Thuoc Bac aka Bile
08.24.2011 Eastern medicine works. No knock against Western meds, clearly they pay our bills, but acupuncture and herbal remedies have kept a billion+ people alive for thousands of years. Something must be happening correctly.
Before Emmy, we had 2 miscarriages. You know how they tell you to wait until you're out of the first trimester to tell friends and family? We learned that lesson the hard way, because it really sucks to tell everyone the pregnancy test was positive! Only to tell them a week later that you're not pregnant anymore. Yeah.
Before Frank, we had another miscarriage. When I say I have a hostile womb, I mean it. Only the strong survive and apparently only Emmy was Darwin enough to make it through out of four pregnancies. She better become Somebody.
One of our close couple friends had been through a similar experience. They had a girl, but suffered a miscarriage afterward. So they went to this Vietnamese herbalist in San Jose, recommended to them by a couple of other women who had gotten pregnant after seeing her.
So one morning, we walked into her little office, and if you've ever been to an apothecary in Chinatown you know what the Rock is cooking. It had the unmistakable smell of herbs and medicines, the customary good luck fish tank, and two chairs in the waiting room.
I filled out a lengthy questionnaire, with an inordinate number of questions about my menstrual flow, sleeping habits, stress levels, and how I would rate my health in a number of areas. And a few more questions about my menstrual flow for good measure.
Then our herbalist took me inside her office, looked over the questionnaire, looked at my tongue, and asked me a few more questions about my menstrual flow.
15 minutes later we were back in the lobby waiting for these.
9 paper wrapped packages of medicine that I was to brew and drink every night for 27 nights.
Recognize anything in there?
Maybe a closer look will help you identify the bark and berries and twigs and white chalky tubes.
No? I think some of this stuff has fallen out of Emmy's shoes after a day at the playground. And the brown cubes look suspiciously like these dehydrated liver treats we used to give Romeo before he became allergic to everything, including his own tail.
Each package was supposed to be brewed with 9 cups of water, until it reduced down to 3 cups worth, so every 3 days, we had to make a new batch.
Lucky for us and for White Grandparents, we happened to be visiting the very first weekend of the very first batch. Let's just say the smell in White Grandma's kitchen was OFF DA HOOK. She loves me very very much. And I owe her a new measuring cup because the smell of thuoc bac (herbal medicine) does not leave anything it touches. It permeates. Like me.
I tried to convince The Good Doctor that he was actually supposed to drink it, not me, but he was not buying it. This is as close as his lips ever came to the thuoc bac.
Imagine drinking dark brown bitter sour bile. Warm. For every 2 chugs I took, one came back up, and had to be re-swallowed. But I drank it all, every last drop, for 27 days.
And now, Frank! Or maybe Francesca. Something in this brew did something for my uterus and if we have a boy, the herbalist's record is like 4 for 4 pregnancies that resulted in pork and beans. Hurray for brewed bile!
Reader Comments (16)
it must be an asian thing...we koreans have that same brew for the same affliction.
Definitely an Asian thing. We like the stinky stuff.
Congrats Vicky to the new addition! Can you tell me where this herbalist is located; I want to recommend this to my sister-in-law who have suffered several miscarriages already.
Through the humor, you are definitely right on about Asian medicine. That is why I chose a female Chinese Dr for my PCP. Although she was educated in America, I figured that I would get the best of both worlds, and also, I chose a female Asian Dr because I also figured that if I was going to ever get a prostate exam, that I would rather have a tiny little Asian finger stuck up there, rather than some middle aged white guy with thick fingers! The first time I was scheduled for a physical, I went there, superbly clean from head to toe, and fully prepared for "the exam". She came to the end, and I asked about the prostate exam? She said that they just do a PSA test now, which greatly reduces the need for a "hands on" exam. So all my preparation was for nothing, but still, I am really happy with my nice female Asian Dr!
Whatever it takes, girl! I had to drink a very similar mixture when I saw an acupuncturist/herbalist for my migraines. It tastes as nasty as it smells. I am so proud of you for sticking with it! OXOX
Glad you dont have to drink that stuff anymore... BTW - if you are still feeling sick, I did do accupuncture and it gave a TINY bit of releif for my sickness - but, well you know my story, it wasn't much - but might be worth a try if you are still puking.
Jen: Her name is Lannie and her number is 408 275 6000. She's in San Jose and I would say it's definitely worth a try. Best wishes.
Auntie J and Sarah: I'm definitely feeling better. But not out of the woods exactly.
Oh my... I skip reading your blog for a few weeks and miss the best headlines. I'm swooning over the mere idea of Frank. We are sending healthy thoughts your way. And if drinking tea made from tampon cardboard applicators does the trick, you go, girl! I send you all my love...
NFGM: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. So THAT'S what those things were!
I thought that white chalk thing was a cigarette butt.
not sure why you called your brew "bile". It's really like a really bitter brew of herbs / tea. It's so concentrated, I used to dilute just a bit with purified water & add some melted rock sugar to make it more palatable. Any idea it won't work the same if we thin it back out & drank it all anyway?
Hey, if your husband hasn't told you this but miscarriages in the 1st week is due to low progesterone and in the 1st trimester for healthy women who have many miscarriages are due to chromosomal abnormalities (most common Robertsonian translocations). This is nature's way of protecting and selection, I guess.
How much did the whole batch cost you? My cousin had a miscarriage and has been trying to get pregnant for several years now. I think she'll try anything at this point.
BTW, just discovered your blog and love it.
Wandering Chopsticks: 90 bucks. Totally worth it. Included the entire visit. BTW I love your name. Give Lannie a call at 408 275 6000. I'm not affiliated with her or anything but the medicine worked for us. Good luck to your cousin.
OMG! If you google "thuoc bac" this post has made it onto the 1st page of google's organic search results. Good job!
Seriously? Awesome!