Chinese have long used wine as a medicine, and China's minority groups are well experienced in the practice.
Tibetan herdsmen, in ancient times learned to use highland barley and spirits to heal wounds. In regions that have rich medicinal resources, such as Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, the minority people often soak the materials in wine to make medicine or health drinks. For example, the Yi people, in the Liangshan area of Sichuan Province, cure diarrhea by consuming Chinese prickly ash after it has been mixed with spirits
