Chinese Medicine Chest
by Dr. Robert Kienitz, D.Ac., DTCM
In the year 1253, the Chinese herbalist Chin Po Wei published a document titled “The Medicine Chest Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold”. The manuscript was a compilation of prepared herbal medicines that Chin Po Wei advised that the Imperial Court never be without.
I am often asked about the contents of a well stocked medicine chest or travel kit and have narrowed the contents down to the Chinese patent formulas that have the broadest indications and longest shelf life. These are the essentials no home or overnight bag should be without.
Po Chai (a.k.a. Ren Dan Wan, Curing Wan, Uncle Po Pills): This is a very mild formula with a wide variety of uses. Good for all sorts of gastrointestinal conflicts, Po Chai can be taken for motion sickness (taken 1/2 hour before a trip for best results), morning sickness associated with pregnancy (will not harm the fetus in any trimester), nausea, dizziness, headache, acid indigestion, poor appetite, food poisoning, diarrhea, hangover due to over consumption of alcohol or food. These pills are very small and should be taken thirty at a time for adults, and 1/2 dose for children.
Yin Chiao: this formula is used to treat early stage common cold or flu with symptoms of fever, aversion to wind, headache, cough and or sore throat. The indications for this drug also include acute bronchitis, pneumonia, ear ache, measles and tonsillitis. Keep in mind that this drug is to be taken at the first symptoms of any of the above conditions. This formula, if taken in time will stop most cold/flu in their tracks but you need to dose very aggressively with six pills every three hours and lots of water.
Watermelon Frost: The main ingredient of this formula is derived from a mixture of the mature fruit of a watermelon and mirabilite a type of salt. The ingredients are placed in a terra-cotta jar and sealed, within a fortnight the compound causes a delicate crystal to leech through the terra-cotta and form a white frost on the outside of the jar. The frost is harvested and compounded to create the medicine.
Watermelon frost is used on severe sore throat (sprayed directly on the affected area), rashes, burns, scalds, oral ulcerations, cuts and scrapes. The drug comes in a powder form and is easily administered by sprinkling it directly onto the affected wound site. Patients report that the powder can also be used on boils, cysts, warts and acne, reducing them overnight in most cases.
Dit Da Jiao: The Jiao we make at the Atlantic Institute clinic is a Shaolin Temple formula brought to America by Shaolin Master Kan Ni Chan and given to Cindy Kienitz. The Jiao is used topically for bruises, sprains, strains, bumps and the assorted injuries that are the typical outcome of martial arts practice. We have kick boxers who use this formula before tournaments and report that they have no visible tissue damage after a fight. The Jiao can also be used for Iron Hands training in lieu of the damaging makiwara exercises. Master Chan had used daily applications of Jiao on his hands with no other practice for a month before punching through a four foot stack of bricks. For health reasons I don’t condone punching anything harder than your pillow, but this illustrates how powerful a medicine the Jiao is.
These formulas can be gotten without a prescription at Atlantic Institute and are very inexpensive. They make a great travel kit and although they won’t cure everything, they do have you and your family covered against colds/flu, gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, ulcerations, burns, cuts, sprains and strains.
If you would like to order the Chinese Medicine Chest, please email us at info@atlantic-acupuncture.com (or via the Contact Us page).