Western Medicine in Nanning

[danb]

Hi, Can anyone tell me where I can find some western medicine such as Day-quil, Ny-quil and Tylenol in Nanning? I did a search but didn't come up with anything. Thanks Danb

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

Hello Dan,

 

Good luck with finding those. I think it's a good idea for any expat in China to become a member of the International SOS community. The cost is about 1500 usd per year for the individual. With it comes a variety of very useful services, including: emergency evacuation, doctors available by telephone and clinic. In the clinics you can buy or order those kind of things. Take a look at:

 

https://www.internationalsos.com/en/

 

http://www.china.org.cn/english/2002/Feb/26630.htm

[Randy W]

Pain relieving medication is readily available in any drug store, including some American products. Just look for English information on the labels and go with the ones you can read. It seems to mostly be in multi-symptom products, though, such as Tylenol Cold.

 

Most of the psuedophedrine HCl medication has been taken off the shelves, as has the codeine-flavored cough syrup, although some is still available behind the counter.

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

Pain relieving medication is readily available in any drug store, including some American products. Just look for English information on the labels and go with the ones you can read. It seems to mostly be in multi-symptom products, though, such as Tylenol Cold.

 

Most of the psuedophedrine HCl medication has been taken off the shelves, as has the codeine-flavored cough syrup, although some is still available behind the counter.

 

Just a word of caution that many of the 'street' drug stores carry fake products. China does not closely regulate medication outside the hospital dispensaries. China has it's own set of cold and flu related products that can be effective as they have most of the commonly used over-the-counter drugs, tylenol, pseudonepherine, expectorants, suppressants, and so on. When I've been in a pinch and did not bring enough of the common cold and flu stuff when visiting the US, I've had a friend accompany me to one of the larger street drug stores and had them explain to the store druggist my symptoms. Nasal spray, sore throat spray, and China-made tylenol/ibuprophren can be found. Remember though that nearly all the product labels are written in Chinese and most Chinese are not familiar with the English name/equivalent.

Edited December 21, 2013 by GuangDongExpat (see edit history)

[Dennis143]

At first, I poo poo'd my wife's Chinese remedies. It took quite a few years, but I'm a believer in YinChiao now. It actually seems to reduce catching a cold when symptoms first appear. And, when a cold does hit YinChiao helps alleviate the symptoms. I now go for the YinChiao before looking for any of the American cold medicines. Sounds like a commercial, but when Leiqin offers her medicine today I'm not so quick to dismiss it.

[warpedbored]

My wife has a ton of Chinese medicines. I have no idea what any of it is but I trust her implicitly. What ever she gives me I take without question and it always works.

[danb]

Thank you for the replies. I brought some Dayquil with me. I always seem to catch a cold when I visit. But I ran out. I went out looking for some medicine yesterday. I went to Wal Mart and and stopped at a little pharmacy outside of it. Not luck with the cold medicine but was able to get some skin ointment that was the same as an US brand that I also needed. I had written the name of the drug down and they were able to duplicate it. Of course it may have worked but I somehow lost it somewhere on the way home. I went out for a walk this morning and stopped at a different pharmacy. I asked the lady to look it up on the computer and she was able to find something for me. She was telling me that the Chinese had something much better. At least i think that is what she was tell me. So I walked out with two different ointments. I hope one of them will do the trick.

 

My Lao Po has bought me cold medicine in the past. None of them all that good tasting. Especially the ones that are little black pellet. I never likd them. They do eventually seem to work. This trip I was trying to head the cold off in the early stage of it. I thought the Nyquil might do the trick.

 

This past few days my lovely Lao Po announced to me that she doesn't likes drugs for colds any more. ( She is still going to ask around for me about a source of western medicine.) She says that it can be cured with just being healthy and drinking lots and lots of hot water. She did demonstrate to me that it does work for her. She had a cold sniffles and a sore throat. After 4 days she was fine by just drinking hot water. Lots and lots of hot water. But I think I would still like to try the Ny Quil route. If I get a chance tomorrow I will go to the old Wal Mart and also maybe visit Parkinsons Department Store and see if they have anything there. Thanks again. Danb

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

...

 

My Lao Po has bought me cold medicine in the past. None of them all that good tasting. Especially the ones that are little black pellet. I never likd them. They do eventually seem to work. This trip I was trying to head the cold off in the early stage of it. I thought the Nyquil might do the trick.

 

Thanks again. Danb

 

Yes, Chinese love that 'little black pellet.' If you look further into it, that little black pellet is made from creosote. The very same chemical used in the USA to soak telephone poles to prevent weathering. The smell can be over-powering and very recognizable.

 

http://voices.yahoo.com/seirogan-truth-chinese-herbal-remedy-1294351.html

Edited December 21, 2013 by GuangDongExpat (see edit history)

[Randy W]

 

...

 

My Lao Po has bought me cold medicine in the past. None of them all that good tasting. Especially the ones that are little black pellet. I never likd them. They do eventually seem to work. This trip I was trying to head the cold off in the early stage of it. I thought the Nyquil might do the trick.

 

Thanks again. Danb

 

Yes, Chinese love that 'little black pellet.' If you look further into it, that little black pellet is made from creosote. The very same chemical used in the USA to soak telephone poles to prevent weathering. The smell can be over-powering and very recognizable.

 

http://voices.yahoo.com/seirogan-truth-chinese-herbal-remedy-1294351.html

 

 

. . . and used in the West for the same (medicinal) purpose. Many of us grew up with that - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creosote

 

The guaifenesin developed by Eldon Boyd is still commonly used today as an expectorant, sold over the counter, and usually taken by mouth to assist the bringing up of phlegm from the airways in acute respiratory tract infections. Guaifenesin is a component of Mucinex, Robitussin DAC, Cheratussin DAC, Robitussin AC, Cheratussin AC, Benylin, DayQuil Mucous Control, Meltus, and Bidex 400.

Seirogan is a popular Kampo medicine in Japan, used as an anti-diarrheal, and has 133 mg wood creosote from beech, pine, maple or oak wood per adult dose as its primary ingredient. Seirogan was first used as a gastrointestinal medication by the Imperial Japanese Army in Russia during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5.^[41]Creomulsion is a cough medicine in the United States, introduced in 1925, that is still sold and contains beechwood creosote.

Creosote, in the form of samples from the creosote bush, is often found as a herbal remedy and supplement under the name chaparral, and in the form of beechwood creosote under the name kreosotum or kreosote.

 

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

Creosote has been out there for a long time, but it's use is controversial with many lawsuits against medicinal use and exposure while working. It doesn't appear that the FDA has given an up or down regarding its medicinal use.

 

 

 

Rats and mice fed a large amount of wood creosote at one time had convulsions and died. Rats fed a smaller amount of wood creosote for a long period developed kidney and liver problems, and died. Exposure to coal tar products through the skin has resulted in skin cancer in animals. Laboratory animals that ate food containing coal tar developed cancer of the lungs, liver, and stomach, and animals exposed to coal tar in the air developed lung and skin cancer.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that coal tar is carcinogenic to humans and that creosote is probably carcinogenic to humans. EPA has also determined that coal tar creosote is a probable human carcinogen.

 

Full Article

Edited December 22, 2013 by GuangDongExpat (see edit history)

[Thomas Promise]

Many medications use to use and still use coal tar derivatives.