Sun Qing came to the clinic again, her face beaming with uncontrollable joy.

The moment she walked in, she thanked him profusely. "Doctor Li, thank you so much! My face is all better now."

She showed it to Song Sisi.

Then she asked, "Doctor Li, my acne is almost completely gone. Can I stop taking the medicine? This medicine..."

’She really didn’t want to drink it anymore.’

After all, no matter how effective the medicine was, drinking it every day was truly bitter.

Li Xu shook his head. "You can’t stop right away. You need to keep drinking it to solidify the results."

He explained in detail, "The acne disappearing only addresses the symptoms, the ’branch’ of the problem. The ’root’ of it—the heat and dampness in your body—hasn’t been completely cleared. You have to drink the medicine for another week to stabilize your condition from the root up. Otherwise, it can easily come back. It’s like building a house. If the foundation isn’t solid, it doesn’t matter how beautiful the house is; it will still collapse."

Although Sun Qing was a bit reluctant, she followed Li Xu’s advice and continued drinking the medicine for another seven days.

Over that week, she noticed the acne marks on her face slowly fading from dark brown to a light red. Her skin also became clearer and more radiant. Although there were still faint red marks, she was already very satisfied.

To thank Li Xu, Sun Qing specially invited him and Song Sisi to dinner, asking Lin Xiaoyu to come along as well.

This time, she didn’t choose a vegetarian restaurant, but an elegant one with a refined ambiance.

However, Sun Qing still ordered light dishes, not daring to touch anything spicy or heavy-flavored.

At the dinner table, Sun Qing raised her cup, using tea instead of wine. "Doctor Li, my face has healed all thanks to your miraculous skills. Even though there are still some faint red marks, it’s a world of difference compared to before. I’d like to toast you."

Li Xu picked up his teacup, accepting Sun Qing’s gratitude.

Song Sisi smiled from the side. "You can eat some spicy, heavy-flavored food in the future, but you must remember not to eat it every day. Just once in a while is fine, or you’ll have another breakout."

Lin Xiaoyu added, "That’s right, moderation is key."

Sun Qing touched her cheek, saying with a hint of regret, "It’s just these red marks. It would be even better if they could disappear completely."

Hearing this, Li Xu shook his head and said frankly, "The red marks are post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and dilated capillaries. It takes a relatively long time for them to fade completely, and it’s very difficult to make them disappear without a trace. Chinese medicine can help improve their appearance, but removing them completely is quite difficult."

Song Sisi comforted her, "It’s fine. You can’t even see them unless you look up close. Besides, you usually wear makeup. A little extra foundation will cover them up."

Sun Qing nodded. "I suppose that’s my only option."

After dinner, Li Xu returned to the clinic.

The next day, he checked the intelligence as usual.

[Today’s Intelligence: 30 grams of Aloe Vera, 10 grams of baked licorice, ground into a powder and mixed with rice water, can be used to remove marks and beautify the skin... ]

"Huh?"

Li Xu was pleasantly surprised.

Just yesterday, he had told Sun Qing that the marks on her face couldn’t be removed, and now today’s intelligence had provided the answer.

After quickly washing up, Li Xu began to analyze the formula.

The most important ingredient in the formula was Aloe Vera.

Aloe Vera is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant in the lily family, originating from regions like the Mediterranean Sea and Africa.

It has captivated countless people with its unique form and profound legends.

Its flowers are unusually shaped, with dozens of pale yellow blossoms blooming on a raceme. Each flower is covered in red spots, making them appear exceptionally enchanting.

The book *Greek Herbal Medicine* records the effects of Aloe Vera as: astringent, laxative, pain-relieving, anti-itching, anti-swelling, and antifungal. It was also used for cleansing the stomach, strengthening the body, stopping the vomiting of blood, and treating ulcers, hair loss, eye diseases, and women’s ailments.

It had many applications in ancient times.

In 333 B.C., the King of Macedonia—Alexander—first occupied Sokratis Island, the native home of Aloe Vera, and acquired a large strategic reserve of the plant.

During his eastern campaigns, King Alexander ordered large quantities of Aloe Vera to be carried for wartime needs. He used it to treat wounded soldiers, healing their festering wounds, and also to treat soldiers who had trouble acclimatizing to new environments, thereby boosting their combat effectiveness.

It could be said that Aloe Vera played a significant role in King Alexander’s establishment of a great empire spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa.

According to legend, the ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII was a devoted user of Aloe Vera.

She skillfully used Aloe Vera for skincare to maintain her youthful radiance, which allowed her to captivate two Roman heroes and, as a result, become queen.

Her daily use of Aloe Vera not only kept her skin smooth and supple but also made her radiant, giving her a beauty that was admired by all.

During World War II, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, many survivors suffered from radiation burns that no medicine could treat. It was then that people discovered only one plant still growing on the irradiated land: Aloe Vera.

Later, when people applied Aloe Vera to the wounds, a miracle occurred. The wounds treated with Aloe Vera not only healed faster but also left no scars.

In ancient China, there are also clear records and corresponding applications of Aloe Vera.

Volume 34, Wood Section, of the *Compendium of Materia Medica* records in detail:

Li Shizhen said: Aloe Vera is a medicine of the Jueyin meridians. Its main functions are to kill parasites and clear heat. All of the above-mentioned illnesses are caused by heat and parasites.

It is also said: Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty wrote in *Transmission of Truth*: When I was young, I suffered from tinea. It started on my neck, then spread to my left ear, developing into a weeping eczema that encroached upon the area. I used cantharides, dog gallbladder, peach root, and other medicines, but they only caused stinging irritation, and the sores worsened. By chance in Chuzhou, a medicine seller taught me to use one tael of Aloe Vera and half a tael of baked licorice, ground into a powder. First, wash the tinea with warm rice water, wipe it clean, and apply the powder. It dried up immediately and I was cured. Truly miraculous.

Translated, this means:

Li Shizhen believed that Aloe Vera is a medicine that affects the Terminal Yin Liver Meridian of the Foot and the Terminal Yin Pericardium Meridian of the Hand.

Its main functions are to kill parasites and clear away pathogenic heat.

The aforementioned illnesses are all caused by pathogenic heat and parasites within the body.

In the *Compendium of Materia Medica*, he also included a story recorded by Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty in *Transmission of Truth*, about his own personal experience treating a tinea sore with Aloe Vera.

When Liu Yuxi was young, he once suffered from tinea. It started on his neck and later spread to his left ear, developing into a weeping sore that continuously spread and eroded the skin.

Relying on his own medical knowledge, he tried to treat it with medicines like cantharides, dog gallbladder, and peach root, but the result was only a painful stinging sensation on his skin, and his condition actually worsened.

On one occasion in Chuzhou, a medicine seller taught him to use one tael of Aloe Vera and half a tael of baked licorice, grinding them into a powder.

First, he was to wash the affected tinea area with warm rice water, wipe it dry, and then apply the powder. As a result, the tinea dried up quickly, and he was immediately cured.

Liu Yuxi used his own story to illustrate the remarkable efficacy of Aloe Vera in treating tinea sores.