DitDaJao is a great external medicine for pain relief.
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HERE AT LAST IS THE DIT DA JAO RECIPE

Arnica blossoms (anti-inflamatory, pain relief)
Comfrey (anti-inflamatory, pain relief)
Blessed Thistle (blood purifier)
Goldenseal root (antibiotic, wound healing)
Ginger root (circulation, wound healing, pain relief)
Myrrh (antiseptic, circulation, wound healing)
Sasparilla root (blood purifier)
Witch Hazel (anti-inflamatory, pain relief)

Grind the herbs in a mortar & pestle (or electric grinder) and place them in
a glass jar.  Add 80 or 90 proof grain alcohol (I use vodka); use 4 ounces of
dried herbs to one pint of alcohol base (or equivalent proportions).  Seal the
jar tightly.  Allow the infusion to work for two weeks; once or twice a day,
swirl the liquid gently through the herbal mash.  After two weeks, strain off
the liquid and discard the herbal residue; pour into smaller glass containers.

This tincture can be applied as is to swollen or bruised areas, or can be mixed
with a thickener (like lanolin or safflower oil) and a hardener (like beeswax)
to make an ointment.  This formulation has also been effective in the treatment
of arthritis, for pain relief and restoration of range of motion.

David Wilson
Indiana University


Re: Dit Da Jao--use equal proportions of all the herbs (OK, myrrh is a
resin) listed, by weight.  I measure them out on a small kitchen scale
(mine is calibrated in grams, but American versions no doubt do ounces).


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Yesterday we went to about 5 herb stores in Chinatown in Los Angeles and had 
no luck finding most of the ingredients (of course, witch hazel and ginger
root are easy). We did manage to find myrrh with no problem, but struck out 
with arnica blossoms, comfrey (except for comfrey tea), blessed thistle,
goldenseal root (although we did find goldenseal root pills), and sasparilla
root.