After being soaked in a herbal medicine mixture for three days, a 12-year-old traffic accident victim who had been in a coma for over 40 days has recovered consciousness.

On August 12 this year, Yang Xiaodi, of Wuming County in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, received seriously head injuries in a car accident.

He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment, but fell into a coma.

He had also suffered a fracture left thighbone and fractured ribs.

After over a month of Western medicine therapy failed to revive him, Yang's parents began to resort to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) at the end of September.

Three days after Yang was transferred to the TCM department of the Guangxi People's Hospital he received medicated bath therapy.

He was immersed in a bathtub filled with a mixture of 20 varieties of decocted medicinal herbs, at a temperature of 38 to 40 degrees Celsius. Each day, he was put in the bathtub for 30 to 40 minutes, said Tang Zhimin, the doctor in charge of the boy's TCM therapy.

After three days of treatment, the boy began to regain consciousness, and could move his limbs slightly.

According to Shi Yanshu, director of the TCM department, the bath designed for Yang contained red salvia root, safflower, cassia twigs and Chinese mugwort leaves.

They all possess special curative effects in promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, said Shi.

Doctor Tang said that the effective components of the herbal medicine, mainly absorbed through the patient's skin and respiratory system, work by activating the potential life functions in the patient's body.

Tang said that the boy's physical functions are now normal.

Each stage of treatment lasted 10 to 15 days, with intervals of five to seven days, decided by doctors in line with the patient's particular situation, Tang added.

At present, Yang is continuing the bath treatment under the TCM doctors' guidance to cure his bone fractures.

Herbal medicine baths are not only used for treating patients in critical conditions, they are also popular in cities as an assistant healing therapy for colds and chronic diseases, as well as a beauty treatment.

(eastday.com December 15, 2001)