Celebrities

TV Query: What is John Stone drinking in ‘The Night Of’?

If it’s one thing that HBO’s “The Night Of” has done right — and the show’s done many things right — it’s the realistic depiction of John Stone’s (John Turturro) eczema. For many suffering from the skin condition, it can not only breed feelings of shame and self consciousness … in some instances, eczema can be downright painful.

Over the course of the series, Stone has gone to many lengths at treating the disease, but to no avail. But in Sunday’s (Aug. 14) episode, titled “Samson and Delilah,” he finally has a breakthrough.

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Obviously fed up from the saran wrap and Crisco oil regiment he was previously on, Stone finds himself in a Chinese doctor’s office. And after what seems like just a minute of observing his feet, Doctor Lee confidently tells Stone he can help him.

Instead of the odd suggestions he previously received, this time around John is given a bag of herbs and is sent on his way. Mixing the powder with water, and struggling to drink down the awful tasting mixture, it’s not long before Stone sees his skin condition clear up. This begs the question: what was John Stone drinking?

In the world of Chinese medicine, raw herbs are the key in treating eczema. Instead of Western medicine — where steroids and creams treat the symptoms — the mixture of herbs, in powder or liquid form, are given to cure the root cause. Because, in Chinese practices, eczema is viewed as a symptom to a deeper medical issue — digestive or otherwise.

According to The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, some of these herbs included in treatments of eczema include “fang feng, tian men dong, gan cao, shi gao, yi yi ren, ku shen, sheng di huang, zhi mu, and mu dan pi, among others.” The measurements and specifics regarding each herb, and how they are used, usually depends on the severity of the condition in the patient.

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Now that we got that explanation out of the way, you’re probably wondering if it actually works. Every situation is different. But from a personal perspective, we have seen the results first-hand after watching a patient drink packets of the mysterious herbal mixture. Their extreme eczema hasn’t returned since.

With John Stone’s skin condition cured, one has to wonder if he is on the verge of a legal breakthrough in the Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed) case. With only two episodes left, something has to got to give.