Lian had kept the supplement sample under controlled conditions for several days. She set two covered vessels on the table, one with the additive alone and one mixed with a common refinery medicine. The second had changed color slightly.
“Before anyone reads this as a general diagnosis,” she said, “these are test samples. They are not a substitute for a patient examination.”
Qinghe checked the labels and asked Lian to repeat the mixture with a fresh portion. The first reaction had been clear enough to justify a warning, but she wanted to know it was not a measuring error.
Lian measured again. The second sample clouded, then thickened.
“The additive reacts with this medicine and increases nausea in the trial mixture,” she said. “We can’t explain every worker’s symptom from this. We can warn patients not to combine the products until we finish the review.”
Ning had the clinic appointment list open. One worker described a queasy stomach that settled after a meal; another had felt nauseated while walking home. The other two reported no nausea, though both had taken the combination after work. Ning wrote each account on a separate sheet and asked the workers to check her wording.
