"Kudzu root, pearl, and persimmon seed… these herbs are indeed documented to have sobering properties. But… as far as I know, their effects are mediocre when used alone. They might relieve a dry mouth or some dizziness, but to achieve a true 'sobering,' let alone a 'mind-clearing' effect? I'd say that's quite difficult, wouldn't you?"
"Can simply combining them produce some kind of miraculous effect?"
Gao Yuan knew the effects of various medicinal herbs like the back of his hand.
Without having tried it, he could only speculate on its effects based on conventional wisdom.
Li Xu smiled and nodded. "Elder Gao is right. A simple combination would indeed yield mediocre results. The true marvel of Chinese medicine lies in two things: 'dosage' and 'processing'."
"The same herbs can produce wildly different results depending on the processing method, the ratio of ingredients, and even the order in which they're combined. The difference can be night and day."
