for whatever ails you

There is a definite wait and see element to this posting as I am faced with choosing between two options today.
Option (A): Western medicine
Option (B): Chinese medicine

Well, actually, I already chose option (A) in the very, very early morning when I popped two pills of the Western medicine variety. Although, they did nothing to cure me of my cold symptoms; I was left wide awake, restless and still stuffed from the neck up. Tylenol Cold & Sinus PM - what a ruse!

Now I sit here, having returned from class, with option (B) as provided by Z. For my sake he went on a little field trip to the Chinese pharmacy and came home with this:

So, here we are. My mug and I in a standoff position -- do you see how it's staring at me?! This mug, it's contents now piping hot, full of...full of what, exactly? Tea? No. Dried herbs? Perhaps? But before I added the hot water, the medicine in question looked more like spoonfuls of Ovaltine.  With boiled water added, it has become a totally unrecognizable mixture of slushy, brown, hot liquid medicine.

Let's take a sip, shall we?
It's bitter, kind of like an old leather shoe that has been boiled down.

Ahh, but there is a hint (just a hint) of sweetness at the end that lingers at the back of my throat. Is that licorice? It's not altogether unpleasant, but it's not something I would choose to cozy up with while reading a book. Twice a day at that.

Press on, press on! Should the liquid medicine cool down a bit, it will make it all the more difficult to swallow. Doesn't room temperature brown, slushy liquid medicine seem even more awful to digest than when it is piping hot?  At least I think so.

So, now, you see...we wait and see.