Kitchen Dit Da Jow

[Jeff Burger]

Here is a simple short list of some Dit Da Jow ingredients.
Jows can have different goals, from healing bruises to being more of a brine (skin toughener).

Choose your ingredients, I mix them in Vodka in a light block glass bottle.

Sometimes I just use a piece of Ginger.
Cut off a piece of the end and use the moist / juicy part.

Dont just slap it on.
Work it like a massage and work away from the heart.
Example if you have a shin bruise start above the bruise and work down to the toes.

Massage itself can help by increasing circulation.
even just massaging your feet can help with shin bruises and hands for arm bruises.
The more circulation past the poit of injury the faster the healing.
Heat rubs work cause they are irratants and draw circulation.


Analgesic
Arnica, Comfrey, Rosemary, Meadowsweet, Ginger, Witch Hazel, peppermint,spearmint, Wintergreen, coriander

Antiseptic
Rosemary, Ginger, Thyme, sandalwood(wood not oil), sage, echinacea

Antibiotic
Rosemary, Lavender, Blessed Thistle, Ginger, Goldenseal, Eucalyptus, Thyme

Stimulant
Rosemary, Lavender, Ginger, Mints-Peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, eucalyptus, watercress, star anise, savory, nutmeg, horse radish, ginseng, fennel,
cayenne, cardamom, angelica, allspice

Anti Inflammatory
Arnica, Comfrey, Blessed Thistle, Sasparilla, Chamomile, Calendula, Witch Hazel, Wintergreen, White Willow, marjoram, fenugreek, coriander

Anticoagulant
Blessed Thistle, Meadowsweet, Wintergreen, White Willow, ginseng, echinacea


Jeff

[Jim]

If nothing else works at least you'll taste good! ;)

[KickChick]

True , the secret is in the rubbing. Soft tissue manipulation alone will promote many of the qualities without the jow, though the stuff does speed up the healing and prevents improper drainage and stagnation problems.
Here is a recipe I have that uses common Chinese herbs that are for the most part easy to get in herb catalogs or stores if you have a Chinatown (New York) or wholistic community near you.
(these are the botanical names and Chinese names)
1 oz.=30 grams

1 bottle of strong vodka, gin or Chinese rice wine
Artemesia (Liu ji nu) - 5g
Borneol (Bingpian) - 1g
Carthamus (Honghua) - 5g
Catechu (Ercha) - 8g
Cinnabar (Zhusha) - 5g
Cirsium (DaJi) - 1g
Dragon's Blood (Xuejie) - 30g
Mastic (Ruxiang) - 5g
Musk (Shexiang) - 1g
Myrrh (Moyao) - 5g
Pinellia (ShengBanXia) - 5g

Take all ingredients and grind into a fine powder, add the whole bottle of vodka or gin. Mix well and rub into the injured area. ... you don't have to bury it for 35 days to two month before you can use it. Classically when you make Dit Jow it you have to bury it underground for an extended period of time before you can use it. Sunlight and heat oxidize the herbs and change the chemical properties
To ferment and age your herbal concoction ....alcohol. Really...100 year old Scotch Whiskey is supposed to be better!

If you desire to have the herbs soak, pour the combination into a "dark" glass container and place it in a closet or cupboard where it shouldn't get too hot, and periodically shake the liniment once or twice a week. You should note that if you do this the traditional way then the herbs are loosely ground, and not into a powder. ... the longer they sit in the bottle the stronger the jow becomes.
A good homemade jow should look like soy sauce in color and have a slight alcohol, medicine smell.

[ZenTinTin]

Hi Kick,
That Jow recipe much like the Tiger balm you posted
is from John Crescione I am assuming?

[morphus]

One tip - don't get these mixtures near your genitals, don't ask me how i know:eek:

[Jeff Burger]

I posted herbs more easily found.

For the Chinese herbs if you dont have a Chinatown in your area get a email bud in a city near you that has one and maybe they can send you some.

I live in Boston Mass. USA and send Chinese herbs to friends regularly.

I make my own Tiger Balm and pre-training oil too (similar to Thai oil).

Jeff

[KickChick]

Originally posted by ZenTinTin
Hi Kick,
That Jow recipe much like the Tiger balm you posted
is from John Crescione I am assuming?

You assume correctly .... I couldn't remember where I 'found' that particular recipe and lo and behold it was from HERE! (http://www.martialartsplanet.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=73)

[flippedout6]

hey umm do you drink fit da jow

[Kwajman]

Orrrrrrrrr, you could just drink the 100 year old scotch, get all liquored up, then you won't care if you have some bruises or injuries!!! Sorry, had to say it...

[flippedout6]

so its a painkiller drink then or something like bengay :confused:

[zun]

No it's a rub! Do not drink it!

It's like vicks vaporub (do you guys have that in the US?) My mum uses it for everything... cold? vaporub. runny nose? vaporub. hurt knee - vaporub! And no, the knee doesn't have a cold

[47Ronin]

"1 bottle of strong vodka, gin or Chinese rice wine
Artemesia (Liu ji nu) - 5g
Borneol (Bingpian) - 1g
Carthamus (Honghua) - 5g
Catechu (Ercha) - 8g
Cinnabar (Zhusha) - 5g
Cirsium (DaJi) - 1g
Dragon's Blood (Xuejie) - 30g
Mastic (Ruxiang) - 5g
Musk (Shexiang) - 1g
Myrrh (Moyao) - 5g
Pinellia (ShengBanXia) - 5g "


No offence but where the hell would I get something like "DRAGONS BLOOD" I live in Florida!! :D

[lhommedieu]

Most Chinese herbs are available over the internet. The following is a highly reputable herb store in NYC that could fill the above Die Da Jieu formula very easily:

http://www.kamwo.com/sys-tmpl/door/

Xue Jie ("Dragons Blood") is a resin.

Best,

Steve Lamade

[47Ronin]

Thank you very much Steve !

[flippedout6]

thanx zun oh yeah we do sell vicks vapor rub in the US
do you guys in UK have icy/hot

[bcullen]

Originally posted by 47Ronin
"1 bottle of strong vodka, gin or Chinese rice wine
Artemesia (Liu ji nu) - 5g
Borneol (Bingpian) - 1g
Carthamus (Honghua) - 5g
Catechu (Ercha) - 8g
Cinnabar (Zhusha) - 5g
Cirsium (DaJi) - 1g
Dragon's Blood (Xuejie) - 30g
Mastic (Ruxiang) - 5g
Musk (Shexiang) - 1g
Myrrh (Moyao) - 5g
Pinellia (ShengBanXia) - 5g "


No offence but where the hell would I get something like "DRAGONS BLOOD" I live in Florida!! :D

Hi all, noticed this thread and had to put in my two-cents: I've seen this recipe around for sometime now and think you may want to know more about these ingrediants before using it.

Liu ji nu - ARTEMESIA VULGARIS LATIFLORA aka Mugwort, Moxa--It has stimulant and slightly tonic properties, and is of value as a nervine and emmenagogue(promotes menstration), having also diuretic (gotta go, right now) and diaphoretic (makes you sweat) action. This is the herb that is burned on accupunture needles.

Borneol - Bing pian literally translated "ice slice". Raw camphor crystals. Camphor has a strong, penetrating, fragrant odour, a bitter, pungent taste, and is slightly cold to the touch like menthol leaves; locally it is an irritant, numbs the peripheral sensory nerves, and is slightly antiseptic; it is not readily absorbed by the mucous membrane, but is easily absorbed by the subcutaneous tissue- it combines in the body with glucuronic acid, and in this condition is voided by the urine.

Carthamus (Honghua) - Safflower (Less expensive alterative to saffron)

Ercha - Cattechu or cutch, extract from the heartwood of Acacia catechu, a leguminous tree of the pulse family, native to India and Myanmar. Catechu is a fast brown dye used for various shades of brown and olive, including the familiar khaki, and also in tanning. It's medicinal uses are to numerous to list here.

Cinnabar (Zhusha) - Beware! This is mercury ore. Mercury sulfide. Don't get carried away with this one.

Da Ji (cirsii japonica, euphorbiae) Japanese thistle - Used to stop bleeding and reduce swelling.

Dragon's Blood (Xuejie) - Dracaena resin- often used with mrryh, francisense medicinally and in incense. Be careful handling this stuff its soluable in alcohol and leaves a stain that looks like dried blood. I had to wait six hours for it to come off my hands due to an accidental splash. Looked like I had been in a serious accident.

Mastic (Ruxiang) - frankinsense resin
Myrrh (Moyao) - The medicinal uses for these resins are just too numerous to go into here. They smell pretty too.

Pinellia (ShengBanXia) Pinellia is a small, stem-like plant native to southern China and Japan. The medicinal part of the plant is its root, or tuber, which is smooth and has a whitish or yellowish outer surface. Unprepared pinellia is used externally to treat skin sores, carbuncles and swelling, pinellia root is usually taken in combination with other herbs for different conditions.

Most of these herbs carry warnings for pregnnant women as well. Jeff had a great list of herbs to use for a home dit da jow.