Chinese Liniment

Chinese liniment was created by herbalists for trauma injuries and is referred to as Zhonghua Dieda Jiu in China. Chinese liniment is blend of herbs macerated in distilled alcohol or Rice Wine. Using the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, this indispensable Chinese liniment is applied externally to an injured area to speed up the healing process with its unique herbal energies.

There are numerous variations of Chinese Liniments with a variety of names, many evolved from the Shaolin Monastery, they are commonly called in the West as Dit Da Jow, others were created by Master Herbalists/Doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine and they were referred to as Zhonghhua Dieda Jiu, Die Da Jiu and Die Da Yao, One doctor in particular named Wu Shang-Xian created a unique Zhonghua Dieda Jiu from Rice Wine. Wu Shang-Xian was a master herbalist and doctor who treated his patients with external treatments as he knew most people did not like taking herbal treatments internally he was so good and successful with this approach that he treated close to 5000 patients per month.

His Chinese Liniment was named after him and called Wu Shang Zhonghua Dieda Jiu, this is a very impressive and strong liniment for healing trauma injuries. What sort of sets this apart from conventional Dit Da Jow is that it is prepared in an unconventional way. Using yeast microorganisms, rice and select herbs, this combination was fermented to create a rice wine with the herbal properties of Dit Da Jow literally extracted when finished.

What is Chinese Liniment Used For?

First and foremost it is for healing trauma injuries, bruises, sprains, contusions are the most common. It is also very beneficial for sore, torn and pulled muscles. There is also a Chinese liniment for protecting, conditioning and healing bones, tendons and connective tissue this is referred to as Iron Palm Liniment or Tie Sha Zhang 铁沙掌.

So depending on ones needs will determine which Chinese liniment to purchase. A Chinese liniment like Ying Da Li Tan Tieda Yao is a Shaolin created Iron Palm Liniment (Tie Sha Zhang) and very beneficial for injuries or inflammation to bones, tendons, ligaments and connective tissue. This would be the liniment to use for tendonitis, recovery from a broken bones, torn ligaments or joint pain issues. If you are conditioning your body by practicing Iron Palm then this liniment helps condition your bones for heavy contact without fear long term damage in the future.

Commercial Chinese Liniment

Over time  especially after we entered the 20th century many companies started offering Chinese Liniment for injuries and pain. One of the most popular is Zheng Gu Shui and the other is Eagle Brand Medicated Oil.

Both of these are very popular and we have articles on each here on our website. While these are nice liniments they are not as powerful as your typical Dit Da Jow Chinese liniment mainly due to the amount herbs used which is a lot less, and the commercial process needed for mass production in a short period of time, makes the liniments less effective than your typical Chinese liniment prepared by an herbalist or if prepared at home with one of the fine Chinese liniment kits offered today.

One reason these are popular is that they having a warming to hot effect on the skin which some people really like and can offer temporary pain relief, caution is advised when using these type of Chinese liniments on fresh injuries as they can create swelling due to the hot nature of these liniments, so best not to use when any swelling is present. The main ingredient in most of these over the counter Chinese liniments contain one or all of the following: Camphor, Menthol and Methyl Salicylate. Due to their hot nature they should NOT be used on small children.

Injuries or pain can be referred to either of the following:

Hot  (usually a recent injury). Tissue is red or swollen, or feels warmer to the touch than surrounding tissue. The application of heat makes the injured area feel worse, and it feels better when rested. Hot injuries or pain respond better to neutral to mildly warm Chinese Liniment

Cold  (usually an old injury recently re-injured) There is no change in skin color, the pain feels better with the application of heat, and it feels better when area is in use. Cold usually responds better to warm to hot Chinese Liniment. Some other popular Chinese Liniments are listed below and are in the warm to hot category.

Tiger Balm White (Classic, great all around for sore muscles) Red is also available which is hotter in properties

Essential Balm (Similar to Tiger Balm)

White Dragon Balm (Similar to Tiger Balm)

White Flower oil (For acute muscle strain)

Joseph’s Si Chi Pain relieving oil

Wood Lock Oil

Hua Tuo Huo Lu Oil

Po Sum On Oil

These liniments should be applied with a cotton ball and then wash your hands afterward.

Conclusion

When purchasing a Chinese Liniment make sure you are using the correct property type for your specific need, if you are not sure, stick to a neutral to slightly warm liniment like the Shaolin Dit Da Jow or Iron Palm. if using a Chinese Liniment like Zheng Gu Shui, Eagle Brand or the others mentioned, always wash your hands after application to avoid irritation if you accidentally rub your eyes.

It is very easy to prepare powerful healing liniments at home, you can even make the original Zheng Gu Shui at home with the herbal kit. When making for example the Shaolin Dit Da Jow or Iron Palm liniment all that is needed is the kit, a glass jar one gallon or larger and alcohol preferably Vodka.

A Chinese Liniment can be very beneficial for healing new or chronic injuries as well as offering temporary pain relief. Using an over the counter commercial Chinese Liniment tend to be warm to hot in nature and should not be used by children. Making your own at home with a herbal kit pack will offer more in the way of healing as they contain more herbs and generally get to the root of the problem.

If you have any questions on Chinese Liniment, just ask below.