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I’m finally recovered from my cold and back to 100% health. I spent most of Sunday evening napping or laying down, and by Monday I was down to just a slight cough. Totally good now. Oh, and as I mentioned in my last post, here is just a sampling of some of the Japanese potion medicines that I took. I also took a few Dayquil/Nyquil tablets, but overall I think sleep is what cured me. I’m usually able to fix most illnesses by sleeping. I guess the medicines help a bit though. And while this is just a sample of what I took to get over this cold, it’s an even smaller sample of the hundreds of different medicine and energy drinks they have here, most served in tiny little glass bottles.

From left to right:

• 葛根湯(Kakkontou) – Kudzu root extract. This is supposed to be taken as soon as you start to feel cold symptoms, as an early medicine. A few times I tried this last year and I was completely fine within a day or two. This time I didn’t get kakkontou in time, but it still helped a little bit I think. It costs about 800 yen for 3 vials at a drug store. You’re supposed to take 3 a day.
• C1000 Lemon – Not really medicine, but I always feel like this helps. It’s like a tiny bottle of really carbonated lemon soda. The main selling point here though is that is has 1000mg of vitamin C in each bottle – a lot. Costs about 100 yen at any grocery or convenience store.
• ルル・ゴールドＧ(RuRu Gold G) -This is an energy drink specially made to help relieve cold symptoms, like fever, sore throat, fatigue, all that fun stuff. It has all kinds of weird ingredients in it: vitamins, royal jelly, nicotinic acid, ginseng, ginger, etc. This is the super version, and costs about 600 yen at a convenience or drug store. The regular one is only 300 and doesn’t have as much mojo in it. You’re supposed to take just one a day, or you risk turning into Ultraman.

A little bit different than just taking some ‘tussin.

I caught a cold, for the first time in over a year if I remember right. Over the weekend I was laughing as I heard of various friends getting sick, thinking that this was a great time to not constantly be around the public, especially Japanese students and co-workers who would seemingly rather wear a surgical mask and infect the rest of the population than actually stay at home for a day and recover. But yeah, I got what was coming to me I guess.

I went to sleep really early (for me) last night, and slept on and off for most of this morning and afternoon. I really don’t feel that bad, just a stuffy nose and slight sore throat here and there. I think I’ll be better by the weekend. I’ve got some Dayquil/Nyquil still from the US, and have also been taking some of the Japanese energy/health drinks. I’ve taken so many little vials of Japanese potion medicine that I’m starting to feel like a Final Fantasy character. I thought the kakkontou worked at first, but I was a little too late I think. Kakkontou is supposed to only be good if you take it as soon as you feel any cold symptoms.

I’m going to do a bit more work for tomorrow, then sleep. I have a job interview and some corporate classes, then will probably spend the rest of the evening sleeping.