A friend kindly passed me an article (see first column) about a bee sting cure. This prompted me to search the Chinese Internet looking for more info. A few clues show:

1) “In ancient China, people used copper to cure. In the book “Special Secrete Formula” by Hu-Deh Zhang, it was mentioned that copper coins and Huang Lien [a Chinese herb] could be cooked as herbal tea to help eye inflammation, that copper green and walnuts can help liver cancer in its early stages. Some herbal medicine requires using copper utensil to cook herbs. (Per engine.cqvip.com/content/tg/92195a/2003/024/003/gc36_tg1_8296175.pdf)

2) “Certain countries’ medical practitioners tape thin and sanitized copper pieces onto inflamed spinal areas, swollen joints, and topical injuries for 6 hours or up to two days. The copper pieces turn greener and thinner. Oversea [outside China] medical practitioners heat thin copper pieces before taping them on the sides of a stuffy nose of a patient who caught a cold. The cold went away without having to take any other medicines. (Per engine.cqvip.com/content/r/98295x/1995/000/001/yy01_r1_1933855.pdf)

3) “To use copper to cure inflammation and pain, people wear copper bracelet. French scientists found that if people have insufficient magnesium, they are prone to getting kidney stones. Taking a daily dosage of 300mg of magnesium acetate may partially (Sometimes completely) eliminate kidney stones. ...According to research, people, who live in the area where drinking water contains a very low level of magnesium, tend to have stomach cancer… (www.epochtimes.com/b5/2/5/15/n189971.htm)

This is all very interesting information.

Further research is, without doubt, necessary to make this solid proof for sure. They certainly serve as home-remedies my grandma or yours would have loved to use.

Once on my trip out west to visit Grand Canyon, we stopped by a local copper mill in Utah as part of our grand tour. In the gift shop full of copper jewels, money clips, and post cards made out of copper, I met a couple buying up copper rings. Upon inquiry, they told me that they were storing up gifts for friends. “They are very good for pains” they happily informed me showing me one bracelet on the lady’s wrist. She was so proud that she presented the bracelet she was wearing. Along the metal edges, her skin showed slightly greenish color. She was unfazed by the unsightly scene.

I also fondly recalled last year in Taiwan, there came into my Traditional Chinese Medicine teacher’s clinic. An old man wore a metal ring on every one of his ten fingers. He claimed that those rings really worked for his swollen joints.