Author: Mao Shengnan

Introduction:

    The Caroline School of Medicine in Sweden announced on October 5 that it awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Chinese female pharmacologist Tu Youyou, as well as to two other scientists, William Campbell and Ji Omura. This is the first time that a Chinese scientist has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Science for scientific research conducted on Chinese soil, and is the highest award that the Chinese medical profession has received to date, as well as the highest award for achievements in Chinese medicine.
 
    This is the first scientific Nobel laureate trained in China since Chinese writer Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2012, and female scientist Tu Youyou has become the first scientific Nobel laureate trained in China.

China gives the world a new perspective 

    "Youyou Deer Song, Eating Apples in the Wild" is a line from "Xiao Ya", a poem from the Classic of Poetry, describing a cozy scene of a wild deer happily eating grass. Born in 1930, Tu Youyou's thirst for food and tranquility was exactly what she wanted at that time. In that era, it was the time of Mo Yan's mother. Mo Yan, born in 1955, was originally named Guan Muye, but 20 years later, he changed his name from Mu to Mo Yan, which is a reflection of the social reality of the late Cultural Revolution. This is quite apt when compared to Mo Yan's reticence to speak.

    As soon as the news of Mo Yan's Nobel Prize came out in 2012, some people said online that it was a political necessity and that there might be behind-the-scenes manipulation and other reasons. Three years later, today Tu Youyou won the award, and there are people on the Internet who say that the award actually has nothing to do with traditional Chinese medicine itself.

    A big mistake is made! This may have something to do with the fact that some Chinese people are too unsure of themselves. The greatness of the Chinese civilization needs to be studied slowly to find its power, while the modern society, because of the Internet technology, does not need to be slow to get the pleasure. Between the fast and the slow, a gap is created.

    Fortunately, the world doesn't always think that speed and convenience are right, and Chinese civilization has demonstrated a wisdom that is sometimes better at solving the serious problems of modern society.

Chinese Wisdom for the World  

    Let's not talk about literature, but about Artemisia annua alone. In 340 A.D., Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (340 A.D.) mentioned several times that Artemisia annua could be used to treat malaria, etc. On May 23, 1967, China urgently launched the project code-named "523", "Collaboration on Drug Research for Malaria Prevention and Control", and Tu Youyou, who was the scientific research leader at that time, initially looked for inspiration from the Chinese medicine. On May 23, 1967, when China urgently launched the project code-named "523", "Collaboration on Malaria Prevention and Control Drug Research", Tu Youyou, who was the head of the scientific research team at that time, initially looked for inspiration from Chinese medicinal recipes.

    By going through the books of herbs and medicines of the past dynasties, visiting old Chinese doctors, and not even sparing the letters from the public, Tu Youyou compiled a "Anti-malarial Single Examination Formulas" containing more than 640 kinds of herbs including Artemisia annua from more than 2,000 kinds of formulas and medicines. A few lines from the famous Taoist doctor Ge Hong's "Post-Elbow Preparation for Emergencies" shocked her: "Take a handful of Artemisia annua, impregnate it with two liters of water, extract the juice by twisting it, and take it as much as you can."

    Tu Youyou immediately realized that the high temperature might destroy the active ingredients in Artemisia annua, and carried out experiments with low-boiling point solvents, while improving the extracting agent. on October 4, 1971, samples of Artemisia annua extract, which had been improved several times, were tested and the inhibition rate of malaria parasites reached 1001 TP3T!

    In 1979, the research results of artemisinin was awarded the second prize of the National Invention Award by the State Science and Technology Commission; in 1984, the successful development of artemisinin was recognized by the Chinese Medical Association as one of the "20 major scientific and technological achievements in medicine since the founding of the country in the past 35 years".

    It wasn't until 1992 that Tu Youyou invented dihydroartemisinin, which is 10 times more potent. This discovery still came from the ancient Chinese method of ancient recipes. The raw materials are still Chinese herbs.

    In 1992, dihydroartemisinin was honored by the State Science and Technology Commission as one of the "National Top Ten Scientific and Technological Achievements"; in 1997, dihydroartemisinin was honored by the Ministry of Health as one of the "Top Ten Health Achievements of New China". After 2000, the drug was recognized as a miracle drug by the United Nations Department of Health for curing millions of patients in Africa, and in September 2011, artemisinin research was awarded the Lasker Award for Clinical Medicine. What's more, this drug, which comes from a common plant, is inexpensive and has virtually no side effects or toxicity compared to Western medicines.

The world needs to explore China

    Chinese civilization has a history of more than 3,000 years, and there are many treasures, not only Artemisinin or a few novels. We respect Mo Yan, but there are many people in China who are not on par with Mo Yan's literary standard. Chinese writers seldom win big prizes in the world, which is mainly related to the strength of the dissemination of Chinese culture in the world. Mo Yan's award can be said to be the right translation at the right point in time, coupled with the right dissemination, thus attracting the attention of the international community and research, and discovering the unique value of Chinese literature in the hall of world literature.

    The same goes for Chinese medicines. Artemisinin is just the beginning, and there are still a large number of such remedies in China; the question is who can discover new values from ancient recipes to solve the current real-life problems. Artemisinin became famous when it was selected by the World Health Organization for use in Africa. Which Chinese field will be next? The world is already asking curious questions.

    After two major awards, the world will observe China from a broader perspective and vision, and rating organizations will no longer consider China only through information, but will come to China more often to look for the treasures of Chinese civilization in order to give the world a source of progress.

    Thinking about it from a different perspective, science and technology may be an effective tool that provides a faster means of discovering the essence of ancient civilizations, and there is still room for the ancient civilizations that have accumulated for thousands of years to play a role, which requires that present-day people sometimes have to stop in their tracks and go back and think seriously.

   God favors the Chinese civilization as an added benefit to the world.