Chapter 653: Folktale

Chapter 653: Chapter 653: Folktale

Ancient Chinese medicine has many prescriptions related to teeth, but most of them focus on "tooth firming."

The most famous is without a doubt the "Tooth Firming Secret Recipe" recorded in the *Selected Medical Prescriptions of Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu*.

It consists of eleven medicinal ingredients: raw Da Huang, prepared Da Huang, raw gypsum, calcined gypsum, Gusuibu, Du Zhong, blue-green salt, table salt, alum, burnt alum, and Danggui root.

This formula is quite ingenious, based on the Zang-xiang theory of traditional Chinese medicine, which states: "Teeth are the surplus of the kidneys, while the gums are a network of the stomach."

Gusuibu and Du Zhong nourish the kidneys and replenish essence, reinforcing the teeth’s foundation. Raw and prepared Da Huang and gypsum clear stomach heat and purge fire, reducing inflammation in the gums. Additionally, blue-green salt and alum kill parasites and detoxify, while Danggui invigorates the blood and dispels stasis.

It treats both the symptoms and the root cause, and its effect on loose teeth from kidney deficiency and toothaches from stomach fire is absolutely fantastic.

But...

That was still just "tooth firming"—making loose teeth stable again. It absolutely did not make teeth that had already fallen out grow back.

And yet today, the system’s intelligence had actually provided a formula for "tooth growth."

This wasn’t just a breakthrough; it was revolutionary.

Li Xu’s gaze was locked on the three core ingredients: Zicao, Gusuibu, and Ginseng.

Especially the first one—Zicao.

"Zicao..."

Li Xu murmured to himself, his brow furrowed.

Zicao.

In traditional Chinese medicine, it is a legendary herb whose main effects are to clear heat and cool the blood, invigorate blood circulation, detoxify, and promote the expression of rashes.

There was a tragically beautiful legend circulating among the common folk about its origin.

Legend has it that long ago, in a remote town, there lived a loving couple.

One day, the wife suddenly developed a high fever that wouldn’t break. She fell into a deep slumber and couldn’t be woken, and large, purplish-black rashes appeared on her body.

The husband consulted every doctor he could find and exhausted all possible medicines, but his wife’s condition showed no signs of improvement.

Frantic with worry, the husband knelt before the Buddha every day, praying so piously that his knees began to bleed.

Finally, his sincerity moved the Buddha.

One day, in a trance, he heard the Buddha ask, "Are you willing to give your own life to save her?"

The husband agreed without the slightest hesitation.

The Buddha instructed him, "There is a plant here. You must water it with your own blood every day. When it blooms, dig up its purple root, brew it into a soup for your wife to drink, and she will be cured."

The husband was overjoyed. Every day, he cut his wrist and used his blood to water the plant.

The seasons passed. In the height of summer, the plant finally bloomed with small purple flowers.

The husband excitedly dug up the purple root and brewed a soup, which he fed to his wife.

His wife awoke, her illness cured.

But the husband, due to excessive blood loss, closed his eyes forever with a blissful smile on his face.

Because the plant was nourished with blood and its flowers and root were both purple, people called it "Zicao," the Purple Herb.

The *Compendium of Materia Medica* also records: Zicao is sweet, salty, and cold in nature, and it enters the Heart and Liver meridians.

It is primarily used to treat conditions such as intense heat toxin in the blood, purplish-black rashes, and incompletely expressed measles.

But...

’What does this have to do with teeth?’

’How can an herb that clears heat and cools the blood make teeth regenerate?’

Li Xu couldn’t wrap his head around it.

’This completely contradicts traditional Chinese dentistry theory!’

After washing up, he skipped breakfast and immediately began poring over a large volume of modern medical literature and pharmacological research reports.

And his search actually turned up a few leads.

It turned out that in the field of cutting-edge modern medical research, Zicao was actually one of the herbs most widely recognized for its close association with oral tissue regeneration.

Its core active component—shikonin and its derivatives (like acetylshikonin)—demonstrated astonishing potential at the microscopic level.

First, it can promote the regeneration of periodontal soft and hard tissues.

For teeth to regenerate, they first need healthy "soil," which is to say, a healthy periodontal environment.

Studies have shown that shikonin can effectively inhibit common periodontal pathogens like *Porphyromonas gingivalis*, reducing inflammatory damage.

More importantly, it can promote the proliferation of periodontal ligament stem cells.

Periodontal ligament stem cells are the "star players" in periodontal tissue repair. They can differentiate to form key support structures like the alveolar bone and Periodontal Ligament, creating the perfect incubator for activating the tooth germ.

Second, it possesses powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

After a tooth is lost or damaged, chronic inflammation in the oral cavity often inhibits tissue regeneration and repair.

Shikonin, however, can inhibit the secretion of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukins and tumor necrosis factor, reducing edema and damage. It’s like a protective umbrella for a regenerating sprout.

Furthermore, it has the advantage of low toxicity.

As a natural extract, shikonin has extremely low cytotoxicity, making it safer than synthetic drugs and suitable for long-term use. This provides a safety net for the lengthy process of tooth regeneration.

Currently, Zicao-based preparations are already used to treat oral ulcers and lichen planus with remarkable results.

"So that’s how it is..."

Li Xu closed the professional journal, his mind reeling with emotion.

He had to admit that modern medicine’s research methods were microscopic and chemical in nature. They didn’t conform to the macroscopic theories of Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, or the principles of ascent and descent in TCM. However, on certain specific points, modern science certainly could provide powerful corroborating evidence and explanations.

...

Li Xu moved on to the second main ingredient: Gusuibu.

Hearing the name for the first time, one might easily associate it with crushed animal bones or something gory.

In reality, however, it was a bona fide medicinal herb—a fern from the Polypodiaceae family.

It, too, had its own legendary folk tale.

Legend has it that in ancient times, an herb gatherer went into the mountains to collect medicinal plants.

At the base of a steep cliff, he saw a monkey that had accidentally fallen. It was shrieking in pain, having clearly broken some bones.

But the monkey didn’t just resign itself to its fate. It struggled over to the rock face, picked a type of fern growing there with its mouth, chewed it into a pulp, and applied it to its injured leg. It also swallowed some.

Curious, the herb gatherer watched from a hidden spot.

To his surprise, after just a short while, the monkey that had been unable to even stand was now able to limp around. A few days later, it was hopping about energetically, as if it had never been injured at all.

The herb gatherer was astonished. He began to imitate the monkey, harvesting this plant to treat traumatic injuries, fractures, and swelling.

When he tried it, he found it had a miraculous effect. Not only did it relieve pain and reduce swelling, but it also accelerated bone healing.

Thus, he named this herb "Gusuibu," which means "mender of shattered bones," for its ability to "mend broken bones and treat injuries to stop pain."

This cognitive model of "discovering medicine by observing animals" was not baseless. It is recorded in several ancient texts, including the *Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica*, and is a reflection of the TCM wisdom of "reasoning by analogy."

As a classic herb in TCM for "nourishing the kidneys and strengthening the bones," Gusuibu has mild medicinal properties. It is bitter and warm in nature and enters the Kidney meridian.

Its core effects are a perfect match for the "bone tissue repair" required for tooth regeneration.

As everyone knows, the roots of the teeth are buried deep within the alveolar bone. The alveolar bone is the tooth’s soil and foundation.

Modern pharmacological research shows that the active ingredients in Gusuibu (such as dihydroflavonoid glycosides) can effectively regulate bone metabolism, activate the proliferation of bone cells in the body, and accelerate the deposition of minerals like calcium and phosphorus in the bones.

Simply put, it can make the alveolar bone denser and stronger.