recommended: dit da jow medicine

[User24]

As a kid I used to get bruises on my shins, in which case my dad would bring out a bottle of the "bruise medicine". It would be rubbed gently directly into bruises for up to 30 minutes, allowing them to heal faster. It also speeded up the healing process for sprains, muscle damage, etc.

I can't remember the last time I got a bruise, it just doesn't happen anymore these days. But I did get the elbow tendonitis before ie after arm wrestling, progressing too fast on rings, etc.

For such injuries as these, in my experience dit dat jow is ideal for speeding up the healing process. I use it after every ring training session and before bed, allowing me to heal much faster and miss less training days after pulling something.

There are many kinds. I went to a chinese pharmacy and purchased a $10 herb formula of dit dat jow, then soaked it in 1.75 liters of vodka in a leakproof container (glass, ceramic, stored in a dark place).

It will be ready to use starting in 30 days. Every week or so I will gently roll / move the container to get the contents moving around while it is aging. Such a large quantity should last me a few years, so as it continues to age it will become stronger. Even if I spent $35 or $70 for the herbs, which is how much some of the stronger recipies cost, it's still a ton of medicine.

I use a 2 oz glass bottle with dropper to bottle it for use. Perhaps a 1/4 tsp is poured out onto a small dish at a time. I dip my fingertips to moisten them in the liquid, then begin working it directly into my damaged muscles, tendons, etc. When my fingertips start to dry out and as the medicine is absorbed, I moisten them again on the dish and repeat until it is gone. Then I pour myself some more. This continues for 15 to 30 minutes, using firm pressure to work the medicine through the skin and into the areas underneath. It is common for my fingers to get tired doing this.

The direct massage helps a lot, and the medicine itself always makes recovery incredibly fast in my opinion.

While it is aging, I have to make do with some pre-bottled commercial dit dat jow, which is not as strong, but still much better than nothing.

This is just FYI, so you know about it, and then can do your own research and come to your own conclusions. There are a billion recipies, various ready-made types, and many secret recipies that are kept in the family. I'm not going to recommend any names in particular, that's not why I posted.

The stuff you find on the shelves at a normal supermarket, are pain remedies. Dit dat jow works on a deeper level, not like those quick "menthol burn" types with no healing benefit.

[Blairbob]

Very interesting, we only used such remedies and medicines on our knuckles from makiwara training and our shins for dowel/baseball bat breaking. I didn't think of ever using stuff like this on the joints.

[Okami]

Hey Guys

If you aren't in the mood to play yellow emperor chemist, or if your wife will scold you for stinking up the kitchen. You can purchase a wide variety of TCM remedies here: http://www.shopsuigetsu.com/

I am a big fan of the "bone knitting" powder and the medicated plasters. This is also pretty handy if you live in an area that does not really have any traditional chinese pharmacies nearby. A lot of the remedies can also be looked up on Tom Bisio's "Tooth From the Tiger's Mouth" Book, isbn :0743245512

Hope this helps..

[Blairbob]

cool, pretty sure I could find stuff like this in San Francisco China Town since I haven't been to China Town in LA in ages.