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Traditional TCM Preparation Methods

Ⅸ-4Traditional MedicineWuzhong, NingxiaBatch 5 (2021)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

In the early years of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty, the first-generation inheritor Niu Chenggong opened his first pharmacy in Lingzhou (present-day Wuzhong City) and practiced medicine at the shop counter; he was respectfully known as "Old Master Niu". In the 22nd year of the Jiaqing reign (1817), he moved to present-day Qiqihar City and founded the Jicitang pharmacy. His son was adopted by his granduncle as the eldest grandson; he studied the surviving medical texts, secret formulas, and drug preparation techniques of his forebears, and in 1910 opened the Jicitang pharmacy in Wuzhong City to practice medicine, becoming the fifth-generation inheritor. In 2019, the Ma Family Jici Hospital was completed in Yinchuan, influencing millions of people in Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

The Ma family Jicitang fertility medicine preparation technique is a craft for preparing medicines for eugenics and healthy child-rearing that has been handed down for more than 200 years. It is mainly distributed around Wuzhong City in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, gradually extending to Yinchuan and other places; those who come seeking treatment and medicine come from all directions, and the technique has broad influence. Wuzhong City lies in central Ningxia and is the core area of the Yellow River urban belt of Ningxia. It borders Shaanxi, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia and forms the finest stretch of the Yellow River irrigation district. Its special geographical location and climatic conditions have nurtured within its borders many medicinal plants such as goji berry, licorice, astragalus, bupleurum, and largeleaf gentian root, providing this heritage project with uniquely favorable natural conditions. The fourth-generation heir drifted in distant lands, was reduced to an itinerant physician, and returned to his hometown during the Xuantong reign. Later generations of inheritors improved the drug formulas and preparation techniques of their forebears and established institutions such as the Jicitang Hui Medicine Hospital and the Ma Family Jici Hospital. The Ma family Jicitang pharmacy stands out for its promotion of eugenics and healthy child-rearing, having developed medicinal preparations of remarkable efficacy such as the Shengjing Pill (semen-boosting pill), the Cuyun Pill (pregnancy-promoting pill), and the Huaji Powder (mass-resolving powder), all of which have proven highly effective in clinical practice. The Shengjing Pill is composed of precious medicinal materials such as deer antler velvet, sea horse, and tortoise plastron; it replenishes deficiency without generating internal heat and attends to the balance of yin and yang, effectively improving sperm motility and count. The Cuyun Pill is composed of materials such as donkey-hide gelatin, tortoise-plastron gelatin, and Chinese eaglewood; the formula nourishes yin-blood without being cloying, so as to improve ovarian reserve function. The principal ingredient of the Huaji Powder is defatted croton seed powder, supplemented with spleen-strengthening medicines, so that the formula attacks pathogenic accumulation without damaging the body's vital qi; it is used to treat severe conditions such as high fever with accumulation and stagnation in patients, and abdominal masses and accumulations in women. The prepared medicines are sealed and packaged, continuing and improving the ancient wax-coating process so that the medicines are better preserved.

The essence-nourishing pill

Made of deer antler, seahorse and turtle shell, it tonifies without flaring heat and is used to improve sperm vitality and count.

The conception-boosting pill

Assembled from donkey-hide gelatin, turtle shell gelatin and agarwood, it nourishes yin blood without cloying the stomach.

The dispersing powder for accumulation

Croton powder leads while spleen-tonifying herbs protect the upright qi, attacking accumulations without exhausting the patient.

Wax-sealing inherited from old practice

The sealed packages keep the old wax-dipping closure, improved so the medicines keep longer, and turned into a standard of dosage-form making.

Medicinal materials from the irrigated plain

Wolfberry, liquorice, astragalus, bupleurum and gentian grow in the irrigated plain beside the town, giving the formulas a distinctly northwest character.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

The Ma family Jicitang fertility medicine preparation technique takes Wuzhong City, Ningxia as its core area of distribution. In the early years of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty, the first-generation inheritor Niu Chenggong opened his first pharmacy in Lingzhou (present-day Wuzhong City) and practiced medicine at the shop counter, being respectfully known as Old Master Niu; in the 22nd year of the Jiaqing reign (1817) he moved to present-day Qiqihar City and founded the Jicitang pharmacy. His son was adopted by his granduncle as the eldest grandson, studied the surviving medical texts and secret formulas of his forebears, and in 1910 opened the Jicitang pharmacy in Wuzhong City to practice medicine, becoming the fifth-generation inheritor. Wuzhong lies in the core area of Ningxia's Yellow River urban belt, bordering Shaanxi, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia; the soil, sunlight, and heat of the Yellow River irrigation district are well suited to cultivation, giving rise to medicinal plants such as goji berry, licorice, astragalus, bupleurum, and largeleaf gentian root, which provide authentic medicinal materials for the fertility medicines. The practitioners of the technique are now composed of seventh- and eighth-generation inheritors; the Ma Family Jici Hospital was completed in Yinchuan in 2019, extending the sphere of influence to millions of people in Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

The second- and third-generation inheritors vigorously developed the pharmacy, and Jicitang enjoyed a period of great prosperity. In the early years of the People's Republic of China, the sixth-generation inheritor Ma Jisi re-established Jicitang in Xiakou Town and created many effective medicinal preparations that were applied in clinical diagnosis and treatment. At present, the practitioners of the Ma family Jicitang pharmaceutical technique consist of seventh- and eighth-generation inheritors; transmission is mainly through master-apprentice teaching within the family, and the principal audience is the more than 1.4 million people of Wuzhong City. The technique has enriched the diagnostic thinking and treatment methods of Chinese medicine regarding eugenics and healthy child-rearing, and has relieved the suffering of numerous patients in this regard, with more than 40,000 outpatient visits per year. It has also achieved notable results in health and epidemic prevention and in the prevention of difficult and complicated diseases, earning a fine reputation and highlighting its social function. It possesses considerable historical, cultural, and scientific research value.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

  1. Traditional TCM Preparation Methods (Wuzhong, Ningxia) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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