If you have a sore throat, you can take 8g of young bamboo leaves and 8g of cucumber leaves, pound them finely, soak them in water for a while, strain to get the clear liquid to gargle and drink.
Bamboo Leaf Steam for Cold Relief: Take a handful each of bamboo leaves, Vietnamese balm leaves, pomelo leaves, and lemongrass, add them to a pot of boiling water, wait for it to boil again, then steam to induce sweating. After steaming, wipe your body dry and rest in a wind-free area. If the leaves are washed clean, you can also drink the water; drinking it hot will help you recover faster. This method is suitable for people with colds, fevers, headaches, and without sweating.
If you have a sunstroke with hot skin, excessive sweating, and thirst, take 20g of bamboo leaves, 15g of purple basil, 15g of fresh pennywort, 15g of fresh false grass, and 10g of fresh arrowroot leaves, decoct to drink.
For gum bleeding (heat syndrome): Use concentrated bamboo leaf decoction, hold it in your mouth to let it seep into the gums; additionally, take the following medicine: 20g of bamboo leaves, 15g of false grass, 10g of peppermint, decoct to drink.
Skin Sores: Fresh young bamboo, finely pounded, applied to the affected area. Before applying, clean the wound with a decoction of water lily or fresh betel leaves to remove all blood and pus.
Headache from Alcohol Consumption: Take 80g of bamboo essence (the soft white layer just beneath the hard green outer layer), ginger fried, decoct with 300ml of water, discard the residue, then beat in 3 chicken eggs and cook until done. Consume the eggs and drink the liquid.
Weak Body After Illness: Use 20g of medium bamboo leaves (for children) or 60g (for adults), decoct and drink three times a day: morning, noon, and evening.
Injuries with Swelling and Bruising: Take 100g of fresh bamboo leaves, decoct strongly, and add a cup of alcohol. Drink daily until recovery. Pregnant women should not consume this. When the whole body aches, boil bamboo leaves for a steam bath and drink the decoction mentioned above.
Stomach Pain, Sour Vomiting, and Heartburn: Bamboo essence (fried dry ginger) 30-50g, decoct and drink 2-3 times a day, taking small amounts throughout the day.
Prolonged Menstruation in Women: Bamboo essence 120g, fried until crisp, ground into fine powder, take 12g each time with boiled water, twice a day.
Vomiting and Diarrhea in Children: Bamboo essence, fresh ginger, and patchouli, each 4g. Decoct and drink when warm.
Cough with Phlegm: Bamboo essence (fried) 30-50g can be concentrated with honey. For children, use half the adult dosage.
Children Vomiting, Regurgitating, and Coughing with Phlegm: Fresh young bamboo 15g, fresh ginger 5g roasted and pounded, add 10ml of boiled water, mix well, and strain to drink several times a day.
Children with Night Fever and Delirium: Bamboo shoot water mixed with a little ginger water, drink twice a day, 1/2 small cup each time (as noted in Tuệ Tĩnh – Nam Dược Thần Hiệu).
Uterine Prolapse: Bamboo roots (cleaned and cut into short pieces) 500g, decoct strongly, strain to get the liquid (discard the residue) and soak when the water is still warm.
Note: According to folk experience, it is advisable to choose thorny bamboo, small plants with large eyes and longitudinal grooves between the nodes. Use bamboo leaves when they are still rolled up and not yet opened, fresh or dried, but fresh is better. Bamboo essence should be taken from bamboo that has just enough leaves, remove the nodes, scrape off the green outer layer to obtain the essence, and the greener, the better.
