Dit Da Jow (跌打药) is the powerful Chinese healing liniment used for bruises, sprains and other trauma type injuries. Additionally we will explain how Dit Da Jow can be of great benefit to you.This ancient liniment was popular by the Shaolin Monks over 1000 years ago. Dit Da Jow was the preferred method in the Shaolin Temple to treat injuries sustained in martial arts training. Over the years the formula has been passed down helping people heal from, bruises, sprains and other conditions.
(Shaolin Tie Die Yao Xiang Jing) translated means (“Shaolin Strong As Iron Fragrant Essence Medicine”)
What is Dit Da Jow?
Authentic Dit Da Jow is a unique blend of Chinese herbs, generally in the 15 to 20 range that are combined together. Then soaked (macerated) and shaken (agitation) in a GLASS jar with alcohol, preferably Vodka, generally for 3-4 weeks. After that a little is taken out for daily use and the bulk is left to macerate. It also can be purchased aged and ready made in small glass bottles. Once ready it is applied to the injured area and besides speeding up the healing process it provides some pain relief.
If you are new to Dit Da Jow, this article and website will explain the basics to the advanced concepts of Dit Da Jow. In addition we explain how Dit Da Jow can be a great asset to you. Plus learn how to prepare and apply this powerful healing liniment, safely, quickly and economically, right at home. This incredible liniment is not just for martial artists, it is for anybody who wants to heal trauma type injuries as mentioned above. Please read on for more information.
Why Use Dit Da Jow Liniment?
When ready, Authentic Dit Da Jow is one of the best healing liniments for trauma type injuries. Sprains, contusions, bruises or other injuries where blood stagnation or stasis is involved fall into this category.
We will cover the theory behind this liniment and Traditional Chinese Medicine further down the page. We want to point out it is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine which dates back close to 5000 years ago and it involves the Yin/Yang theory and the movement of Qi. So why use Dit Da Jow Liniment? Below are just a few of the reasons.
- Bruises
- Sprains
- Arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Poor Circulation
- Raynauds Symptoms
- Muscle Pain/Strains
- Shin Splints
East Meets West Intl is providing concise facts and information that you will not find elsewhere. If this is what you are looking for, then you came to the right place. If you are involved in Martial Arts like Kung Fu or Karate you probably have heard of Dit Da Jow or are currently using it, you will find this website informative.
This website has over 300 pages of information.
External Application-How To Apply
This external only liniment is applied to any injured or bruised area and healing the area by removing blood stagnation. As a result making the bruise disappear quickly. This was discovered by the Shaolin Monk herbalists to aid in the healing of injuries sustained in training or combat.
If you do buy Dit Da Jow already made, make sure it is packaged in a glass container. Authentic Dit Da Jow packaged in a plastic bottle is not good since it will leach out the plastic chemicals from the bottle.
Thereupon making the Dit Da Jow worthless, and possibly hazardous, always use GLASS.
The theory behind Dit Da Jow and it’s amazing healing powers is based on TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). When someone sustains an injury, the Qi is blocked and blood can not travel properly through the injured area, hence pain and what they call blood stagnation.
Dit Da Jow opens up the flow of blood and Qi to promote healing, plus some of the herbs in the formula take away pain and discomfort. I have seen it take bruises away in less than a day, just amazing stuff. This is also great for people who bruise easy, besides healing the bruise it strengthens the underlying blood vessels so you don’t bruise as easily next time. If you train in any contact sport or just bruise all the time this for you.
Step By Step- How To Prepare Your Dit Da Jow in 2024
In the series of photos below we will will show you step by step on how to prepare your Dit Da Jow or Iron Palm liniment kit.
Step 1 Adding Your Dit Da Jow Herbs
Lay your wrapping flat on your table and add the herbs into the jar. The jar pictured is a 5 liter Bormioli jar.
Step 2 Adding Your Alcohol
Add your first 1.75 liter bottle of Vodka, Gin will also work.
Step 3
Add your second 1.75 liter bottle of Vodka. If you purchased a Iron Palm kit the last picture shows the herbs added into the jar.
Step 4
After you add all your Iron Palm herbs into the jar, add your first 1.75 bottle of Vodka.
Step 5
Add your second 1.75 liter bottle of Vodka.
Step 6 Seal Up your Dit Da Jow or Iron Palm
Top off your jar with a little vodka if you wish, leaving about 2-3 inches of room from the top, this allows the herbs to move around when shaking, this is called agitation and is very important to speed up the extraction process.
Dit Da Jow 5 liter Jar
Seal up your jar or jars and shake for a couple of minutes, do this each day for the first 3-4 weeks then shake a minimum of once or twice a week for a minute or two. Keep your jars out of the sun in a convenient location. Also do not place near a furnace, hot water heater or other locations that throw off excess heat. Matter of fact I usually place my jars in a closet or in a cabinet which are easy to reach.
That’s all their is to it, you just have seen each step necessary to make your Dit Da Jow or Iron Palm liniment. There are other more complicated ways to prepare your Dit Da Jow that requires multiple jars. This might save you a weeks time, but this method is easy. In addition it requires only one jar and produces a very powerful Dit Da Jow or Iron Palm Liniment.
Dit Da Jow Jar Ideas
As mentioned above when making your own Dit Da Jow using a glass jar is of utmost importance so your Dit Da Jow Liniment does not become contaminated while extracting, plastic containers leach chemicals. A few customers who purchase our Dit Da Jow kit have a difficult time finding a glass jar with a lid that seals properly.
So I took a few pictures on where I sometimes buy my jars at a great price and it includes free pickles. I go to Sam’s club and for under $6.50 I get a nice jar with some pickles thrown in. After you empty the jar, wash with hot water and soap, let dry and you are ready to use.
Pickle Jars are perfect for using to prepare Dit Da Jow
Recent photo of Pickle Jars sold at Sam’s Club
If you want a clamp down type Glass Jar for Your Dit Da Jow check out the Bormioli line of Jars at Amazon
Dit Da Jow and Iron Palm liniments being prepared in 5 liter glass Bormioli jars.
Quite a few customers have emailed me and said they purchased the Bormioli Clamp Down Jars and are very happy with them, I was also just told by a customer he purchased his at Crate and Barrel, they are called Fido 5L jars there. We use them and and think they are awesome jars.
Another Jar to consider especially if you want a Five Liter Jar or larger are these Herb Extraction Jars. These Jars come in Three, Five and Eight Liter sizes, they can be found at most Asian grocery stores. There is also a twelve Liter jar available. Pictured below is the eight Liter Jar.
This particular 8L jar has a opaque plastic seal that goes under the twist on cap. This sealer is supposed to be leach free but I still place 2 pieces of wax paper on top of the jar then I snap on the seal.
This insures no liniment touches the seal when shaking, this is just something I do before twisting on the cap. Even if the liniment does touch the seal it is not enough contact to cause a problem, the bottom part of the jar is the sensitive area. Below is how it looks.
I placed 2 small pieces of wax paper on top of the glass jar then pressed on the opaque seal, the last step is screwing on the cap, pictured below.
Vodka Extraction By Maceration
The purpose for extraction is to draw out an herb’s unique organization of chemical components along with its distinctive energetic virtues we need for healing. We must also render these organic idiosyncrasies into a form that is more absorbable.
In addition making it more concentrated and more convenient to apply than the original form of the plant. Maceration, or soaking a plant in alcohol. This is performed to draw into a liquid solution the soluble constituents of the plant.
When a freshly harvested plant is dried, the moisture present in the tissues evaporates. The walls of the cells and the ducts shrink. Additionally at the same time the substances inside the cells previously held in solution by the water crystallize or dry to a solid amorphous mass.
Later, when this dehydrated plant is immersed in alcohol also known as a menstruum, the above process is reversed. In this instance, the menstruum is absorbed, causing the cells to swell and break.
Leading to direct contact with the menstruum and the soluble materials inside the cells go back into solution. That is why certain herbs should not be powdered since you lose some of the constituents we need for external use.
Shaking Your Jar
Shaking the jar several times a day for the first month, then shaking several times week speeds up the extraction process. This is very important if you want to use your Jow in 3-4 weeks.
Hundreds of years back a clay pot was used and it was buried in the ground for several months.In some cases for over five years before it was unearthed and used. The longer the herbs sit the stronger it became. Back at that time they used rice wine, since vodka was not available.So sitting for a longer period was beneficial for a stronger Jow. Since vodka is available today it provides a faster extraction process if the liniment is shaken often.
Below we talk about agitation and its importance.
Agitation
A critical phase of the extraction process is agitation which is the shaking of your jar. Without agitation you will not pull all the compounds out of the herbs.
By shaking the jar the herbs are moved around in the solvent allowing it to release the constituents and compounds. This is needed for a strong Dit Da Jow.
The first 3-4 weeks are vital. This is the time when you pull out the most molecular compounds. Shaking the jar frequently during this time will yield a stronger Dit Da Jow. This better than if you waited a month and started the agitation process.
A question that is always asked is do I strain out the liniment and throw out the herbs (Marc) after 4 weeks. The answer is no, the herbs still have not exhausted all of their constituents.
It can take months or years before the herbs are completely 100% exhausted.
You can exhaust the herbs of their compounds faster if you shake your jar twice daily for 4-6 months. The jar should be shaken at least 2 minutes each time. Most people do not have the time to do this so it is best to leave the herbs soaking.
If you do have the time and you constantly shake your Dit Da Jow, then after 6 months you can strain the Dit Da Jow into another glass jar. You should take the Marc out and place it in cheesecloth or a large muslin bag.
Press The Marc
Start pressing out the liniment from the herbs. The higher the pressure the better so you can release everything from the herbs. A wine press is good for this, read our article on this here.
Whatever you release you can add in with your jar containing the strained liniment. At this point you can throw out the Marc and you are finished.
If you want you can bottle up your Dit Da Jow in small bottles making sure they are labeled. Make sure you write on the labels do not drink and possibly draw a skull and crossbones on the label.
Always keep out of reach of children!
If your Dit Da Jow is going to be kept out where it will get hit with some sunlight use dark bottles. It is good practice to keep your Dit Da Jow out direct sunlight at all times if possible.
Shaking your jar is important for a a faster extraction as we explained. If the jar is too heavy to shake you can sit down with the jar on your lap and gently bounce it up and down on your knee while watching TV. You can also roll the jar back and forth on a table for a couple minutes.
Always make sure in either instance that the jar is sealed tight.
Ready Made Dit Da Jow
Most of us are anxious to start using a new purchase, unfortunately when purchasing a Authentic Dit Da Jow kit you need to wait at least 3-4 weeks before using.
To remedy that situation we have available aged Dit Da Jow ( 4years+) in two and four ounce GLASS bottles for those who would like to start using Dit Da Jow right away.
Just like our Dit Da Jow kits each bottle is prepared prior to shipping so no bottle is sitting on the shelf waiting for a customer.
This insures that each bottle contains a constantly aged powerful product. In addition we make sure that each bottle contains some sediment(also referred to as the Marc or dregs) from the main aged batch. See Photo Below
We also add in some extra Camphor (Zhang Nao) in each bottle to increase its effectiveness even more. The Zhang Nao will dissolve into the liniment, this can take anywhere from 1-3 days. See Photo Below
Each freshly prepared bottle of Authentic Dit Da Jow contains some marc(sediment).
Notice the Camphor floating at the top, this is added to each bottle.
Dit Da Jow bottled in glass versus plastic insures no chemicals leaching into your liniment.
I do not know of any company that offers this service. Most Dit Da Jow sold is bottled in plastic and has been prepackaged months or years in advance with no visible marc.
If you are interested in ordering some of our ready made aged Dit Da Jow bottled in glass and you live in the United States you can order some on our shopping cart.
Dit Da Jow Side Effects and Contraindications
The great thing about Dit Da Jow is their are no side effects when used as directed. We do not recommend Dit Da Jow use during pregnancy unless you get permission from your health care professional. If you have skin allergies to alcohol then you should not use alcohol as your base, glycerin or apple cider vinegar can be substituted instead, contact us if you wish to do this.
Dry air in the winter months along with alcohol can make your skin drier than usual. If your skin gets to dry just apply some moisturizing cream at bedtime. If you take blood thinners like Warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) or Heparin (Fragmin, Innohep, and Lovenox) then you should not use Dit Da Jow without consulting with your medical professional.
Remember Dit Da Jow is a external liniment and not for ingestion, if you need a internal Dit Da Jow let us know we have several in stock. Sometimes for serious injuries it is good to combine a internal and external formula for faster healing.
Important Facts To Remember
“Dit Da” means “fall and strike.” This term refers to a group of formulas developed in Chinese medicine to treat traumatic injury. The formulations vary primarily in whether they clear heat or are warming. Our formula clears heat and is more neutral in properties. Our Authentic Dit Da Jow formula moves blood and Qi to relieve the pain of traumatic injury.
Always use Glass as your container either in kit form or when purchasing ready made Dit Da Jow.
The primary treatment principle of our Dit Da Jow is: move blood and transform blood stasis. This in return will help relieve pain and promote healing. Thirteen of the sixteen herbs in this formula have some ability to transform blood stasis and move Qi. The unique combination of herbs enable this formula to also focus on treating bruising, and swelling.Thus relieving stagnation and allowing the body to direct its energies to healing the trauma.
Looking at the treatment principle from the perspective of the whole organism. It is helpful to remember this ancient Chinese medical axiom. “Tong ze bu tong, bu tong ze tong”—“. When there is flow, there is no pain and when there is pain there is no flow.”
The main focus of our authentic Dit Da Jow Formula serves this principle in the first and early second stage of injury.
Important Please Read
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