Dit Da Jow Basics

If you are reading this, you might be new to Dit Da Jow which is great as we will cover the important aspects you should know, if you are an experienced user that is great also as we will cover some things you might not be aware of. When discussing Dit Da Jow basics the key fact one must know is that Dit Da Jow is an external trauma healing liniment used mostly for bruises, sprains, contusions, muscle soreness and injuries that involve injured blood vessels. Over the years the unique healing ability of Dit Da Jow has ventured into other health concerns that are not injury related, like arthritis, shin splints, and various types of contracture.

The history of Dit Da Jow dates back over a thousand years in China and was used by the Shaolin Monks for healing training and battle injuries. Based on the principles of Chinese Herbal Medicine (Zhong Yao 中药), various herbs are combined and soaked in alcohol for a period of time, the herbs chosen are based on the type of condition being treated. The actual name in Chinese is Die Da Jiu or if translated to English means fall/hit wine. Over the years the name Die Da Jiu evolved into Dit Da Jow as that name closely resembles how it is pronounced in Cantonese, Dit Daa Zau.

The word Jiu in Chinese means wine in English and as mentioned above the herbs were macerated in the wine and after a period of time generally from 28 days for some formulas and up to 4 years for others. Even though distillation methods were used in China over a thousand years ago, the alcohol of choice was rice wine, the process of converting rice to wine is fascinating and the Chinese really perfected the process. We will save the process for another article but just as beer is produced using yeast the same is done converting rice to wine and then vinegar if you wish. We have replicated the ancient process successfully and we will write an article about it in the future.

 

Rice wine has an alcohol content of around 17-20% which is fine to use but takes a longer period of time for extraction. That’s why vodka or gin with 40% alcohol is used today as it extracts the constituents and compounds out of the herbs quicker. If the alcohol content is to high then it evaporates faster and does not allow the liniment to be absorbed into the skin sufficiently. Another reason is certain herbs do not react in a positive fashion if the alcohol percentage is to high, a good range to stay within is 40-60%. We are asked if one can use Everclear 151 or 190 proof and the answer is yes as long as it is diluted down with distilled water to the appropriate alcohol percentage.

Dit Da Jow Differences

Over the years the term Dit Da Jow liniment has been lumped together as a liniment that can be used for bone, tendon and connective tissue injuries as well as trauma type injuries like bruises and sprains. This is false as traditional Dit Da Jow is for trauma type injuries and other herbal liniment formulations are for bones, tendons and connective tissue but somehow are called Dit Da jow when in reality they should be classified in the Iron Palm category (Tie Sha Zhang) or the Gu  Jian Die Da Jiu category. There are some liniments that have the healing properties of both like Yangshang Tieda Yao or Tie Ba Zhang which handle bruising and bone and tendon problems.

When someone is looking to purchase a liniment, make sure you are purchasing one to fit your needs and not purchase one arbitrarily because it is sold as Dit Da Jow.

Once you have determined the right liniment to fit your needs, you have two options, make your own at home in bulk or purchase a ready made liniment. When you make a liniment at home you will need three things, the herbs to make the liniment, a glass jar with a wide mouth opening and alcohol preferably vodka or gin. If you are purchasing a ready made liniment the most important feature to look for is that it is packaged in a glass bottle and not plastic. Plastic bottle can leach chemicals that we do not want absorbed into the skin after application. The second feature to look for is that it has been aged sufficiently, thus insuring the liniment can do its job, since one does not know if the liniment one is considering was agitated (shaken) often, age is important as the longer the herbs have been soaking in alcohol the stronger it will be. If the liniment was shaken often then age is not as important.

Dit Da Jow Aroma

Dit Da Jow as well as many other liniments have a distinct aroma, not the Ben Gay smell but obviously very herbal with some formulas having some camphor added giving it a very definitive aroma. When applied the fragrance generally does not last more than an hour or two.

Staining

Most Dit Da Jow liniments can stain clothing due to some herbs being resinous and colorful, so it is best to use common sense before and after application. Example, if you apply some Dit Da Jow on your neck, it would be wise not to put on a white dress shirt right after you apply your liniment. Most liniments can be washed off after approximately 45-90 minutes depending on the one chosen. Ask your supplier if your liniment can be rinsed off after a certain amount of time if this is important to you, otherwise just leave it on as long as you can, then wash off. Letting the liniment dry for a minute or two minimizes staining or apply your liniment and if the area allows, tape a piece of cotton gauze on top of the area you applied the liniment.

Making Dit Da Jow at Home

We will not get into this to much as we have plenty of pages here on our website explaining how to do this. Making Dit Da Jow at home is the most economical way to go as you can make it for under .75 cents an ounce. Preparation is very straight forward and requires a glass jar one gallon or larger with an airtight lid then Vodka or Gin. We have a page here on the various alcohols you can and  should not use. Some kits like the Yangshang Tieda Yao require a 5 liter or larger jar and the Tie Ba Zhang Jow requires a 7 liter or larger jar.

Always use glass and not plastic containers as plastic can leach chemicals into your liniment which then gets absorbed into your body when applied.

Once you have your herbs, glass jar and alcohol, all that is needed is to add the herbs into the jar add your alcohol, seal up the jar and shake for a minute or two, this is called agitation, the more the jar is agitated the first 30 days, the faster the extraction, this is where agitation can be more important than aging as a jar that sits still extracts very slowly. Alcohol acts like a sponge absorbing the molecular compounds of the herbs, the more it is shaken the faster and more thorough the absorption. After approximately 30 days of shaking the alcohol will not absorb the compounds as fast and the process slows down, fortunately there is a good chance you extracted well over 80 percent of the compounds and constituents. So after 30 days or so you can take a little out for personal use and keep aging your big jar. At this point daily shaking will not be necessary, for the next month or two all that is needed is three times a week after that only once or twice a month is required.

Make sure the Dit Da Jow liniment kit you are considering purchasing has been freshly prepared and not sitting in a plastic bag sealed up for months as it surely has a lower potency level and possibly bugs. Avoid if possible a completely powdered liniment kit as this can degrade the potency  as it must be powdered in a herb grinder. Herb grinders generate a lot of heat on the blades from it extremely fast rotation, this heat can remove some of the alkaloids or compounds in the herbs. Of course there are some liniments like San Huang San that must be powdered to a fine mesh size so you have no choice. Fortunately small kits like San Huang San require limited grinding time so their is minimum degradation.

Storing Your Dit Da Jow

Dit Da Jow should be stored in an area out of sunlight and away from heat sources like like furnaces or hot water heaters. Closets, cabinets, basements are some popular storing areas. Make sure your jar is sealed tight so no evaporation occurs and that children cannot open it.

Straining Your Liniment

A question that always comes up is if it is necessary to strain your liniment separating the herbs from the alcohol. We do not recommend this as it is best to let the herbs continue to macerate in the alcohol extracting whatever the herbs have to give. Now when you are at the bottom of your jar and are running out of liniment you can do this if you wish. If your jar is large enough and you wish to prepare another kit you can add the second kit on top of the first and continue. If you have access to a wine or fruit press you can squeeze out any liniment from the herbs then toss them out.

Some customers when they reach the bottom save the herbs and use them as a poultice for serious injuries. The remaining herbs are sometimes referred to as the dregs and contain the healing compounds. Being saturated with liniment, the herbs offers a nice healing pack when placed and secured on an injured area. So no need to strain the herbs but of course the decision is yours.

Applying Your Jow

You should apply a small amount of Jow over the center of an injury in a downward or circular motion using either your hand, cotton ball or applicator of your choice. Apply liberally getting the area saturated and let air dry, apply as often as you feel necessary. If you are involved in martial arts or activities involving contact, apply after each training activity. The same goes for working out with weights, apply after a hard workout to the area of the body you were training. Some customers like to really massage it in some do not, use your own personal preference for your specific situation.

Safety

Many ask, is Dit Da Jow safe? The answer is that is very safe, the only concerns are that since certain Dit Da Jow liniments act like a mild blood thinner as it removes stasis and stagnation you should not use it if you are on prescription blood thinners like Warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) or should it be used if one is pregnant. Most Dit Da Jow is prepared with Vodka or other types of alcohol, this can dry your skin so that should be taken note of. We have an article here with more information on this.

Recap

We covered some of the Dit Da Jow basics, so lets review.

Authentic Dit Da Jow has been used for the following:

• Bruises
• Sprains
• Arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Poor Circulation
• Raynauds Symptoms
• Muscle Pain/Strains
• Shin Splints

Dit Da Jow is for external use only unless otherwise specified like Tieh Ta Wan and is prepared in a glass jar with Vodka or Gin. The herbs must macerate for approximately 30 days with daily shaking of the jar, preferably twice a day for a minute or two during the first 30 days. Dit Da Jow can have different properties depending on who is selling it, make sure you confirm that the healing properties fits your needs before ordering. If you have joint problems or tendonitis you might be better served with an Iron Palm type liniment kit.

Any kit you purchase should be prepared recently and not months ago insuring maximum potency when you prepare it. When applying your Jow apply liberally to get the injured area saturated and let it dry before covering it up with clothing. Some liniments can stain clothing so just use common sense after application. Most stains if any can be removed in the wash with soap and water.

Always use glass for making any liniment as plastic can leach unwanted chemicals into your liniment.

I hope this article was helpful, we have plenty of information here on our website just use the search bar or view our sitemap on our menu bar for a list of pages we have posted.

If you are interested in information regarding Iron Palm Liniment we have it for you here.