Xu Ximei shows needles used for treatment.[bandao.cn]

A woman in Zhouwangzhuang village in Shandong province has cured more than 1,000 children suffering from convulsions in the last 40 years using a secret recipe and never gets stumped over the cases, Bandao Metropolitan News reported.

With a secret prescription handed down from her husband's family, Xu Ximei, 81, always wearing a radiant smile, has been helping the sufferers free of charge and enjoys a good reputation in the village.

"Don't underestimate peculiar prescriptions. It may seem enigmatic for those doctors who graduated from regular medical colleges," said Xu, whose treatment tools are steel and gold needles collected in a thick bamboo tube.

The medical practitioner heals sufferers of convulsions and epilepsy by applying different needle therapies.

Xu's husband was from a family of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) researchers. His father, a veteran of TCM and well versed in needle therapy, imparted the wisdom to Xu, his daughter-in-law, instead of his son, a teacher who was reluctant to become a doctor.

Since the 1960s, Xu has been providing her mobile medical services in such cities as Jiaozhou, Jimo, Pingdu and Qingdao, until age slowed her down. She then set up her therapy clinic at home, where many parents bring their ill children.

"I feel anxious knowing people's kids are suffering from the disease. I try my best to guarantee a cure and accumulate merit," said Xu, who has eight children, none of whom will inherit the remedy.

"Their hands shake during the hands-on practice, which is prone to accidents," she said.