Fun with Euphemisms

I kept having these tension headaches recently, as an employee benefit, Dr. Zhou mixed up some herbal remedy for me. With these regimens, it takes a week to show any effect, as the goal of the medicine is to make the body heal itself, rather than the attack-and -destroy mechanism of most Western medicine. But as I'm onto my fourth day of treatment with no effects, I had to ask Dr. Zhou; it turned out my dosage wasn't enough since I lied about my weight. These are not one-size-fits-all drugs. Back to the measuring scale...

One medicine could hardly be kept in stock, the label only describes it as "kidney-enhancing." A lot of men are prescribed this herb -- cordyceps. Just today, a man in his 30s came in and got $50 worth. The drug is sometimes mixed with others in a combination pack, but is often given alone. Out of curiosity, I asked Zhou what exactly it does, she just laughed and said "Look it up." I researched the ingredient online -- you might have guessed by now, it functions partly as a "kidney-stimulant." Not unlike a libido-booster. In Chinese medicine, anything kidney-enhancing, more often than not, helps regulate the sex drive. Cordyceps are originally grown and harvested in Tibet, the ones grown there are rumored to be the best there is. But demand has made this widely available everywhere now. Just ask for a kidney-enhancing drug at a Chinese pharmacy, they'll know what you mean...