Astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou VII will rely on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to counter motion sickness during their spaceflight, a doctor from the astronauts' training center said yesterday.
The medicine, in capsule form, is called "Taikong Yangxin" (space heart-nourishing).
It can be diluted with water and taken to treat motion sickness during the space flight, said Li Yongzhi, director of the medical department at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center.
"It is made of more than 10 types of Chinese herbs, and has proven to be effective in improving the astronauts' cardiovascular condition," she said.
The medicines have been specially developed for the mission, Li said.
They have passed pathological and clinical tests and have been approved by the government's supervising authorities.
Li and her colleagues have been working with China's first generation of astronauts for a decade.
They have collated their physical data during training and space flights, and concocted different prescriptions for each astronaut.
Astronauts Yang Liwei, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, who flew in 2003 and 2005, took the herbal medicines before and after their spaceflight but not during it.
The medication they took, including herbal tea, enabled them to sleep better and recuperate faster between training sessions, doctors with the center said.
"Compared with Western medicine, the traditional Chinese medicine has less side effects, and can help astronauts recover from stress and fatigue," she said.
The highlight of their mission will be a spacewalk, which poses more motion sickness hazards.
But Li said pills aboard the spacecraft will be particularly useful for the two astronauts scheduled to carry out the extra-vehicular activities.
"The medicine will boost their physical conditions and improve their adaptability in an extreme environment," she said.
Li said that the medications will be mass produced for market sales in future.
Source:Xinhua
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