In one of my recent blog entries I talked about the relationships between Wu Shu (Chinese Martial Arts) and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In this article I would like to share some practical Chinese medicine with everyone.

Below is a formula for a medicinal wine that is commonly used for practicing Iron Hand but is also good for most muscle injuries. When I lived in Taiwan I made this trauma liniment (Die-Da Jio) by myself and I found it very useful to my practice. It is good for preventing and treating injuries that may take a long time to recover from, like a sprained ankle or twisted knee, something Western medicine is not particularly good at treating. It can also be used as first aid to help reduce the risk of skin infections in minor cuts and burns. It offers some minor pain relief from aching muscles. To use it rub it into your skin/muscles/joints 1 to 3 times a day. Let it dry and leave uncovered, though you may cover it with a sterile bandage (i.e. Band-Aid).
Ingredients for TCM Medicinal Rice Wine:
Chinese Eaglewood??, Safflower??, Red Paeony Root??, Peach Seed??
Myrrh??, Frankincense??, Fineleaf Schizonepeta Herb??, Costustoot??
Bitter Orange??, Szechuan Lovage Rhizome??, Platycodon Root??,
Dragon’s Blood??, Cortex Moutan???, Chinese Angelica??, Cape Jasmine Fruit??, Tortoise Shell??. The above-mentioned sixteen Chinese medicines three measurements each (??16? ???).
You can copy this formula and bring it to a Chinese medicine store and ask them to collect the ingredients for you. Then get a big glass or ceramic jar with a lid (often can be bought in Chinatown too) and a muslin/cheesecloth/new paint-strainer bag. Put the ingredients, whole, into the bag, then into the pot and cover with rice wine, about three bottles worth. Wait. After seven days you can use it. Pour off small amounts of the wine for use but leave most of it to steep until you use it all up. The older the wine is, the better.
If you think this is too much work for you, you can also go to the Chinese Medicine store to find ready-made “Die-Da Jio ”. There are many different kinds. I found one kind that works very well for me. Its name is “Feng Liao Xing Feng Shi Die Da Yao Jiu”, made by the Foshan Feng Liao Xing Pharmaceutical co Ltd. It’s a 500mL glass bottle with a green and yellow label. I think you should be able to find it, or something very similar, in any place that has a TCM herb shop (probably in your city’s Chinatown.)

I would also like to introduce you to “American-Ginseng Tonic.” It is used to increase vitality/energy, increase stamina, improve eyesight, support the liver and kidneys and as a powerful tonic to strengthen the body against colds, viruses and diseases. I drink this everyday in the winter, and my students at every winter class. I get fewer colds and illnesses than the rest of my family and students.
Ingredient for American-Ginseng Tonic:
American Ginseng??? Membranous Milkvetch Root (Astragalus sinicus) /?? Wolfberry/Lycium berry/GoJi??? .JuJube/Chinese Date(red or black)??
In a medium size kettle combine 3 sticks Astragalus (look like tongue depressors) or about 40g, 6-9 Jujube dates, 50g ginseng, and 1/4 cup Goji berries (about 50g). Cover with fresh cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off immediately and drink. Leaves the herbs in the kettle because this mix can be re-used 3 or 4 times more. Add fresh water and simmer for progressively longer periods i.e. 15 sec for the 2nd time, 15 min for the 3rd time.)
Here is an interesting link about ginseng: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HKP/is_2001_Summer-Fall/ai_81596708
And another interesting link, about Astragalus:
http://earthnotes.tripod.com/astragalus.htm

And another, about Wolfberries/Goji berries:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfberry
For the Jujube date look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujube

Another highly useful TCM patent medicine I use is “Po Chai” (b?o jì wán ???). It is very useful for treating trouble with your digestive system i.e. a stomach ache or intestinal pain. My wife finds it’s the only thing that helps her indigestion. The packaging also claims it is effective for the relief of headaches, pain, vomiting and diarrhea and the prevention of hangovers.
Po Chai is made by the Li Chung Shing Tong (Holdings) Ltd company in Hong Kong. They hold the patent to its formula. It has 12 ingredients; Polyporus (fu-ling), Southern Tsangshu (Cag-Zhu) rhizome, Patchouly (Huo-Xiang) Herb, Fragrant Angelica, Kudzu vine (Ga-Gen) root, Magnolia Root Bark, Massa Fermentata (Medicated Leaven), Job’s Tears seed, Germinated Rice, Trichosanthes, Field Mint herb, Halloysite, Chrysanthemum flower, Red Tangerine peel. It comes in a plastic vial holding 30-40 little brown balls of medicine that you take with water up to 4 times a day.

Finally I would like to introduce “Pei Pa Koa” (??????????) to you. It is also a patent TCM medicine. The Nin Jiom Company, from King To, makes my favourite. It’s a cough syrup that is especially good for giving you relief from a productive cough as it helps bring up the stuff in your lungs and reduce your heavy coughing, thereby offering some pain relief. It also helps you if you have a sore throat, hoarseness, and loss of voice.
Pei Pa Koa’s ingredients are:
Fritillaria bulb (chuan bei mu), loquat leaf(pi pa ye), ladybell root(nan sha shen), Poria cocos(fu ling), Pomelo peel(mao ju hong), Chinese bellflower root(jie geng), pinellia rhizome(ban xia), schisandra chinenesis seed(wu wei zi), trichosanthes seed(gua lou zi), coltsfoot flower (guan dong hua), thinleaf milkwort root (yuan zhi), bitter apricot kernel (ku xing ren), fresh ginger (shen jiang), liquorice root(gan cao) in a syrup and honey base.
You can learn more about it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nin_Jiom_Pei_Pa_Koa

I hope being aware of these TCM medicines will help you improve your life.

Danny

Please remember that you use this information at your own risk. I am not a medical doctor (TCM or Western) and this information does not substitute for the advice of a trained professional.

The high quality Chinese Herbal Patchs/ Chinese Herbal Sprays/ Ointments are available at the Dharmazen online store:http://www.damazen.com/cargo/index.html