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Traditional TCM Preparation Methods

Ⅸ-4Traditional MedicineXiqing, TianjinBatch 4 (2014)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

The formula and preparation techniques of Jingwanhong ointment originated from Huanglian Jiedu Plaster (Coptis Detoxification Plaster), based on the Coptis Detoxification Decoction (Huanglian Jiedu Tang), Hua Tuo's Divine Plaster, and Hua Tuo's divine prescription for saving burns from scalds and fire; they were founded by Wu Pu, a disciple of Hua Tuo, and have been passed down through his descendants for generations. In 1898, Wu Xiangshan, a descendant of the Wu family and a renowned old-style traditional Chinese medicine practitioner of Anhui Province, inherited the family's secret formula and medical arts. In 1970, it became an instant hit at the Canton Fair.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

As a traditional Chinese medicine preparation method, the formula and preparation techniques of Jingwanhong ointment were born at Tianjin Darentang Jingwanhong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a century-old established enterprise renowned both at home and abroad for its ointment production, whose products are sold throughout China and exported to more than 30 countries and regions. Jingwanhong ointment, as an external-use pure Chinese medicine preparation, is a state-secret-level technical confidentiality variety and a variety listed in the national essential medicines list. Its formula consists of 34 Chinese medicinal materials, including coptis root (huanglian), phellodendron bark (huangbai), scutellaria root (huangqin), frankincense (ruxiang), and myrrh (moyao). Made with beeswax and sesame oil as its base through a traditional special process, it is an oil-based ointment with the effects of activating blood circulation and detoxifying, reducing swelling and relieving pain, and removing necrotic tissue and promoting tissue regeneration; it can be used for scalds and burns from water and fire, burns, sores and swellings, and festering wounds. The therapeutic principle of Jingwanhong ointment in traditional Chinese medicine is the theory of 'simulating pus to promote tissue growth' (weipong zhangrou): necrotic flesh is liquefied into pus, and once the necrotic tissue is removed, new tissue grows, thereby accelerating wound healing. The entire formula uses coptis root (huanglian) as its chief medicinal; it relieves pain quickly and has strong detoxifying power, generally achieving cure within two weeks, with definite efficacy in treating burns and convenient use. In 1969, he donated the family's secret formula, Huanglian Jiedu Plaster, free of charge to the Yumen Road factory of the Tianjin Gongnongbing Chinese Medicine Factory (today the Tianjin Darentang Jingwanhong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), which excelled at ointment production. Research personnel later refined the process for large-scale production based on the formula and preparation method of Huanglian Jiedu Plaster, producing an oil-based ointment patent medicine — Jingwanhong ointment. The formula and preparation techniques of Jingwanhong ointment have a long history; tested by historical practice, they have remarkable efficacy, carrying the rich connotations and outstanding wisdom of China's traditional Chinese medicine culture, and possess historical and cultural value.

Huanglian Jiedu Tang as the base

The formula grew from Huanglian Jiedu Tang, Hua Tuo's divine ointment and his remedy for burns, ending as a thirty-four herb external preparation whose principal drug remains coptis.

Beeswax and sesame oil as the base

Beeswax and sesame oil form the base of this ointment paste, and their ratio fixes its firmness and adherence: more wax for a hard, lasting film, more oil for a soft one that penetrates.

The principle of drawing out pus to grow flesh

The principle is to draw out pus so flesh can grow: dead tissue liquefies and leaves, the wound closing faster, so dead flesh sloughs and new flesh grows.

Adapting the recipe for large-scale production

After the recipe was donated, researchers completed a process suitable for large-scale production from the base ointment's formula and method, fixing the oil-paste form for batch making without loss of effect.

Liu Wenwei's process improvements

A senior pharmaceutical engineer, the inheritor Liu Wenwei oversaw process improvement, transmission, extension of indications and new product development, training selected pupils in craft, culture and character alike.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

The Jingwanhong line traces back to the Anhui branch, its source being Huanglian Jiedu Plaster, founded by Wu Pu, a disciple of Hua Tuo, and passed down through his descendants for generations. In 1898, Wu Xiangshan, a renowned old-style TCM practitioner of Anhui, inherited the family's secret formula and medical arts and carried the plaster formula beyond his hometown. In 1969, the family secret formula was donated free of charge to the Yumen Road factory of the Tianjin Gongnongbing Chinese Medicine Factory, which excelled at ointment production and later developed into the Tianjin Darentang Jingwanhong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; from then on, this line of external-use ointments took root in the pharmaceutical factories around Xiqing, Tianjin. Tianjin has long been famous for its ointments, and the old method of simmering oil ointments with beeswax and sesame oil is practiced to the highest standard there; in addition, with ready-made medicine categories such as the honey pills and water pills of the Liuwei Dihuang Wan type, the pharmaceutical factories have complete staffing, furnaces, and equipment. Today the products are sold throughout the country and exported to more than thirty countries and regions; after its instant success at the Canton Fair in 1970, Jingwanhong grew from the name of an external-use formula into one of the Chinese trademarks recognized in international markets.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

The potent effects of Jingwanhong ointment have extended from treating scalds and burns to fields such as surgery and metabolic medicine; its practical efficacy in treating diabetic foot is also gradually emerging. It has won numerous awards both at home and abroad and holds considerable practical value. Liu Wenwei (recorded in the official archives of the associated inheritor): Male, Han ethnicity, born in October 1957, from Tianjin. Representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage project 'Traditional Preparation Methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Formula and Preparation Techniques of Jingwanhong Ointment).' Senior pharmaceutical engineer. Mainly responsible for the process improvement and skill transmission of Jingwanhong ointment, research on the expansion of product functions, and the development of new products in the Jingwanhong ointment series. Emphasizes the master-apprentice transmission of traditional skills; on the basis of strictly selecting apprentices, he insists on passing on culture, skills, and character, ensuring the continuation of the formula and preparation techniques of Jingwanhong ointment while also cultivating a group of inheritors who have mastered traditional techniques with exquisite craftsmanship. He has received honorary titles such as the 'Eighth Five-Year Plan' and 'Tenth Five-Year Plan' Meritorious Service Medals from the Tianjin Federation of Trade Unions.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

  1. Traditional TCM Preparation Methods (Xiqing, Tianjin) · China ICH Official Project Archive
  2. Liu Wenwei · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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