Eu Yan Sang Medical Hall, Singapore

First opened in the early 20th century and now very tastefully refurbished, this is Singapore’s most famous traditional Chinese medicine center where visitors can discover ancient Chinese methods of treatment across a wide range of products and an inventory of more than a thousand herbs.

The peculiar herbal smell is the first thing one notices upon entering; the second, is the interesting assortment of ingredients on the shelves. Besides the usual herbs and roots favored by the Chinese, there is a section called Birds' Nest Gallery, which casts light on this famous Chinese “delicacy”. Produced by birds known as swiftlets, the nests are a mixture of saliva, moss and grass, and emerged as a prized supplement among China’s royal and noble classes during the Ming Dynasty. Today they are still valued for their supposed efficacy in boosting the immune system and curing bronchial ailments. The swiftlets live high up in the caves of Southeast Asia, and you may be shown a video of men scaling long bamboo poles to get the nests.

Just a few doors down at no. 285, the egg tarts, walnut cookies, buns and other Chinese cakes at the Tong Heng Delicacies shop offer a great way to top up your blood sugar level before pressing on to other sights.

[Eu Yan Sang Medical Hall] Mon-Sat: 8:30am–6pm
[Birds' Nest Gallery] Mon-Sat: 10am–5:30pm
[Tong Heng Delicacies] Daily: 9am–9pm