For a hemorrhagic stroke, the recipe Liu recommends reads like a shopping list for the witches in Macbeth: thinleaf milkwort root to soothe the mind; nacre to calm the liver and tranquilize the heart; buffalo horn (a politically correct stand-in for rhino horn) to help stimulate qi; self-heal spike to lower blood pressure; tatarinowii sweetflag rhizome to sedate; Mongolian snakegourd seed to purify the blood; Japanese fleeceflower to reduce dizziness; and Chinese bamboo culm to reduce fever. More is more in Chinese medicine and the idea of combining treatments is key.

In a bag, the ingredients are harmless enough, but at a rollicking boil the stench brings to mind a messy herd of bulls wandering through the kitchen. Some recipes require a week of boiling, but after several hours, this particular murky, brown broth is done. Medicinal and slightly stomach-churning in flavor, it's no chicken soup. Does it work? Anecdotal evidence is strong but science is yet to divine if there is proof in the soup. "We still have to answer a lot of questions," admits Liu. Still, his own faith in the enigmatic power of his ingredients remains unshakable: "Working all together, they reduce clotting and help the flow of the qi."