Season 2 · Episode 26
The Apothecary Diaries · S2E26
Aired on January 17, 2025
Science entries in this episode
Earthworms in Medicine
Used against fever in Chinese medicine, earthworms contain lumbrokinases that break down clots in the lab. What is proven, what is not, and Maomao's remedy.
Emmenagogue and Abortive Plants
Mostly they poisoned first: jasmine, mugwort, rue and chili stimulate the uterus only at doses toxic to the mother. The pharmacology and history behind them.
The Mantis Ootheca
In The Apothecary Diaries, mantis eggs are seen as an aphrodisiac. We describe the ootheca, its structure, and its use in Chinese medicine.
Spider Silk and Hemostasis
Partly: silk fibers trap platelets and help a clot form, but a web holds no vitamin K. Folk remedy vs myth, and spider silk in modern surgery.