Good ole liniments

Back in early 2007, I began my exploration into making liniments with Chinese herbs. While my intent was to just use them on clients and my loved ones, I have found a demand for them.

My first batch was made in January, my second batch in June/July. I made a die da jiu (trauma liniment) and a tendon relaxing liniment. At first, if someone had a jar, I would sell it to them that way. Later, I bought some nice amber colored bottles with dropper's to make it easier. When the liniment is handy, it is also easier for clients to use it, rather then have to go to Kamwo and have it shipped. Good for everyone all around.



One positive comment from a man who hurt his knee and didn't know what to do. I suggested his wife lightly massage the trauma liniment into the knee and surrounding area a few times a day. She reported the swelling decreased within hours. I also suggested san huang san but his wife wasn't to interested. :)

More information on treating common injuries can be found in Tom Bisio's book A Tooth from the Tiger's Mouth as well as practical information on prevention, diet and exercise.

And just a small suggestion. After you buy the book, you will read of various products that are good to have on hand for when that injury does occur. Trust me, from experience I can tell you, have that stuff handy. Many things can take days to ship and by then your injury is worse. I highly suggest everyone have some trauma liminent and san huang san, just to name a few. If you are local to me, I can supply both those things. If you know me, you got my number. :)

Peace!

Herbal Aid Kit

I don't often recommend products to my readers but today I make an exception. I was browsing Kamwo Pharmacy's website and found they put together a kit of their most useful Chinese herbal remedies.

Click here to take a look.

The kit is made up of items for cuts, burns, bruising, the common cold, the flu, viral infections, stomach issues and even a remedy for bad breath. It covers most typical illnesses families get yearly.

I actually have a few of these items in my own little kit but plan to add more. Possibly I will just buy the kit so that I can have them all handy and to share. The price is right, at $24.95. There is nothing worse then getting sick and not having something to take when you need it. And if you are like me, you do not live close to a Chinese Pharmacy.

Take a look, read the information. See if its for you. If you are interested, don't wait till its to late. Buy them while healthy, especially if you are prone to that yearly cold or flu. Flu season will be here before we realize it.

Liniments

Last week I begun to make another batch of Chinese liniments. I had to order more herbs from Kamwo and they arrived while I was gone. I was aware of what I ordered to some extent. I know what tu bie chong is. I know to look for it in case its ever in a herbal formula I have to take internally. But when I opened the little brown bag with the herbs in it and stuck my hand down to 'sift' through the herbs, imagine my disgust at touching a dead wingless cockroach! Not just one, might I add. 12 grams worth of the little buggers. Now they float around in a jar of vodka, surrounded by roots, branches, leaves, hunks of unknown things, ect.

I wish I could have had to stomach to take pictures before I dumped everything into the jar. Is is some sort of weirdness that makes me think a dead bug will come alive and crawl on me? I have seen to many horror movies and sci-fi specials in my life for sure.

Here you will see a picture of what is in the jars. Many of the herbs have settled to the bottom or are ground into a powder. I have started 2 separate liniments. The first is a trauma liniment or die da jui.



The second is a tendon relaxing liniment.




These liniments can be purchased ready for use from Kamwo in NYC. I personally find it fun to make them myself. In an earlier post I explained that the liniments soak for 6 months or longer for a better stronger liniment. These will go off into the closet to emerge at a later date.

Peace and love all!

Herbal Soaks

Here are a bunch of herbs that are added to a soak used to relieve muscle spasms, tightness, and restricted movement. It will decrease pain and help move stasis. Some of the herbs in this soak as dang gui, su mu, hong hua, bai zhi and ru xiang.

The herbs are either thrown into a pot of water OR for easy clean up, put into big tea bags.



This bag will be sewn up so that it can easily go into the trash when complete.

So what do you do with these 'soaks'??? Well, fill up your largest cooking pot with 3 gallons of water and throw in the herbs. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes. You may add vinegar or alcohol after taking the pot off the stove. When it has cooled down enough to handle, throw an old, thick hand towel into the water, wring it out and place it on the area that needs attention. If its a foot/ankle/hand/wrist, you can just submerge those into the pot. Again, make sure its not to hot! You want to do this 15-20 minutes, 2-3 times a day for 5-7 days. This pot of cooked herbs can be covered and reused for up to 7 days. It doesn't need to be re-boiled again, just heat it to a comfortable temperature.

A little warning: this herbal concoction creates a dark water that can stain white material. I always use an old dark colored towel. If you are placing the towel on your neck or back or shoulder, make sure you either have an old shirt on or no shirt at all. When doing the back it is always very handy to have a partner assist you.

A second warning: don't use a hot soak on an area with inflammation or open sores. Anytime you wouldn't normally apply heat, these soaks may not be the best thing for you. There are soaks that are used with the water at a cooler temperature but for now lets stick with this to not confuse. :)

So while not everyone has a supply of Chinese herbs handy, I recommend going to Kamwo (see link on right side of blog) and ordering pre-made soaks.

Chinese Herbs

One of the most amazing things I have been taught in the recent months are the use of Chinese herbs on injuries. They can be used externally in liniments, poultices or soaks and also used internally. Since I am not a licensed herbalist, I will not get into internal herbs.

Liniments are basically made by adding specific herbs to alcohol and letting the mixture sit for months. Chinese herbs aren't always what most American's think of as herbs. They can be dried barks, roots, twigs, berries, fruits, and some of the most unusual would be bugs. One of the times I have ordered my herbs, using Chinese pin yin's to communicate, I accidentally got dried fish belly instead of a pepper seed. So the ingredients in Chinese formula's are often very amazing while some people probably would choose to not get into specifics!

The reasons to use herbs when treating injuries are vast. In acute injuries, Chinese herbs can be used to substitute ice. While we have been told to follow RICE when we get hurt (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation), in Chinese sports medicine, using ice to treat inflammation can further inhibit healing because fluids and blood will congeal and be harder to break up later.

After inflammation is reduced, liniments and/or soaks can be used to continue healing. Even when treating chronic conditions, herbs can inhance healing along with acupressure and massage. What is convenient are these methods can easily be done at home on a regular basis.

Check back soon and I will get show you how to make a poultice.