Note: The following is not a recommendation. I write about this for informational purposes only. It is always best to consult with a doctor before taking any medication.
TCM stands for Traditional Chinese Medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine has been around for thousands of years and therefore has quite a few remedies that Westerners would normally turn to prescription drugs for.
If you are traveling to China and planning to venture to some high altitude locations, you may not have thought of bringing a prescription for Diamox. Diamox is a drug that is prescribed to offset the effects of altitude sickness. However, it is not available for prescription in China. So if you decide that you might need something to help you combat the effects of altitude, you won’t be able to get Diamox once you’ve reached China.
A local traditional Chinese medicine remedy
There is something you can take to prevent the adverse effects of altitude sickness. It is a traditional Chinese medicine remedy for altitude sickness that is available in traditional pharmacies throughout China without a prescription. Its Chinese name is hong jing tian (红景天).
Why use Hong Jing Tian?
If you are concerned about the effects of high altitude, then hong jing tian may be worth a try. Although the altitude does not usually affect me negatively, I decided to buy some and give it a try for a trip to Lijiang (2400m) and Zhongdian / “Shangri-La” (3300m).
While it is recommended to start taking a week before reaching high altitude, I started taking the pills only five days before leaving for the trip.
The dosage is 2 pills twice a day and I took two pills in the morning and two at night. It didn’t give me any side effects that I detected. I felt the altitude in Lijiang only when I was carrying my 3 year old daughter up the stairs but otherwise I had no ill effect. Lijiang is located 2400m above sea level.
After Lijiang, we went to a small town called Tacheng which is approximately 2000+ m above sea level. At Tacheng I didn’t really feel any negative effects on the altitude. Finally, we visit Zhongdian (Shangri-La). That was the highest point of our trip. Shangri-la is approximately 3300m above sea level. Here one could certainly feel the effects, especially after climbing three flights of stairs to our hotel room. But aside from shortness of breath and mild headaches, the altitude didn’t stop us.
Is Hong Jing Tian effective?
Did the Hong Jing Tian help with the high altitude? I’ll never know for sure, but I was glad I had it and took it. When I travel with my kids or when I don’t have a lot of free time (when do I do it?), I like to have the insurance that hopefully I won’t suffer when I’m on vacation. Because the drug is available over the counter and inexpensive, I will probably take it again the next time I travel to a high altitude location.
