The medical team from the People's Hospital Affiliated to the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Fujian province brings TCM scented sachets into the makeshift hospital in Shanghai. These herb-filled pouches help to improve people's mood while being treated. Many of those who have been quarantined in the makeshift hospital may remember the experience as a rather sweet-smelling one, courtesy of scented sachets filled with traditional Chinese medicinal herbs.
On April 7 when the makeshift hospital opened, the medical team from the People's Hospital Affiliated to the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Fujian province placed these sachets next to the beds of patients.
This isn't the first time that the hospital has used such herbs during the epidemic. In 2020 a team of doctors from the hospital brought these sachets to Wuhan of Hubei province.
On May 25, when the makeshift hospital was closed down, medical workers even gave out these sachets as presents to the last group of patients.
The scented sachets were made from a unique recipe developed by the People's Hospital Affiliated to the University of TCM in Fujian province. The medical team from Fujian says that the fragrance can help improve one's mood and help clear the mind.
The medical team from the People's Hospital Affiliated to the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Fujian province brings TCM scented sachets into the makeshift hospital in Shanghai. These herb-filled pouches help to improve people's mood while being treated. According to TCM theories, aromatic herbs such as clove, moxa grass and Eupatorium fortunei can help improve immune systems. These plants were once widely used in ancient China to help prevent epidemics.
Such scented sachets can be easily bought in stores and are particularly popular during the Duanwu Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, or June 3 this year.
One of the most renowned retailers of such sachets is the Lei Yunshang Group from Suzhou of Jiangsu province. While most of the herbs in these sachets are the same all over China, the proportion and specifics in our recipe is a secret, according to Zhang Yong, a Lei Yunshang spokesperson.
The general manager of the Lei Yunshang pharmaceutical store on Huashan Road in Shanghai, Zhou Xin, said the company introduces new sachet designs every year, featuring patterns and images of auspicious objects on the embroidery.
Zhou says that we have turned the sachets into fashionable accessories, such as necklaces, key chains and pendents on handbags, and successfully attracted many young consumers.