Ankle sprain? Better get some San Huang San on that. LAUREL MAURY checks out traditional Chinese medicine for jocks.
When we Westerners turn to traditional Chinese medicine, it's usually considered an alternative treatment for chronic ailments of some kind. But one branch specializes in dealing with acute injuries when they happen -- and preventing them from happening in the first place.
Die Da, or Hit-Fall medicine, deals with sprains, strains, deep bruises and wounds, and helps keep muscles warm so they don't get hurt to begin with.
Acupuncturist Frank Butler describes Die Da as essentially battle medicine practiced by Chinese generals.
"Say they'd lose 500 casualties each," he says. "Whoever can get up more men in the morning ... that's the person who's going to be victorious. So you have to have medicine that works fast and is super-effective."
Wanting Hit-Fall medicine for themselves, Butler and his partner, Tom Bisio, worked with Kamwo, a traditional Chinese pharmacy, to recreate items a good Chinese general would carry.
Bisio drew on remedies he'd learned as a martial artist, many of which are in his book, "A Tooth from the Tiger's Mouth." Butler drew on knowledge from his old martial arts teacher, Kenny Gong, who learned Die Da from the Chinese general who took him in during the Cultural Revolution.
The theory is that these remedies get chi -- commonly described as both energy and circulation -- moving again.
Chinese herbology has a bit of a reputation in the West because of recipes that call for things like tiger bones and rhinoceros horn. Thomas Leung, a fourth-generation Chinese herbalist, Western-trained pharmacist and CEO of Kamwo Pharmacy, assures the wary that these substances "are no longer used in mainstream traditional Chinese medicine. ... They're not cost effective, and they're illegal."
Most ingredients in Die Da remedies, like rhubarb, notoginseng and frankincense, are familiar to Western herbalists. (One standout: wingless cockroach.)
To learn more about Die Da, check out the following list of items that would be just as handy in your gym bag as your medicine cabinet. (If you intend to try any, beware: Some of these can stain clothing, have distinct odors that can leave a person smelling like a strongly mentholated Christmas pudding, and should be avoided by pregnant women.)
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NAME: San Huang San
WHAT IT PURPORTEDLY DOES: Reduces swelling and pain, and keeps chi from stagnating. Used for severe strains, twists and bruises that are painful, swollen and hot to the touch.
HOW TO USE IT: Mix the powder with oil, water, Vaseline, or Die Da Jiu (see below) and apply. Cover the area loosely with gauze and a layer of self-adhesive bandage tape, and leave it on for twenty-four hours.
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NAME: Yunnan Bai Yao
WHAT IT PURPORTEDLY DOES: Used to stanch bleeding and promote healing. Recommended for cuts, abrasions, and skinned knees.
HOW TO USE IT: Sprinkle Yunnan Bai Yao on the wound, and cover with a bandage.
MORE BACKGROUND: Phials of Yunnan Bai Yao were carried by Chinese soldiers, and it still comes with a mysterious red pill to be taken in event of a gunshot wound. (It's probably best to discard the red pill -- no one knows what's in it.)
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NAME: Wu Yang Medicated Plasters
WHAT IT PURPORTEDLY DOES: Helps injuries that are a few days old, but still warm and swollen. Also good for chronic injuries that have residual inflammation. They cool swelling and move stagnant chi.
HOW TO USE IT: These plasters come as cloth-backed strips with a plastic, peel-off film.
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NAME: Die Da Jia
WHAT IT PURPORTEDLY DOES: Literally "Hit-Fall Wine," a liniment used on new bruises, strains and sprains. Butler recommends it for use after working out with a punching bag. "Using Dit Da Jia is one way that you can restore the normal flow and function to you hands, so that you actually prevent osteo-arthritis from forming."
HOW TO USE IT: Often mixed with San Huang San to form a plaster. (It's called 'wine' because it's an alcohol extract, not because it's good to drink.) Used alone for more superficial injuries.
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NAME: Jin Huang Gao
WHAT IT PURPORTEDLY DOES: Ointment for an acute injury that's swollen and painful but not warm and red. Moves chi, but without cooling the area.
HOW TO USE IT: Apply thickly to affected area and wrap loosely in gauze, then self-adhesive tape. Jin Wan Gao may also be rubbed into injuries that are a few days old, still swollen, but cool to the touch.
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NAME: 701 Plasters
WHAT IT PURPORTEDLY DOES: Warms older injuries that ache with cold, such as old ankle and wrist sprains. Particularly good for back-aches that flare-up in winter, heel-spurs, and to loosen tight hamstrings. May be used after a work-out to keep an area warm.
WARNING: This is the stuff that contains wingless cockroach.
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Many of these items can be purchased at your nearest Chinatown, or online at:
-- The Suigetsu Shop
-- Kamwo Pharmacy (sells Frank Butler and Tom Bisio's line of products).
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asap contributor Laurel Maury is a freelance writer based in New York.
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