=== BEGIN RECIPE ====================================================== Now for a formula I personally know does work. The first name is the CHINESE pronunciation of the herb. The second is a common ENGLISH name(s) for the same herb. The third and following are the LATIN name(s) for the same herb. If you are serious about making this formula you MAY need the chinese characters for each herb to get the prescription filled by a chinese herbalist. If so send me email to claude.suddreth@bgbbs.com. ======== HERBS IN ORIGINAL FORMULA ============ 01) RU HSIANG Frankincense, Mastic Tree Mastix Olibanum Resina Olibani Boswellia Glabra 02) MA CH'IEN Horse Coin Strychnos Nox Vomica 03) DANG GWEI Chinese Angelica Root Radix Angelicae Sinensis 04) SHWEH JIN (SHWEH JIE) Dragons Blood Sanguis Draconis 05) MEI YAU Myrrh Myrrha Resina Myrrhae Commiphora Myrrhae 06) LUNG NAO XIANG BING PIAN Borneo Camphor Tree Dryobalanops Aromatica Dryobalanops Camphora Borneolum 07) DING XIANG Clove Tree Syszyggium Aromaticum Flos Caryophylli Eugenia Caryophyllata 08) TAO REN Peach Kernel Prunus Persica 09) DA HUANG Rhubarb Rheum Officinale Radix et Rhizoma Rhei 10) GUANG MU HSIANG Aucklanda Root Radix Saussurae Lappae Clarke Radix Aucklandiae Aucklandia Lappa Decne 11) PU HUANG Cat Tail Pollen Pollen Typhae 12) CH'IH SHOU Red Peony Radix Paeonia Rubra 13) T'IEN CH'I Root of PseudoGinseng Gynura Pinatifida Radix Pseudoginseng Panax Notoginseng 14) HUNG HUA Safflower Flos Carthami Carthamus Tinctorius 15) CHUAN KUNG (XIONG) English Name Unknown Conioselinum Univitattum Ligusticum Wallichii Rhizom Ligustici ======= HERBS ADDED TO ORIGINAL FORMULA ========== 16) NIU XI English Name Unknown Achyranthes Bidentata 17) YU JIN Wild Turmeric Curcuma Aromatica 18) QIAN CAO GEN Indian Madder Rubia Cordifolia 19) BAI ZHI Angelica Angelica Anomala 20) AI YE Mugwort, Sagebrush, Wormwood Artemisia Vulgaris 21) PRONUNCIATION UNKNOWN Nodding Clubmoss Lycopodium Cernuum Rumput Serani Paku Serani 22) PRONUNCIATION UNKNOWN Nardostachys Nardostachys Chinensis Original Recipe: 1 oz of the first 15 herbs listed. Crush herbs to COURSE (NOT FINE because herbs will stick together) powder. Place into large glass (not metallic) cooking pan WITH A GLASS COVER with 1 quart of vodka. Simmer slowly over low fire for 4 hours. Remove from heat and pour contents into 2 gallon jar along with 5 quarts of Vodka. Seal mixture in air tight jar and store in cool dark place for at least 2 months and preferably for 1 full year (it gets stronger as it ages). Shake and swirl contents periodically. (Note: After preparing this recipe as specified I soaked the herbs in a 1 gallon jar. After letting the Jow set for 1 year, I removed the original alcohol/jow from the jar (And it was quite strong, especially as a pain reliver. There were three quarts of this original extract.), resimmered the herbs for 5 hours with fresh alcohol, and let set for an additional month. This extracted much more medicine from the herbs and was later mixed with the original jow to yield the 6 quarts specified. It seems logical that possibly even a third or fourth simmer may enhance strength even further PROVIDED the total yield is not pushed past 6 quarts. It is my opinion this original recipe should be modified to 1 oz of the first 15 herbs to 4 quarts (1 Gallon) of alcohol total yield.) ------------------------------------------------------------------- The ORIGINAL recipe which I received contained only the first 15 herbs. You may want to use ONLY these 15 herbs and disregard the last 7 as the first 15 by themselves constitute a very powerful traditional DitDaJow. The 7 additional herbs are a result of my personal research into chinese herbs and DitDaJow formula as well as conversations I have had with others who are more knowledgeable than myself about chinese herbal medicine. Concerning DitDaJow in particular there are several things to be concerned with in any recipe. These are 1) There are three primary and three secondary benefits one wishes to obtain from a DitDaJow formula. Most good herbs used within a formula will provide more than one of the primary benefits. Within the composition of the formula, one seeks to maintain a certain balance between all of the primary benefits, so herbs used in one formula may not be used in another not because the herb itself is not good, but because it disrupts this balance. The primary benefits are A) Pain reliever or anesthetic. B) Stimulate blood circulation. C) Break up blood clots and stagnate energy (chi). The secondary benefits are D) Hemostatic - stops bleeding (Be VERY careful here - one should use ONLY herbs which are both hemostatic in nature AND dissolves clots as well. Most herbs are mutually exclusive in this area.) E) Nourishes and promotes healing of flesh. Again be careful it does not promote clotting. F) Antiseptic - present in at least some form due to the alcohol, some herbs provide for this as a seconday benefit as well. 2) The last 7 herbs (16 - 22) as stated come from my own research into DitDaJow formula. Most provide at least two of the primary benefits and at least one secondary benefit. Most noticably I tend toward abrasions and am a slow healer, so I wanted an increase in the hemostatic and skin healing effects without causing clotting. These herbs provide a large increase in these as well as enhancing the primary effects, most noticibly circulation and breaking up clots. You may choose to use them or not at your discretion. 3) In traditional Chinese herbal medicine herbs are thought to be hot, warm, neutral, cool, or cold. It is thought that while some hot or warm herbs may provide similar results as some cool or cold herbs, that one should not mix the two types within the same recipe. Therefore a particular DitDaJow receipe is either hot or cold in its nature depending upon the herbs used in its composition. The recipe provided here is HOT in its nature. 4) Do not be mislead into believing that MORE is BETTER in terms of quantity of different ingredients used. It is the TYPE, QUALITY, and AMOUNT of herbs used, NOT QUANTITY of different herbs which will provide a superior DitDaJow. I have seen some recipes with as few as 10 herbs which would produce very good results, and have seen some with over 30 that were little more than colored water. The primary or consistent ingredients that I have noticed appearing over and over in most truely good DitDaJow recipes are Mastix (Frankincense), Angelica (various types), Myrrh, Camphor, Clove, Rhubarb, Safflower, Ligusticum, and PseudoGinseng. As most recipes I have knowledge of are hot in nature I would guess that these would be core HOT types of herbs. I have not researched multiple COLD formula yet, so I do not know if they occur there. 5) There is a certain amount of discussion about whether on should simmer an alcohol based mixture from a safety standpoint. Bear in mind that alcohol is EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE and CAN EXPLODE if the heat is too high. I personally do simmer my DitDaJow at a very low heat as the recipe specifies, specifically until you see a FEW bubbles coming through the alcohol mixture to the surface and condensing on the glass lid - normally around 150 to 175 degrees on my kitchen stove. I DO NOT advise anyone else to do so. If you do you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! I DO NOT ASSUME ANY LIABILITY IF YOU ARE INJURED IN AN EXPLOSION OR SET YOURSELF OR ANYTHING ELSE ON FIRE! 6) There is also some discussion on whether to simmer from a chemical composition standpoint. Some herbs are heat sensitive and go through a breakdown based on the application of heat and lose potency. Still others go through a metamorphasis based on heat, changing their chemical properties and getting stronger. I am not a chemist and cannot explain these things, I am only relaying what I have been told. I have talked to a personal friend of mine who studies Hung Gar, and they do NOT simmer the herbs in the formula used at his school. These original 15 herbs listed came from two articles several years back in Inside Kung Fu written by Brian Gray who I believe teaches Northern Shaolin (but I could be mistaken). I studied Northern Shaolin about 10 years ago however, and my Sifu DID NOT simmer any herbs. I do not know if this is the same formula. I do know that the article specifies that you do and I did and it seems to work for this formula. 7) Almost all recipes I have seen call for the use of grain alcohol such as Vodka. I have used regular isopropryl (sp?) rubbing alcohol cut to a 50/50 ratio with water in making DitDaJow with very comparable results. Isopropryl alcohol evaporates faster than normal grain alcohol so has less theoretical time to soak in, but this does not seem to have a noticable effect on the effectiveness of the DitDaJow recipe given. 6 quarts of rubbing alcohol is MUCHO cheaper than 6 quarts of Vodka, and in fact the Vodka represents the primary cost of the recipe given. One ounce of each of the original 15 herbs given mail ordered from San Francisco cost something like $42.00. 12 one pint bottles of rubbing alcohol cost less than $5.00. I dont remember what six quarts of Vodka were but it seems something like $10.00 per quart for 100 proof Vodka (50/50 mix with water). I WOULD NOT recommend denatured grain alcohol as it has some type of poison added to it to prevent drinking. I dont know what effect it would have on your DitDaJow. 8) Some of the herbs given are EXTREMELY poisonous in nature. For instance Horse Coin (herb 2) contains large amounts of Strychnine. It is used internally for heart patients, but large doses will relax your heart to the point it stops. Bad News. Other herbs used are almost as poisonous as this. Bottom line - do not allow anyone, such as small children, to DRINK this mixture. You WILL get MUCH more than a tummy ache if you do!!