1313：A Great Doctor who Heals the Human Mind, Assuaging Numerous Sufferings in Silence

Prostrations to His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, Dharma Protector Achi, and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. I am Ye Xin Xian from Group Eight, and my Dharma name is Hui Xiang Drolma. I am grateful to Rinpoche for bestowing me the opportunity to hereby publicly praise the guru and share with you the methods by which the guru benefits sentient beings. 
 
Since its debut fifteen years ago, Bao Yuan Gao has been almost a treasured family heirloom of the Glorious Jewel, exceedingly plain yet highly versatile. At the end of 2018, Rinpoche instructed us to use scientifically validated methods to demonstrate the clinical effects of Bao Yuan Gao. Thus, after deciding to test the effects of Bao Yuan Gao on skin repair following radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, a lengthy research process was initiated. Later, I gradually came to realize how difficult this topic was. Throughout the process, the persons, circumstances, and objects I encountered, and the luck and courage I received, all came from Rinpoche’s protection that has never been spoken of.
 
Cancer radiotherapy involves directing high-intensity radiation at the cancerous area to kill cancer cells, and the entire course of treatment lasts approximately four to six weeks. During the treatment, patients’ skin at the site exposed to radiation develops a severe burning sensation, and redness and swelling appear, followed by sloughing, peeling, and even necrosis; this is called radiation dermatitis. The side effects of radiotherapy can only be alleviated with medication or soothed with moisturizing gels to ease skin discomfort. However, the wounds and pain caused by radiation, as well as the patient’s quality of life, cannot be improved. Patients can only endure and struggle through the treatment, or abandon it midway.
 
The Bao Yuan Gao trial was conducted by randomly dividing patients with head and neck cancer into two groups: one group received Bao Yuan Gao, and the other received medical-grade calendula moisturizing gel. During the treatment cycle, participants were asked to apply either Bao Yuan Gao or calendula moisturizing gel to the irradiated area. Besides, at the beginning, middle, and end of the treatment, eight measurements were taken at each stage to assess the moisture level, sebum production, pore, pigmentation, acne, fine lines, and sensitivity of the participants’ irradiated skin. In addition, an international dermatology research questionnaire was administered to evaluate the participants’ pain, the comfort feeling from the applied medicine, and quality of life during the entire treatment cycle. The whole process required each participant to be followed for 12 weeks, amounting to four months.
 
Obtaining approval for such a clinical trial took nearly a year, and the subsequent outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic further slowed the enrollment process. The trial began enrolling participants at the end of 2019 and officially concluded in early 2023. It spanned a two-stage project over three years, with 55 participants enrolled.
 
Next, we began organizing the extremely complex and vast volume of data. I felt that the first round of data analysis was not rigorous, and the entire process was redone. During the second round of data integration, I still felt that something was missing. Rinpoche said at that time, ‘Isn’t this able to reduce the sensation of pain?’ So the entire process was redone. For the third time, I felt that the figures were not visually appealing enough, and we redid the process. I was in the study room, with the mandala beside me, continually redoing and rewriting. Starting over from scratch was no big deal; what I wanted was that when I look back one day, there would be no regret that I could have done better.

After the data were organized, I began writing the scientific paper for submission in the summer of 2024, at which time Rinpoche granted me permission to serve as the first author. In a scientific paper, the first author is defined as the primary contributor. Rinpoche was willing to take the lead as the first author, and my immediate reaction was, ‘Huh? Is that even allowed?’ I think that only after going through some experience will I understand Rinpoche’s intention in serving as the first author, but in any case, it will be perfectly fine for me, and I will accept it gladly.
 
Authorship order has always been a battleground fiercely contested within the research community, and it is common that fighting for the order escalates to the point where people fall out and no longer interact with each other. I spoke candidly with the research team about the authorship order, and they all respected this arrangement. For our first submission, we directly took the challenge for submission to the official academic journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Radiotherapy & Oncology. This journal is abbreviated as the Green Journal and is one of the top-tier journals; another journal is the official American journal, abbreviated as the Red Journal. If a paper can be accepted by either of these two journals, it is basically something worth setting a table and treating everyone to a meal.

At that time, we thought we would try to see whether the critiques from a top-tier journal would be extremely sharp, and we did not dare imagine that research on Chinese herbal medicine could be accepted. From the first round of review to our response, the process alone took eight months. Over half of the reviewers’ comments were positive, but the scientific issues they raised were by no means easy to address. The reviewers’ comments in the second round of review were more detailed. One question directly hit the red mark: the first author is the president of the company that manufactures the medication used in this study. The reviewers had no way of knowing the professional backgrounds of the authors, and regarding this new information, the academic qualifications of the first author were of particular importance (whether the first author is a scientific researcher, a medical professional, or neither?). I received the email notification while I was in the car, and I pulled over to the side of the road and read the question, feeling that whatever needed to be faced should be confronted. After arriving at the office, I responded directly:
 
The first author, Mr. Ngan, is the president of the Glorious Jewel Group and played a key role in the development of Bao Yuan Gao. This ointment originated from a traditional Chinese medicinal topical formula recorded in Ming dynasty imperial texts. Although Mr. Ngan does not possess a formal scientific or medical background, his primary contribution lies in preserving and modernizing this historical medicine formula, which has long continued within the traditional Chinese medicine system based on family transmission and experience.
 
Through Mr. Ngan’s facilitation, the formulation of this medication was standardized, and this medicine was manufactured by Sun Ten Pharmaceutical Co., one of the most reputable pharmaceutical manufacturers in Asia and a GMP-certified company. Sun Ten Pharmaceutical Co. was established in 1946 and has been certified under international standards such as ISO and PIC/S GMP, supplying traditional Chinese medicine products to many worldwide medical institutions and universities. This facilitation ensures that the medication used in this study meets the quality and safety standards of modern pharmaceutical manufacturing.
 
Mr. Ngan also provided the funding required for the study and logistical assistance. It is worth emphasizing that he did not participate in patient recruitment, data collection, statistical analysis, or the interpretation of results. All the study design, data handling, and statistical analysis were independently conducted by the clinical research team. We expect that the above explanation will fully clarify Mr. Ngan’s authorship and let the reviewers have greater confidence in the methodological integrity and transparency of this study. 
 
If you ask me whether I was afraid the paper might be rejected because of this, I must admit I was afraid for a few seconds, but I had not the slightest hesitation regarding the authorship order. Later, this paper was officially accepted in June 2025. I have spoken of this process lightly, but it is composure that reflects one’s true skill, which refers to Rinpoche.

Let me give you an idea of how rare and hard-won this paper is. From 1967 to 2025, over nearly 60 years, there have been approximately 5,000 papers on radiation dermatitis, including research on cells, animals, and clinical trials. About one-tenth of these papers (560 papers) truly reached the clinical stage. There are around 102 papers related to therapeutic drugs, among which 22 papers are on herbal ingredients. Fewer than five papers were published in top-tier flagship journals. The paper you all see here is one of them, having passed a selection process with a success rate of less than one in a thousand.
 
The definition of a top-tier journal is a flagship academic journal in the field, with an overall ranking within the top 10%, or having an impact factor greater than 5. The general graduation requirement for a PhD program at a university is the publication of one academic paper with an impact factor greater than 5. If a student had worked on this topic at that time, he or she could have earned a doctoral degree.
 
This paper is not perfect—the sample size is not large enough. Typically, a few hundred or over a thousand samples are required to meet the standards of Western medicine research. Compared with Western medicine, the experimental design is also less rigorous and profound. For instance, the background and efficacy of the traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients in Bao Yuan Gao were not examined as individually as Western medicine. But this is a benevolent beginning. Rinpoche led the way and directly tackled the most difficult barrier in Chinese herbal medicine research, breaking through it in a single effort to enter a top-tier Western journal. Being placed side by side for evaluation, it turned out that this is indeed possible.

I was fully aware that, throughout the entire process, in fact, no one had much confidence in it. No one believed this research would succeed; no one believed that my research background could carry out such a completely cross-disciplinary project; and no one believed that undertaking this study was the right decision. All of the above indifference and doubt did not matter to me, nor did I pay attention to it; none of it was important, and I merely needed to be accountable to one person. In the cycle of constantly analyzing, overturning my own work, and analyzing again, I was truly sustained by a single belief. This bottle of Bao Yuan Gao has been scientifically proven to reduce the pain caused by radiation therapy, increase moisture levels, and decrease erythema. What everyone sees is not just a paper or a bottle of ointment, but an intention that can truly endure and remain. In everything one does, when one minimizes one’s own interests, even to the point of having none, it is more possible to succeed. This is the most important thing the guru taught me in this course.

Rinpoche is my guru, and what he teaches me is Buddha Dharma; it is not only Buddha Dharma, and in fact, all is Buddha Dharma. By documenting this Bao Yuan Gao study online in a scientific manner, the names of the Glorious Jewel and Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche are preserved as well. I pray that this brings relief to the suffering of more people, and even opens the way to greater possibilities for kindness. I pray for the safety and good health of the Founding Abbot Guru of the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Monastery of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, and for him to stay in the world eternally. 

Respectfully written by disciple Ye Xin Xian, Group Eight, 

 on January 4, 2026

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Updated on January 8, 2026