Although the preparation is complicated, we dare not save labor; although the taste is expensive, we dare not reduce material resources. What does this mean?

In this couplet from Tongrentang, the first sentence refers to the processing of medicinal materials, and the second sentence refers to the emphasis on the medicinal materials used. These two couplets are originally the precepts left by Le Fengming, the second generation descendant of Tongrentang, in his "Leshi's Ancestral Pills and Powders and Cream Preparation Formula" compiled by him. Each generation of Tongrentang has strictly followed it, and it has become a The pharmaceutical principles and spiritual creed of Tongrentang people of all generations.

Tongrentang has been famous for hundreds of years, and one of the secrets is its persistence and inheritance of this "hundred-year promise".

For the medicinal materials used, Tong Ren Tang has always had its own unique principle - "pick it from its place, pick it at the right time", and pay attention to the word authenticity: ginseng is from Jilin in Northeast China, honey is from Xinglong in Hebei, and white is from Hebei. The peony must be from Dongyang, Zhejiang, the rhubarb must be from Xining, Qinghai, the yam must be from Henan, and the wolfberry must be from Ningxia. "The 16 heads of ginseng specified in the prescription must not be replaced by 32 heads of ginseng." This may be because "no matter how expensive the taste is, one must not sacrifice material resources".

Tong Ren Tang has even more stringent requirements for the processing of medicinal materials: for example, coptis, the fibrous roots must be removed one by one; polygala, the core with side effects must be manually removed; in order to make the medicine taste better, Tong Ren Tang has always insisted on Use an 80-mesh radish sieve; in order to ensure the effectiveness of the Purple Snow Pill, we always insist on using the "gold pot and silver shovel" and so on. Perhaps it is these seemingly trivial aspects to outsiders that highlight the shining light of "no matter how complicated the processing is, we dare not save labor."

For these stringent requirements for medicinal materials, and for these complicated processes that increase the cost of medicines, some new employees from Tongrentang also complained: no one saw the process of preparing medicinal materials, and some If the process is omitted, it won't necessarily affect the efficacy of the medicine, so why bother? Whenever this happens, the old Tongrentang people will use the old saying from the medicine shop to teach them: No one can see the cultivation, but God knows the intention. It is this kind of adherence to old traditions and this kind of self-discipline from the heart that allows this pharmacy to surpass its peers and become a supplier of royal medicines, and it has endured for hundreds of years.