Medicinal pillows were long in use in traditional Chinese medicine. Modern medical science has proved that the efficacious ingredients of the medicinal herbs stuffed into such pillows can volatilize, penetrate the acupuncture points and be absorbed by skin or mucous membrane to cure a disease.
Natural herbal or animal medicines are mixed according to a formula designed for the treatment of a certain disease before they are stuffed into a medicinal pillow. A pillow filled with the mixture of buckwheat husk and silkworm increment has a good cooling effect; a pea-filled pillow helps cure sunstroke and dizziness; and a pillow stuffed with white Flos Chrysanthemi (Juhua), pea skin, buckwheat husk, mulberry leaves and cassia seeds is used for treatment of eye diseases.
The medicinal pillow comes handy as a medical aid. When one falls asleep with his head on such a pillow, his nose, tongue, skin and acupuncture points can absorb the essence of what is stuffed in it to prevent or cure disease or protect his health.