak your hands and feet more often to promote blood circulation, and then combine it with herbal conditioning, and you will feel much better."

The queen nodded, and the other concubines began to discuss in low voices, obviously very interested in these health tips.

Just as everyone was listening with great interest, a low cough suddenly came from the crowd.

I looked in the direction of the voice and found it was Concubine De. Her face seemed a little pale, she was covering her mouth lightly, and she looked a little tired.

"Empress Defei, are you feeling unwell?" I walked over and asked with concern.

De Fei forced a smile and said, "Miss Yang, the weather has been cold recently. I always feel chest tightness and sometimes cough. I even felt a little dizzy last night."

I frowned and gently felt her pulse. Sure enough, her pulse was weak, obviously caused by internal deficiency and external coldness due to cold body.

"Your Majesty, you have caught a cold. I'm afraid you didn't pay attention to keeping warm, which caused the cold to enter your body. I will prescribe you a prescription to regulate your qi and blood, and combine it with some warm food therapy, which should be able to relieve the symptoms." As I said, I took out the small notebook I carried with me and quickly wrote down the prescription.

De Fei took the prescription with gratitude: "Thank you, Miss Yang, you are indeed the most thoughtful."

As the course was coming to an end, I decided to show you another special health-preserving method - foot soaking.

"Soaking your feet in hot water in winter can not only dispel the cold but also promote sleep. Especially when adding some Chinese medicinal herbs, such as mugwort and ginger, the effect is better." I explained while demonstrating.

Zhu Yuan nodded as he watched from the side: "Miss Yang, your method is quite novel. Foot soaking can also be beneficial to health!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "You just knew this? Foot soaking is a good method I've learned since I was a child... uh, I learned it from medical books. It's especially suitable for winter."

The Queen also asked with great interest, "Miss Yang, can we do this foot soak every day?"

I nodded. "Yes, Madam. As long as the water temperature is moderate and not too hot, soaking for about twenty minutes is enough. After soaking, it is best to massage the soles of your feet to better promote blood circulation."

The queen was obviously very interested in this, and the other concubines also expressed their desire to go back and try it.

The winter health class ended in a relaxed and happy atmosphere.

Everyone said they benefited a lot, even the concubines who usually didn't care much about health care became interested in the little methods I mentioned.

Zhu Yuan was even more proud: "Miss Yang, I told you, everyone will love your class. Look, even Concubine De said she wants to learn how to soak her feet!"

I smiled and patted his shoulder. "You're really good at complimenting people, but these methods aren't complicated. The key is that we have to persevere."

Zhu Yuan curled his lips and said, "Persistence is of course important. However, I think that our Imperial Hospital can also hold a 'Four Seasons Health Lecture Hall' in the future, rotating through spring, summer, autumn and winter!"

I glared at him and said, "You're quite good at assigning tasks to me."

After a few days, the effects of the health-preserving class gradually became apparent.

The empress and concubines began to follow my advice, adding warm ingredients to their diet, and foot soaking became a daily routine. Even some palace maids and eunuchs began soaking their feet to ward off the cold.

The atmosphere in the palace also became much more relaxed as everyone's health gradually improved.

Not only that, even the emperor heard about my "winter health class" and specially summoned me to the palace to ask for some advice on how to regulate my body.

"Miss Yang, I feel pretty good recently. Do you think I should eat more supplements this winter?" the emperor asked with a smile.

I quickly replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, of course you can take supplements, but in moderation, especially nourishing foods like ginseng and deer antlers. Eating too much can easily cause internal heat. I suggest you stick to light foods and combine them with some warming ingredients for the best results."

The emperor nodded in approval: "I will listen to you. It seems that we need to have a method to maintain our health during winter."

As the winter days slowly passed, the work of the Imperial Hospital gradually got back on track.

Seeing that everyone was in good health, I felt relieved.

Although the work is busy in winter, it is a sense of accomplishment to be able to help the people in the palace get through the cold winter safely.

However, as winter comes to an end, I have a vague feeling that the turmoil in the palace does not seem to have completely subsided... When spring comes, will there be new troubles?