Cockroaches can cure asthma? We asked Chinese Sifus if these 5 weird M’sian remedies really work.

Malaysia is a rojak of cultures, where we mix and match in weird and wonderful ways to become something truly special. Especially in terms of food, though not completely Malaysian, we’ve produced some uniquely Malaysian dishes, borrowing inspiration from our neighbours and penjajahs alike. But as it turns out, we’ve also got some pretty unique stuff in the house remedy department!

Like THIS.

You might have tried, or at least heard of some of the strange things Malaysians do to get rid of their sickness. From using common food items such as hard boiled eggs, kichap and coca-cola, to eating gross stuff like cockroaches and earthworms. The creativity of it is economical, amazing and scary all at once.

From what we’ve managed to gather, there are some quite chun success stories like these:

But… do they really work? So, we picked some popular ones, and decided to find out for ourselves.

Seeking the masters of ancient remedies and medicine, CILISOS asked doctors from the International Medical University (IMU) Chinese Medicine department for their evaluation on each method,  and we compared it to our own Ciplak Cilisos Theory to see if these 5 weird Malaysian Chinese home remedies actually work.

 

1. Bathing babies with BEER will cure jaundice

Ciplak Cilisos Theory: Jaundice makes baby’s skin yellow, and beer makes people’s skin red. Hence: Yellow + Red = Orange, which is like normal skin colour… SO IT DOES WORK!

But what the doctors say: Both doctors we asked said there is no scientific basis in this method. In fact, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doesn’t even use beer in any of its remedies. So it seems like this method is purely a folk remedy.

“If it works, it may just be coincidence.” – Dr. Ng Shih Chau, in an interview with CILISOS

But it seems beer does have ONE health benefit though:

“Beer is just to clear heat.” – Dr. Wong Wei Bing, in an interview with CILISOS

Disclaimer: Cilisos will not be responsible for the increasing use of this excuse to drink.

You can do this instead: TCM approach to healthcare is quite different from western medicine. A simple sicknesses like cough and flu could have many different symptoms, and each gives TCM doctors different clues to the cause. Here’s a look at the types of coughs in TCM:

Quite standard right? Sometimes we also tend to notice if our cough got the sputum phlegm sticky stuff or not, or what colour it is. But the ways of TCM go deeper:

TCM doctors apply something called Ba Gang Bian Zheng when they diagnose patients, which categorise sicknesses in 4 categories, such as heat, dampness, interior, exterior, etc. The same is done with jaundice. According to Dr. Ng, they have to evaluate if the jaundice is of Yin or Yang nature. Once they’ve done that, they will give you the appropriate herbs to clear the heat and dampness (in case of Yang nature), or herbs to just clear dampness (in case of Yin nature).

Dr. Wong on the other hand adds that treating baby jaundice requires a more thorough and systematic approach, and done in a hospital setting, which is hard to find in Malaysia. He also advises:

“If parents want to go for Chinese medicine, please see a qualified practitioner for treatment, not those from herbal shops.” – Dr. Wong, in an interview with CILISOS

 

2. Pour KICAP on burn wounds

Ciplak Cilisos Theory: It’s liquid right? So it should be a bit cooling. But even if you don’t get treatment in time, at least it will be delicious la.

What the doctors say: TCM doesn’t use soy sauce in any of its treatments, and pouring soy sauce on the wound seems like A BAD IDEA. The thing with relieving burn wounds is to help release the heat trapped in the wound, and pouring soy sauce just doesn’t achieve that. In fact, it might even make it worse by causing an infection, feeding the bacteria around the wound.

You can do this instead: Actually, no need to consult the wisdom of the ancestors for this one la. You don’t really need to distinguish treating a burn wound into western or eastern approach. That’ll be like asking “How do TCM treat a cut?”.

Just use some off the counter balm or ointment, or Aloe Vera gel, and it should be fine. You can also follow these simple steps to relieve the pain and bandage the wound.

 

3. Drinking URINE will cure eczema and health

Ciplak Cilisos Theory:

ERRR…

What the doctors say: As far as eczema goes, TCM does not use urine as a treatment, as there are other more acceptable methods that will be discussed later. But apparently, urine is an ACTUAL medicine described in Ben Cao Gang Mu, a.k.a Compendium of Materia Medica, and it’s described as salty and non-poisonous.

Some of its uses are: relieving cold and heaty headache, curing cough (the voiceless kind), skin moisturiser, and decrease heatiness (Here’s your counter excuses to drinking beer. You’re welcomed.) Also mentioned is the best type urine: urine from boys aged around 12 (ಠ_ಠ).

You can do this instead: According to TCM, eczema is caused by “dampness pathogen“, so the treatment would focus on eliminating “dampness pathogen” from the body,

“If it is very itchy we believe there is wind pathogen as well, so we will prescribe herbs that nourishing blood and expelling wind.” – Dr.Ng, in an interview with CILISOS

Another focus to treat eczema would be strengthening the spleen, because what TCM ALSO have is its own classification of organs. Known as the Zang Fu, or Wu Zang Liu Fu, even though they share the same names as the western medicine organs we learned, the functions and connections are much more different than what we know.

Instead of focusing on individual organs, TCM prioritises the harmony between the Zangs and the Fus, as they are paired and function together to maintain the well being of the body. So when a person is sick, its rarely the problem of one organ by itself, but rather AN ENTIRE system of organs. This also means the Zhang Fus have a range of functions we would never read about in western medicine, e.g. the spleen metabolises water, which needs to be healthy to prevent eczema.

 

4. Drinking boiled coca-cola with ginger can cure cough/ flu

Ciplak Cilisos Theory: Dood, its coke. Coke cures everything, and ginger is just there to make it look healthier, or seasoning.

What the doctors say: This is actually a popular beverage in Hong Kong, but again, isn’t an actual TCM remedy. However, it might have some basis in relieving the symptoms of cough. Ginger is an herb/ medicine used in TCM to resolve phlegm, stop coughing, and to “dispel exterior coldness“. So if the cause of your cough or flu is due to coldness, drinking this would help!

As for the coca-cola, it’s probably there just for the sweetness, and the caffeine within the drink might also make us feel more alert when we’re sick.

What TCM does instead: “What the 福 (fu) is exterior coldness?”, you might have asked while reading about the gingers. Well remember the Ba Gang Bian Zheng? Determining if the sickness is in the interior or exterior is one of the categories that needs to be determined. SO, if your cough and/or flu is due to heatiness, or if the coldness isn’t in the exterior, eating ginger could even make it WORSE.

As Dr. Wong likes to stress:

“Seeing a qualified practitioner for treatment is the best way compare to any folk medicine.” – in an interview with CILISOS.

 

5. Eating all kinds of insects can cure asthma

Ciplak Cilisos Theory: No need to eat la, see the cockroach only the asthma will run away already.

What the doctors say: Well, guess what? Termites, cockroaches and earthworms are all medicine used in TCM. (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ There’s actually quite a lot to tell here, so let’s break it down:

Cockroach: Described as salty and cold in nature, it is used to direct the “Qi” downwards, which is actually good for asthma, but somehow it isn’t commonly used to treat it (probably because no one would ever want to use TCM after that ever again). It is also used for sore throats, tonsil inflammation, infant malnutrition, and to relieve toxicity.

There’s even instructions on how to prepare it for…lets say infant malnutrition, where you need to pluck out the head, legs and wings, then dry it, and finally mix it into normal meals.

 

Earthworms: Read as “earth dragons” in mandarin, it’s salty and cold in nature. It is used to “free” the vessels, allowing the “Qi” and blood to flow smoothly, hence, it actually helps breathing problems like asthma and dypsnea. It also clears heat and headaches, just boil in water and drink the… soup.

 

Termites: Sweet, salty and warm in nature. It is used as a general supplement to nourish and tonify deficiencies, but usually old people and/or those with chronic sickness take this to improve Qi and blood, and it is taken in powder form. However, it has nothing to do with curing asthma.

So there you have it, cockroaches and earthworms are good for asthma, and termites are a good supplement instead.

 

So… can you trust traditional medicine?

We would naturally be very careful about people advising us to drink pee and eat cockroaches. And we SHOULD because they are a lot of quacks and scams out there abusing the “traditional medicine” term, claiming to sell miracle cures or even restoring virginity.

Luckily for us, Malaysia Ministry of Health actually has a Traditional and Complementary Medicine Division, that requires TCM doctors and other traditional doctors to register with the gomen. Here’s a step by step guide to verify your practitioners. They even have divisions for Malay and Indian traditional medicine! And even something called Energy Medicine.

It’s not only Malaysia that has embraced the wisdom of old, even the National Health Service in the U.K. have listed remedies such as acupuncture and herbal medicines as alternative therapy. The point being, TCM has become an accepted field of science, no longer just based on the words of some old pak cik u go to see in a rundown shop. There are even university courses you can pick up if u yourself ever want to be a Sifu.

As to whether it works or not, it really depends on its effect on the individual. Even with western medicine, certain drugs can cause allergies in some people, while others are fine with using it. More common treatments like spa and foot massages aren’t really medicine-y as well, but many people still love to do it.

After all, even Madonna once revealed that she shee-shee on her own feet to prevent athlete’s foot. Just make sure you’re following the advice of legit professionals, and that it’s not some hocus pocus scam la.