Using Heated Alcohol For Dit Da Jow
We get asked a lot about using heated alcohol Dit Da Jow during the preparation process and if it will make a better Jow or if it will hurt the herbs. So we will discuss the pros and cons of doing this. First off heating alcohol can be EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and if done you must take the necessary precautions and use proper safety equipment, goggles, fire extinguisher, thermometer, pan or pot with lid etc.
Limited Benefits
Using heated alcohol for Dit Da Jow when preparing a kit will not make a better liniment but it will speed up the extraction process so you can use your liniment sooner. In some cases depending upon the herbal formulation you can save a week to 10 days in the extraction process. Most Chinese herbs are not affected in a negative way by using heated alcohol. So the main pro is that you will save some preparation time if you are in a big hurry and need your liniment sooner. The second benefit is some liniment kits like the Taoist Eight formula use a high amount of resinous herbs which react well and extract faster with heated alcohol. So if your formula has a large amount of Mo Yao, Ru Xiang, Er Cha and Xue Jie then using heated alcohol will save even more preparation time. But is it really worth it?
Danger, Danger
The cons are plentiful, first and foremost heating alcohol can be dangerous and can cause a fire if the alcohol ignites which is not hard to do if you heat alcohol in a small pot or pan on the stove. The safest way to heat alcohol is using a “Bain Marie”, which is just a fancy way of saying a water bath, this is still dangerous and no matter what method you use, you should NEVER LEAVE THE STOVE UNATTENDED when heating alcohol. I usually never heat alcohol hotter than 150 degrees Fahrenheit, so using a thermometer that gives accurate readings is a must.
Never heat and use alcohol with ANY METHOD that is greater than 80 proof (40% alcohol) as this is highly combustible and you are guaranteed major problems. So if you must heat alcohol always use 40 percent or lower alcohol content.
If you do heat alcohol on the stove without a Bain Marie, make sure there is a lid that fits properly on your pan or pot. If some alcohol spills over your pan then a fire will definitely ignite, if this should happen, immediately turn off the flame and set the lid on the pan to limit oxygen and extinguish the flame. Smothering the fire is the best way, the second option of course is plenty of water sprayed on the fire. Always remember that a fire requires 4 things, fuel, oxygen (air), heat, and a chemical reaction, remove one and the fire is extinguished.
Having a small fire extinguisher handy is also strongly recommended in case a fire should start and then ignites something else close by that is flammable.
Another issue is your glass jar, adding hot liquids to a jar that is not designed for heat will crack the glass causing a huge mess and most likely ruining your kit, so keep that in mind. One method to help minimize this from happening is making sure your jar is at least room temperature and not cold when starting a water bath, also the the water should be heated slowly on a low flame initially. As the water gets hotter and the glass jar is getting warmer you can slowly increase the heat. Glass has a tendency to weaken with repeated exposure to hot and cold temperatures so keep that in mind also.
If you are not using a water bath follow the same steps above and slowly pour your heated alcohol over the herbs in the jar, use just enough alcohol to saturate the herbs, it is not necessary to fill up the entire jar with hot alcohol.
So to recap using heated alcohol for your Dit Da Jow is very dangerous and should be avoided unless it is absolutely necessary. The only benefit is a slightly reduced preparation period. If you do decide to heat up your alcohol use the proper equipment and never leave the stove unattended when heating alcohol. Do not have anything combustible like paper or cloth towels near the stove as they can ignite rather easily if a fire starts. Never heat alcohol that is above 80 proof as this is extremely dangerous.
I have found more frequent agitation of the jar will yield similar results in preparation time as it would if you had heated up the alcohol. Also using methods such as the double or triple soak will speed up the extraction process.