The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 80

I now believe the same; at least most diseases do not occur without a reason. Currently, the prevention and treatment of malaria often uses herbs such as Changshan and Chaihu, which are quite effective if used promptly.

Xi Siming's views have changed imperceptibly. When it comes to disease, he no longer thinks it is purely a vague concept that comes from pathogenic factors. To some extent, he has accepted Xu Tian's philosophy of microbiology.

Xu Tian knew almost nothing about traditional Chinese medicine like Changshan Chaihu, but he happened to know some about the treatment of malaria.

A few years ago, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was related to this field, and the winner was a female scientist from China, which attracted special attention from the Chinese people.

During that period, the news was reporting and debating this every day; it was like boiling water, making it impossible not to know about it.

"Our predecessors in Wudang have also done some research on the treatment of malaria. It is said that the plant Artemisia argyi is very effective against this disease. If you can collect this plant, you might as well give it a try," he suggested.

“Qinggao,” Xi Siming pondered for a moment, “I seem to have seen a related prescription in a medical book before. I’ll go back and look for it again.”

"One thing to note is that the method of using artemisia to treat malaria is also very important. You must never boil or roast it. You must use fresh artemisia to squeeze out the juice. The more juice you use at once, the better. Drink it directly while it's cold."

Xu Tian reminded him that this was a key point in later news reports.

This is very important. It is said that heating will destroy the artemisinin contained in it, as mentioned in later articles.

As for why he doesn't eat the artemisia raw, he doesn't know. He had this question before, but he had never actively looked into the reason. After all, he is not a doctor and doesn't understand or care about this aspect.

"Yes, I remember. If it really works, it would be a great thing. We can keep some on hand and take it regularly for preventative purposes." Xi Siming always valued Xu Tian's opinions.

"You can prepare a little more and send some over to me as well."

"As for the waterborne disease you mentioned, I've thought of something too. There's a small worm that lives in the water in the wild called a schistosome, which is a parasite. If it invades the human body, the symptoms are very similar to what you described," Xu Tian continued.

Schistosomiasis is rare in modern times. He had never heard of anyone around him who had contracted the disease, and it was rarely seen in the news. However, he knew that schistosomiasis had once been rampant and devastating in history.

I remember reading in an article that schistosomiasis is very common in the Yangtze River basin and seriously affects people's lives and lifespan.

In the years following liberation, under the strong organization of the government, the provinces along the Yangtze River once carried out a massive cleanup campaign specifically targeting schistosomiasis.

Oh, I seem to remember it wrong. It wasn't directly targeting the schistosome, but rather its main host, a common snail found near water—the Oncomelania hupensis—and the aim was to eradicate all of these snails.

It's impossible to completely eradicate all of these small, widely distributed snails, but the results confirm that schistosomiasis has indeed decreased.

"Schistosomes, so it really is the work of the water worm. This worm sucks blood, is it a leech?" Xi Siming asked doubtfully.

"This worm is not a leech; it's much smaller. As for whether blood flukes suck blood, I'm not sure. I guess this kind of worm can probably burrow into a person's blood vessels through their skin."