Last month, I attended the 11th Malaysia Charity Festival. Miracle Medicine was one of this year’s co-organising partners, and I said a few words on stage. On the way back to Singapore, I kept turning over one question — why, after all these years, I still haven’t grown tired of this work.

It isn’t because I see myself as especially noble. It’s because I once went through that same feeling of helplessness myself — not knowing what else I could do for someone close to me, just watching. Someone later reached out and pulled me through it, and that was when I understood how much that single act can mean. That experience is part of why I went into this field, researching porcupine bezoar in the first place.

“What matters most is how much it means to someone, when another person chooses to reach out and help, at the moment they need it most.”

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The Question I Get Asked Most Often in Singapore

After all these years, the question I’m asked most often is still the same one: is there actually science behind porcupine bezoar? My answer is always direct — I’m not asking you to believe me right away. I’d rather you understand it properly first.

I take part in this research not to prove that porcupine bezoar is miraculous. It’s because I want a more rigorous way to understand how this traditional material actually works — what it can do, what it can’t, and under what conditions it might matter at all. That answer is still incomplete. But we’re looking for it seriously.

What the Charity Festival Reminded Me

Standing on that stage, looking out at so many entrepreneurs, volunteers, and community organisations, I realised — what we do in research carries the same spirit. It isn’t marketing. It’s because behind every data point is a family still waiting for an answer. If I don’t make that work clear and transparent, then I’m no different from anyone simply selling a product off a shelf.

So whether it’s a charity festival or work in the lab, the direction is the same for me — can it spare someone an unnecessary detour, and can it give them a properly grounded answer when they need one.

A Note for My Singapore Readers

I want to be clear here: porcupine bezoar is a traditional natural health product. It is not a registered medicine, nor a therapeutic product. What we’re discussing is body conditioning and the modernisation of a traditional resource — not a replacement for proper medical care. If you’re currently undergoing treatment, or have any concerns about your health, please consult a qualified healthcare professional first. That’s a line I hold to regardless of the occasion.

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