Even more important, says Yang, getting to the crux of the issue, is that "the units of natural bioproducts, cells, are alive." The composition of cells is far more complex than most people can imagine, as shown by the fact, for example, that you can leave a piece of Dioscoria (Chinese yam) root just laying around for three years and it will still produce buds.
更重要的是，「生物體的構成單位──細胞──是有活性的，」楊建新點出關鍵，一截山藥可以放三年照樣發芽，可見細胞內含的成分，遠比我們想像的複雜。