Dit da jow

Dit da jow is a common Chinese liniment used as a folk remedy to supposedly heal external injuries, such as bruises or sore muscles.

Bottle of dit da jow. This brand contains Chinese ginseng, frankincense, myrrh, safflower and Gastrodia root.[1]
Dit da jow
Chinese跌打酒
Literal meaningiron hit wine

Background

There are several different recipes for Dit da jow, most of which are considered to be a "secret formula" passed down through oral and written history of traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts. Dit da jow is primarily used by martial artists to aid the healing of Dit Da and also iron palm training.

Dit da jow is an analgesic liniment traditionally preferred by martial artists. Often a martial arts master blends his own mixture of aromatic herbs such as myrrh and ginseng, which when combined are believed to stimulate circulation, reduce pain and swelling, and improve healing of injuries and wounds. The tradition became known as "hit medicine". The main supposed healing function of dit da jow, according to traditional Chinese medicine, is to unblock blood stagnation and blood stasis. When one suffers a trauma type injury, qi is blocked in the meridians causing pain and swelling. Dit da jow supposedly opens up this blockage allowing the qi to flow freely allowing the injury to heal.

Dit da jow is made from herbs put in a glass or polyethylene terephthalate plastic jar and mixed with an alcohol such as vodka or gin. Centuries ago, Dit da jow was made by combining the herbs in a clay vessel and adding rice wine, then burying the vessel in the ground for months or even years; it was believed that the longer the herbs sat in the alcohol, the stronger the solution became.

Typical ingredients

The herbs and other ingredients are typically coarse-ground, then steeped in alcohol (vodka or rice wine is common), sometimes with heat, and then aged.

Traditional ingredients

Traditional recipes may include:

Westernized recipe ingredients

Some recipes instead use ingredients more readily available, such as:

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References
  1. "（馮榮太）萬應田七跌打追風酒 -".
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