Guilinggao

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Guīlínggāo (Traditional Chinese: 龜苓膏) is a Chinese medicine that is made with highly endangered three-lined box turtles (金錢龜) and China roots (土伏苓). It is also eaten as a dessert, made in form of a jelly.

Relatively inexpensive canned Guīlínggāo jelly with pop tops and little plastic spoons can be found in Chinatowns in the United States. Although sweet and sometimes eaten as a dessert, it is very much an acquired taste. Even in jelly form, it is quite opaque and overall, a bit too exotic for the palates of many Americans.

It is believed that Emperor Tongzhi nearly cured his smallpox by taking Guilinggao. However, Empress Cixi believed his disease could be cured by worshipping a smallpox idol. She succeeded in convincing Tongzhi to quit his Guilinggao regimen. As a result, the emperor died.