TCM First Aid Kit

These items should be a part of everyone's home first aid kit, but are especially valuable for first aid treatment of sports-related injuries.

Highlighted items are sold here! The rest of the items may be found at your local pharmacy or Chinese herb store.

1 bottle Dit Da Jow Bruise Liniment
1 box Die Da Wan Trauma pills
1 pkg Yunnan paiyao powder
1 pkg Yunnan paiyao capsules
1 tube Ching Wan Hung burn ointment
1 bottle Black Ghost Oil
1 jar San Huang San Herbal "Ice" powder
1 jar San Huang San Herbal "Ice" pre-mixed
1 box YNBY Plaster
1 box Wu Yang pain-relieving plasters
1 can 701 Plasters

6-10 rolled underwrap or guaze
2-3 rolls self-adhering bandages (tape)
1 box pellets or seeds, to stimulate ear points
2 moxa poles
15-20 guaze pads
2-3 elastic bandages
2-3 self-adhering elastic bandages
1 pr scissors
1 pair tweezers
30-40 bandaids, variety sizes
1 triangular bandage to make a sling
10 lancets
1 unbreakable plastic bottle (to dispose of lancets)

These items, recommended by Tom Bisio in the book A Tooth From the Tiger's Mouth, make up a comprehensive Chinese Sports Medicine First Aid Kit.

Alternative Healing: Traditional Solutions for the Modern Body

• Some Chinese patent remedies have been around for a hundred years or more - all with years of proven effectiveness
• Liniments and oils will ease the aches and pains of sore muscles, tendons, and sinews
• Patches and plasters penetrate deeply for strong relief
• Herbal Soaks aid healing of more serious injuries
• The Modern Herb Shop's home made remedies are prepared in small batches and fresh and potent!
  

Anti-Allergy Benefits of Reishi and Maitake Mushrooms

Ayurveda

What is it?

Food and Chinese Medicine

Gan Mao Ling vs Yin Chiao

What's the Difference?

The Miracle Cure for Losing Weight

The Herbalist's Corner
Jake Fratkin, OMD, L.Ac

A Man's World

Here is an excerpt from Feed Your Tiger: The Asian Diet Secret to Permanent Weight Loss and Vibrant Health: Chapter 15. "The Male Animal"

Overweight, overworked, and sedentary men are headed towards diabetes, heart trouble, or prostate cancer. Working on his feet all day, Sam had developed occasional lower abdominal discomfort and difficult urination, signs of prostatitis. I decided to design a weight loss program to protect men from their worse nightmares. Prostate problems challenge sexuality not to mention survival. This chapter covers specific foods and herbs that protect energy, endurance, and sexuality, while they encourage weight loss.

How are sexual vitality and weight related? Chapter 21. offers insights on the physical relationship of weight and fertility. For now, we can consider the psychological aspects. The concept of body armor is popular among Reichian and other psychoanalysts, who believe that people hold emotions in particular areas of the body. Chinese herbalists would agree and call those areas of stuck Qi. Men hold emotional tension, along with edema and fat, in the lower abdomen. Antiseptic, diuretic herbs that promote urinary comfort reduce local edema and pain. Most Chinese doctors recommend that men age 40 - 60, especially if overweight, use herbs to promote prostate comfort and function several weeks a year as a kind of health insurance.

Asian herbs that promote urinary and sexual well being are useful for weight loss in many ways: They reduce uric acid and thereby reduce joint pain. Several Asian herbs, quite expensive in health food stores, enhance beneficial hormones, fertility, libido, and sexual comfort. They also firm muscles, reduce belly fat, and inspire exercise. Asian herbs can make you feel fit and sexy. Many women readers hope to protect men friends and relatives from illness and to improve their quality of life. A cook can easily simmer an herbal brew, pour it over a tea, or add it to juice or soup stock. Some diuretic, aphrodisiac herbs work equally well for women. They reduce urinary and lower back discomforts and rekindle libido left dormant by a mountain of work, anxiety, fatigue, and illness. Asian tonic herbs trusted for generations can become part of your family's daily slimming routine.

NOTE: In most cases, herbs known to affect hormones should not be used by children under age fourteen, by people with active cancers, or by pregnant women.

Prostatitis: Causes and Natural Treatments

Prostatitis, inflammation of the prostate gland, causes intense pain, urinary complications, sexual dysfunction, infertility, and a drastic reduction in the quality of life. According to The Prostatitis Foundation, located in Smithshire, Illinois (www.prostatitis.org) strides have been made in the treatment of prostate cancer and BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia), diseases which affect mostly older men. However, prostatitis, a non-fatal disease affecting young men in their prime of life, has been dismissed or ignored. At best, the western medical community offers a life-long course of antibiotics. The Prostatitis Foundation created in 1995 to encourage prostatitis research and provide information on successful treatments, has a lively informative chat session with men affected by the disease.

Doctors do not agree on the causes of prostatitis. Some factors include: bacterial or viral infections, immune causes, physical causes, stricture, tumors, excess uric acid or prostate stones, cancer, candida or other yeast infections, and food allergies. This lack of agreement about the cause of prostatitis leads to divergent therapies ranging from drugs and surgery to alternative methods including diet, herbs, relaxation techniques, and massage.

Acute Infections

If you have acute symptoms such as fever, severe pain during or after urination or sex, and pus or burning discharge, consult a specialist for a diagnosis. The cause may be a bacterial infection from hospital germs or a sexually transmitted disease. Many specialists agree with Dr. John Krieger of the University of Washington in Seattle who suggests that patients should be treated regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. That means if you live in the United States, Canada, or Europe, your doctor will most likely treat prostate discomfort with antibiotics. At the same time, experts agree that very often medicines do not help at all. Little or no success with antibiotics was reported in the patient chat rooms at www.prostatitis.org. However, foods, herbal remedies, and massage therapies where reported at length.

Chinese formulas suitable for short term use contain herbs that have antibiotic, antiinflammatory, and diuretic properties. Some include akebia (mu tong); pyrrosia flower (shi wei); plantago seed (che qian zi); dianthus herb (qu mai); lygodium spore (hai jin shu); gardenia flower (zhi zi); magnesium salts (jua shi); tetrapanax pith (deng xing cao); licorice root, jurinea root (mu xiang); and laxative rhubarb, which reduces uric acid. These are ingredients found in Akebia Moist Heat Formula, an herbal pill made by Health Concerns, which is recommended by herbal doctors for urinary tract infections or inflammations accompanied by frequent and painful urination. For pus and constant pain, additional antibiotic herbs such as isatis (ban lang gen) are added. Such formulas are normally recommended for urinary tract or kidney infections, cystitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, vaginitis or bladder stones. The herbs also help to relieve prostate swelling and pain. Individual differences are always recognized in Asian medicine especially concerning the cause of symptoms, the type of treatment chosen, and the recommended dosage. To avoid further debility, weak or elderly persons are regularly given tonic herbs at the same time as antibiotic and antiinflammatory herbs.

The point is to contact your herbalist early, at the first sign of symptoms, not just before scheduled surgery. More than likely, a man will have chronic irritation for a long time before developing acute symptoms.

Chronic Prostatitis: Common Symptoms

Ignored by many doctors and most men, chronic prostatitis is the inevitable link between prostate discomfort and our modern lifestyle- a rich, fattening diet, stress, late hours, fatigue, and irritating stimulants such as coffee coupled with no exercise, low sexual energy, and emotional frustration. Bottle up a male animal, stuff him into an emotional straight-jacket, make him stand or sit for hours, and he tenses up.

Do you have pain or discomfort in the penis, testicles, above the pubic bone, in the lower back, down the leg, in the groin or perineum, during or after ejaculation, or while sitting? This condition often involves:

* feeling there is a golf ball in the rectum that can't be dislodged

* urinary frequency and urgency

* dysuria or burning during or after urination

* a need to urinate even after urination

* a sense of pelvic discomfort

* no evidence of infection in the urine or prostatic fluid

* no evidence of disease in the prostate or in the pelvic floor

Diet and Herbs for Prevention and Treatment

If you sit or stand many hours daily and work under tension, post this sign at work and in your kitchen. These foods reduce your risk of developing prostatitis:

Increase fresh fruits and vegetables especially asparagus, broccoli, parsley, cilantro, cooked tomatoes, adzuki beans, fresh fish, and tea.

You should avoid shellfish, alcohol, fried and hot spicy foods, coffee, and smoking. An irritating diet, constipation, and lack of exercise increases acids and toxins in the body that cause inflammation. Anyone with urinary or prostate discomforts should do very well using either our basic or comprehensive diet. Dragons need additional tonics such as astragalus or reishi mushroom tea or extract taken daily. Bears will love eating lots of berries. According to Abluquerque physician and researcher Dr. Tieroana Low Dog, all berries especially strawberries and blueberries, when eaten regularly, reduce urinary tract infections. Blueberries are considered cooling by Chinese herbalists. They contain a chemical similar to aspirin.

According to diet author Pritikin, elevated cholesterol causes crystals that settle in the prostate and cause additional swelling. The sensible thing to do is avoid red meat and soft cheese and other high cholesterol foods. Cholesterol-lowering foods, such as dried beans, oatmeal, oat bran and any fruit with a peel may help. Whole grains provide B vitamins. Thiamin and riboflavin help your body's cells release energy and are important for general vigor. Niacin from peas and beans dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow and are important for making testosterone. Most people consume enough vitamins, but alcohol depletes thiamin. Thiamin is found in whole grains, asparagus and raw nuts. Riboflavin is found in bananas and broccoli. Nuts, seeds and rye products are useful because they contain plant hormones and oils that decrease swelling, congestion and inflammation of the prostate. Pumpkin seeds contain oils that ease discomfort and pelvic pressure.

Asian herbalists suggest to increase garlic along with herbs to prevent hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol and triglycerides. Garlic treats chronic bacterial and fungal infections. Plain garlic can be irritating not to mention odorous. An herbal combination works better. For example, Astra Garlic pills contain odorless garlic, astragalus, he shou wu a moistening blood tonic, ganoderma (reishi mushroom), and hawthorn berry, known to reduce cholesterol. Included to increase circulation are tang kuei and salvia root. Atractylodes strengthens digestion, reduces local edema, and has anti-coagulative properties.

The Broccoli Cure

If this advice sounds too difficult, just eat lots of broccoli. You might even have broccoli with garlic sauce. Prof. Ibrahim Adnan Saracoglu recommends eating fresh and steamed broccoli for 21 days as a powerful treatment and preventive against BPH, Prostatitis, IC (interstitial cystitis), and urinary tract infections. Eating lots of broccoli has anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancing actions. Broccoli also reduces prostate stones. A minimum of 250 grams (approx.. 9oz) of broccoli should be steamed in 4 1/2 cups of water for five minutes. The broccoli cooking juice should be consumed on an empty stomach half in the morning and the other half evenings. Freshly steamed broccoli and cooking juice should be used each day. After eating it, nothing else should be consumed except water for twenty minutes.

Spice is absolutely forbidden during the Saracoglu broccoli cure. Definitely avoid coffee and animal fat. Janet, one of my women clients modified this regime for her broccoli-hater husband Ron. She simmered a cup of raw broccoli in two cups of water for ten minutes and poured it over his morning tea. Afternoons, she juiced it with other raw vegetables. He never noticed the taste. After about two weeks, he had lost five pounds, had less prostate discomfort and she told me blushing, they enjoyed sex more frequently. Health claims made for the broccoli cure include:

* Regulation of erectile dysfunctions

* Regulation of urinary functions

* Reversing infertility

* Improving libido

* Reducing the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen)

* Reducing cholesterol

* Improving bowel movements

* Regulation of blood pressure

We can add another important benefit of eating lots of broccoli - weight loss! Try to have some daily. For broccoli-haters, I recommend buying organic seeds from a local hardware store or an online source such as www.highmowingseeds.com or www.organicaseedco.com and making sprouts. Broccoli sprouts make steamed broccoli seem limp. They offer a stronger source of vitamins and minerals than broccoli spears. Sprouts are easy to make and taste crisp, crunchy and spicy in salads.

Difficult Urination

In Chinese medicine, difficult urination refers to dribbling, straining, or incomplete feeling urination. It can eventually lead to pressure or discomfort in the lower abdomen. It may become worse from muscle weakness and fatigue or some sort of congestion that slows the flow. Acid buildup from infrequent urination may lead to an itchy skin rash or irritability. A fat and sweet diet is often the cause. Creamy, sweet, and fried foods slow digestion. Smoking wrecks circulation.

If your tongue is coated with a thick or greasy, tofu coating, you will benefit from fu ling (Poria cocos), a diuretic herb recommended for difficult urination. A healthy tongue looks pink, moist and has a thin white coating, not like tofu! Fu ling works wonders: it increases urination and reduces lower abdomen bloating and tenderness, and clears itchy skin rash.

Simmer a handful of sliced fu ling in two cups of water for 20 minutes (a decoction) and drink 1 - 3 cups daily until the tongue has lost the tofu coating. Fu ling is tasteless. You might pour the decoction over tea or use it in soups or cooked barley. Using fu ling can eventually help to prevent stones and reduce prostate discomfort. Chinese doctors believe that increasing urination can eventually help to reduce lower abdomen and prostate discomfort. It helps you lose water weight too.

Gokshura: A Prince Among Diuretics

Ayurvedic doctors recommend gokshura (Tribulus terrestris) as a diuretic, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory treatment for painful urination, impotence, infertility, kidney disease, gout, and urinary stones. They also recommend it boiled with milk as an aphrodisiac. Chinese herbalists have used tribulus (***) for over four hundred years to treat a variety of liver, kidney, and cardiovascular diseases. They say it frees stuck circulation.

I asked my brother Dr. Eric Hadady- a handsome body-builder, former Mr. New Mexico, and chiropractor in Albuquerque - if he had heard of the East Indian herb gokshura (Tribulus terrestris.) Imagine my surprise when he answered, "Tribulus is the number one hot-selling herb for athletes in the healthfood stores." He said it was rather expensive and he would appreciate knowing a cheaper source of herbal testosterone. Imagine his surprise when I told him that gokshura grew wild in the desert and was, in fact, the painful sticker he sometimes pulled out of his socks and cowboy boots. It is commonly called puncture vine or caltrop fruit.

Tribulus is a testosterone enhancer that leads to the production of the luteinizing hormone (LH). When LH levels are increased, the natural production of testosterone increases and so does sex drive. A significant benefit of tribulus is that it stimulates hormone production to a balanced level, without over-stimulating hormones. Most gym experts recommend experimenting with 750 to 1,250 mgs. per day, divided among meals for increasing testosterone. However, our use of the herb as a tea is not the same as taking a pep pill. The tea is gently diuretic and reduces congestion pain in the pelvis and groin. Tribulus' role as a liver tonic is very important. It breaks down cholesterol and fats that inhibit healthy liver function by converting them to hormones and energy. Athletes use it for increased performance and stamina.

I do not recommend going to the mesa to harvest your own tribulus. Lin Sisters Herb Shop in New York Chinatown sells dried herbs by the ounce or in handy packets of finely powdered single herbs you can add to hot water as a tea. Simmer one teaspoon of Tribulus terrestris and a handful of Polygonum aviculare twigs in about 2 cups of water for five minutes, then pour the liquid over rooibos red bush tea or another mild tea such as mint. Be careful not to spill the stickers because stepping on them really hurts. Otherwise, add one packet each of the powdered herbs from Lin Sisters to a cup of water or tomato juice. To protect the prostate and promote comfortable urination , have 1 - 3 cups daily.

Gokshura (Tribulus) and Weight loss

The increase in hormone levels particularly testosterone as a result of using tribulus will promote protein synthesis, positive nitrogen balance, and faster recovery from muscle fatigue. Its regular use as a diuretic is strong enough to reduce edema, belly fat, and eventually hypertension. In general, reducing water retention that surrounds muscles with a healthy diuretic such as tribulus makes the body look leaner and sculpted. The extra boost of energy and enthusiasm does not hurt either! Tribulus has no adverse effects to the central nervous or cardiovascular systems. No known negative effects presently exist when Tribulus is used as a dietary supplement. If you use the diuretic tea for more than a few days, make sure to use a mixed mineral supplement to replace lost electrolytes. NOTE: Do not take the herb during pregnancy.

Prostate Gland Pills (A.K.A. Kai Kit Wan)

News groups at the prostate.org website among others are abuzz about the success of Chinese herbal remedies for reducing prostate pain and infection. Among the most frequently mentioned is a Chinese patent remedy called Kai Kit Wan (A.K.A. Prostate Gland Pills.) Most Kai Kit Wan users at www.prostatitis.org agreed that several month's use was necessary for the best results. That indicates to me that they started treatment late in the game. If you use the remedy at the first sign of discomforts, you can normally feel results in a few days. However, the online prostatitis chat community was delighted with their results.

A Chinese medical explanation for prostatitis includes unresolved urinary tract and sexually transmitted infections where bacteria have caused chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and tubular gland obstruction resulting in dysuria. For that reason urinary and prostate discomforts are treated with a combination of antiseptic, diuretic, and tonic herbs. The East West Trade Winds catalog lists as ingredients for Prostate Gland Pills (Kai Kit Wan): Vaccaria segetalis, patrinia, red peony, astragalus, talc, tree peony root bark, licorice, cordyalis, codonopsis, cornstarch, and FD&C red coloring No. 40. Vaccaria is a diuretic. Patrinia reduces swelling, pus, and inflammation. Peony enhances local circulation. Cordyalis treats pain and codonopsis lifts prolapsed organs and tones energy. Astragalus reduces abdominal edema and protects against cancer. A small amount of licorice is used in most Chinese herbal formulas to prevent possible side effects such as cramps caused by combining many herbs.

The normal dose for Prostate Gland Pills is 3 - 5 pills three times daily, but it can be increased as needed for a stronger effect. Soon you should feel less discomfort while sitting, urinating, and when having sex. The urine should change from colored, odorous, thick or flaky to a clear light yellow. Your lower back and abdominal area should feel relieved of tension and pain. One person on a prostate information website reported paying an outrageous $20 Canadian for a bottle of Kai Kit. In any American Chinatown or online the remedy is easily available and reasonably priced.

The Bottom Line

If you have lower abdomen edema or belly fat, hypertension, prostate discomfort or a congested feeling in the sexual area, consider using supportive Asian herbs such as Kai Kit Wan, Essence Chamber pills made by Health Concerns, or gokshura capsules or tea. Include them as part of your healthy slimming and reconditioning routine. This is important: If you are weak or if you use herbs to prevent or treat prostate problems for several months, always add an herbal tonic such as ling zhi (ganoderma mushroom) or astragalus. They are fairly neutral, which means they neither overstimulate nor drain the body. Tonic herbs do not kill germs. They help the body to be stronger and work better. You should try to match the tonic to your symptoms. Your herbalist can help you to decide on the best ones to use. Some herbal tonics are cooling (antiinflammatory) and others are warming, stimulating, and may be constipating. Here are a couple of choices.

Two Cooling, Moistening Tonics

If you have a dry red tongue, thirst, and other dehydration symptoms such as constipation and dark sparse urine, you need an herbal tonic that is cooling and moistening. One useful Chinese patent remedy is called Liu Wei Di Huang Wan. It is moistening for skin and hair, refreshing to your throat, and cleansing laxative and diuretic in larger doses. It helps ease tension, back stiffness, and muscle spasms. In China, large doses are recommended for hypertension, diabetes, exhaustion with thirst and insomnia. For example, 10 - 15 pills two or three times daily. Astra Essence is recommended as a general tonic that works well for sexual vitality. According to Health Concerns, it also improves brain function, vertigo, hearing loss, dizziness, and poor memory. It can be used for impotence, frequent urination, and hair loss. It helps to balance blood glucose in diabetes.

Sexoton: A Warming and Cooling Tonic

If you feel weak and chilled, if you have facial pallor, a pale, puffy tongue and slow pulse, you could use a warming tonic instead of those mentioned above. Sexoton Pills is a Chinese patent tonic formula for improving chronic fatigue and poor circulation. Other symptoms are cold hands and feet, pain and weakness of lower back and legs, frequent urinating, sexual asthenia, and early morning diarrhea. One herb user wrote to www.prostate.org:

After my exam, the first thing my urologist said was, "Your prostate is smaller today." The Chinese pills were anything but a placebo for the prostate! I feel better. Not quite cured, but maybe darned close. Taking Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan [Sexoton Pills] in the day or 2 before a drainage gives more plentiful EPS, and often gives a lot of white blood cells in clumps and casts, suggesting that some blockages are newly opened. I am also taking Kai Kit Wan now, which might have a similar effect by themselves.

Apparently, Sexoton worked well for him as a tonic to overcome weakness and poor local circulation and to break apart congestion. Kai Kit helped to drain the prostate fluid.

NOTE: Some rejuvenating Chinese tonic formulas, including those mentioned above, contain Chinese foxglove Rehmannia glutinosa, which provides among many other benefits, a source of arginine. Dr. Woodson Merrell, MD., director of New York's Continuum Center for Health and Healing, has written a book about arginine. He believes its use can aggravate a herpes outbreak. In that case, he recommends taking lysine to balance immunity. People with herpes can replace the above formulas with a single herb Eclipta alba. See page for details.

Good News from Stanford

According to David Wise, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist at Stanford Healthcare Services "about 95% of all cases of chronic prostatitis is a condition of chronic tension in the pelvic floor. There is no effective drug regimen or surgical procedure for abacterial prostatitis/prostatodynia. At Stanford we have had men consult with us who, in moments of desperation, have had their prostates resectioned or removed and who have taken heroic doses of antibiotics and other drugs. None of these treatments have helped them. Not infrequently, these treatments have made the problem worse or created other problems."

The Stanford study successfully treated chronic prostatitis as a tension disorder. Painful trigger points and tender points in the pelvic floor come about because of chronically contracted muscles there. To deactivate the trigger points is a method borrowed from physical therapy called "myofascial release" or "soft tissue mobilization". This is done inside the pelvis where the therapist pushes against the trigger points, stretching the tender contracted tissue. After a number of sessions there is often a significant reduction of symptoms but only if the patient learns to stop chronically tensing the pelvic muscles. For many men, that would require no less than a personality change. Learning to relax the pelvic muscles involves a relaxation method aimed at stopping the chronic squeezing of the pelvic floor muscles. The results are so positive that below I describe a modified form of their massage.

* A Warm Bath with Epsom Salts. This old time remedy provides magnesium, which helps to ease muscle tension and fatigue. Light a candle. Soak in hot water and 1 cup of Epsom Salts for twenty minutes. Massage your feet and lower abdomen as you listen to soft music and soak.

* Massage: St John's Wort Tincture and Hypericum Ointment

St. John's wort herb has been proven effective is easing prostate discomfort. The British Journal of Dermatology (May, 2000) reported research done by Schempp; Winghofer; Ludtke; Simon-Haarhaus; Schopf; and Simon. St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) the traditional herbal medicine used for the topical treatment of superficial wounds, burns and dermatitis . . . (shows) a proliferation of T lymphocytes that may provide a rationale for the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders with Hypericum extracts. An abdominal massage with St. John's wort ointment or tincture stimulates circulation in the groin. It causes a comfortable tingling sensation. Avoid use on broken skin and very sensitive areas.

Nervous Eating, Overweight, and Immunity

Many patients and doctors are intrigued with the idea that our immune system may be causing the symptoms of prostatitis. This would make prostatitis similar to diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, allergies, lupus, and a number of other diseases which may be products of a misguided or over-functioning immune system. An inappropriate immune response can develop from numerous possible causes, including bacterial antigens, neuromuscular tension, or physical injuries. In my experience with lupus and multiple sclerosis patients, spicy foods, chocolate, and wine also provoke a strong rebound reaction by the immune system. Some people who have lost their symptoms regain them after eating those foods.

Asian mushrooms, well-known to Chinese herbalists and athletes, may be a key to prevention of prostate problems and their symptoms. They tend to balance and normalize immune reactions. Coincidentally, Asian mushroom can also reduce stress binging and nervous appetite for some people. Asian medicinal mushrooms are used in auto-immune illness, among other reasons, because they have many benefits.

Ganoderma lucidum (ling Zhi) acts as a panacea. It is anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-viral. It regulates blood pressure, acts as a cardio-vascular tonic, reduces cholesterol, moderates blood sugar, enhances and balances immune response, acts as a kidney, liver, nerve, lung and respiratory tonic, a sexual tonic, and reduces stress. Many health minded people take the extract or herbal pills daily. The usual dose is 10 - 20 drops or the recommended dose of pills taken twice daily. When using mushroom products, avoid having coffee or tea at the same time. Wait for 1 - 2 hours after drinking coffee, which eliminate vitamins and minerals from the body. To reduce appetite, add twenty drops of the extract to 1/2 cup of water or take it straight twenty minutes before meals or three times daily.

It is true that saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) reduces the symptoms of BPH, but it will not necessarily help with stress, blood pressure, or overweight. Supplements such as zinc, manganese, the B vitamins, and Vitamin E are getting attention for their role in sustaining mens' health. However, the West has provided few synergistic formulas that can be recommended to men for long-term use in strengthening their physiology and enjoying a fuller sex life. Our health problems are examined and treated by specialists: cardiologists, joint specialists, urologists, kidney disease specialists, and many more. Healthfood stores sell new and improved formulas for stress relief and sexual potency. There are new energy formulas, body-building supplements, multivitamins, and multimineral formulas sold daily. However, no one can deny the importance of wholesome foods, teas, and a healthy outlook. An Asian approach to male weight loss acknowledges the unity of body, mind, and prostate. To look and feel your best, to live a long full life, you can't afford to have tunnel vision.

Not All Sugar Is Bad: Glucose for Your Brain, Nerves, Heart and Muscles

Written by Michael Tierra, East West School of Planetary Herbology

You could be glucose (i.e., sugar) deprived and suffering from that denied hit of fast energy necessary to power your nervous system, heart, and muscles. This can affect not only your quality of life, but also your health.

Both the heart and the brain require a substantial amount of glucose (sugar) to function well. A constant pumping action of the heart means that it needs a steady supply of energy. Many runners who suddenly die of cardiac arrest at a comparatively young age could be because they ran out of fuel to keep their hearts working.

The primary metabolic substrate for the heart is fatty acids. However, up to 30% of myocardial ATP is generated by glucose and lactate, with smaller contributions from ketones and amino acids. Although glucose is not the primary metabolic substrate in the heart at rest, there are many circumstances in which it assumes greater importance such as during ischemia, increased workload, and pressure overload hypertrophy. The brain is so rich in nerve cells that it is the most energy-demanding organ, using half of all the sugar energy in the body.

Many know the wisdom of having at least a piece of fruit before beginning a strenuous workout. The same is also true when undergoing long hours of intense thought. The greatest demands for fuel mainly come from our muscles and nervous system, especially the brain. We know that glucose is one of the few substances that readily passes the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and like the heart, the brain works throughout the night, including during sleep. We need energy in the form of a steady supply of glucose to the brain to sleep soundly. When it runs out of fuel (i.e., glucose), the result is insomnia, disturbed sleep, being unable to get back to sleep, and not feeling rested when awakening in the morning.

The liver is in charge of processing sugar into glucose through a process called glycogenesis, in which glucose is formed through the breakdown of glycogen (the stored form of sugar). Glycogenesis is what prevents us from experiencing hypoglycemia when we run out of fuel during the day. It is possible to run out of stored fuel (glucose) when we are asleep or if the liver is underfunctioning. Thus, a liver imbalance is one of the most common causes of insomnia and sleep disturbances.

Whole Sugar and Insomnia

Of course, by sugar or glucose, I'm not speaking of refined sugar which robs our body of nutrients and which is unfortunately present in practically everything and is added to foods to get us to want more. Refined sugar is a pro-inflammatory substance that many believe to be toxic and one of the primary causes of alcoholism and addictions generally. (Anyone who finds it difficult to control a sugar habit should consider using honey or sucanat, a commercially available brand of clean, evaporated sugar cane juice. These sugars have real nutritional value when consumed in moderation.)

Refined white sugar is bad, but there are beneficial uses for whole, unrefined sources of sugar such as honey and pure unrefined evaporated sugar cane such as Indian jaggery which in Central and Latin America is called panela. This sugar has all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes from the whole sugar cane plant.

Honey is a well-known remedy for insomnia. Composed of equal parts glucose and fructose. It is the glucose that helps us to fall asleep and then the fructose which is later transformed by the liver into bioavailable glucose that feeds and satisfies the energy demands of our brain for the second half of the night. It is recommended to try taking two tablespoons full of raw honey before retiring, alone or with tea or warm milk. Honey contains the amino acid tryptophan, which helps sleep and this, in turn, converts to serotonin, the happiness neurotransmitter which helps us to awaken refreshed.

Powdered herbs mixed with honey is one of the simplest and most efficient ways to take herbs and are used in traditional cultures throughout the world. I often recommend this way to take herbs. Unfortunately, the antisugar phobia applied to all sugar including honey and whole evaporated cane juice keep people from using herbs mixed with honey, called an 'electuary,' or in syrups.

Asian Fruits Before Bedtime

Certain 'power fruits' taken before retiring are also extremely useful for insomnia and taken during the day, counteract sudden mood shifts and depression which often is accompanied by a drop of energy. I recommend you purchase a pound of these three dried power fruits. Experiment using them in different dishes, soups, cereals, or boil them (first remove the pits from the jujube dates) and render them into a syrup using sucanat brown unrefined sugar and honey. Take by the spoonful.

Longan Berries

My favorite is longan berries (Dimocarpus longus pericarp; Chinese: Long yan ru). These are closely related to litchi fruit which probably has similar properties. They are commonly called 'dragon eyes' because of the dark pit in the center of the translucent fruit.

Longan berries have a long history of use for nourishing the blood, calming the spirit and helping to overcome insomnia. This is because they are high in readily available glucose which feeds the heart and quickly passes the blood-brain barrier to fuel the brain. I like to keep a bag of these handy and soak about 10 and taken them before retiring as an alternative to honey.

Goji Berries

Another Asian fruit that is fast growing in popularity in the West is goji berries (Lycium chinensis). Like longan berries, this fruit is a blood tonic, and is especially good for the eyes because besides its natural sugar content is loaded with beta carotene. They work almost as well longan berries as a treatment for insomnia. However, goji berries are also a fruit I give to my diabetes patients to snack on throughout the day. They not only tonify Qi and Blood but also help regulate fluctuations in blood sugar for people with type 2 diabetes.

Jujube Dates

Finally the last super fruit that helps satisfy the body's need for bioavailable glucose is jujube date (Zizyphus spinose; Chinese: da zao). These are commonly used in Chinese herbal formulas. They are eaten as a fruit and are popular throughout China as a confection. Jujube dates especially nourish and tonify Qi but they are also a treatment for insomnia and depression.

One of the simplest and most effective antidepressant formulas commonly used clinically is called 'Gan Mai Da Zao' taken either as a tea or convenient pills ('wan' in Chinese products). It consists of only three simple botanicals: licorice, sprouted wheat, and jujube dates. Simple but safer and far more effective than many pharmaceutical antidepressants, this formula is taken three times daily to relieve anxiety, depression, insomnia, hot flashes in menopause, and manic depression. Many companies sell this formula. My current favorite is Active Herb which markets it under the apt name of "MooDelight."

Dried Longan, Red dates, and Goji Berry Drink

Combine the following:

15 dried longans
30 dried red dates
a handful of goji berries
boil in 2 cups of water
Add honey to taste and have a cup twice daily, especially before retiring.

Oh, and one more perk many experience from taking longan berries or honey before retiring at night is less or no calls to the bathroom to disturb your sleep.

This article describes traditional Chinese patent medicines that are formulated to relieve cough, cold, flu, and allergy symptoms. Patent medicines are an inexpensive and convenient way to administer Chinese medicinal herbs. Most of the medicines come in the form of easy-to-swallow, tiny round pills (wan) or tablets (pian), but syrups and teas are also used.

The first traditional Chinese medicine we'll discuss treats a condition most of us have experienced: nasal congestion and runny nose due to allergies or the common cold. Continue to the next section for detailed information.

Traditional Chinese Nose Inflammation Pills

Chinese nose inflammation pills are an effective herbal remedy for nasal congestion, runny nose, and cold and allergy symptoms.

Chinese name: Bi Yan Pian (bee yahn pyen)
Also known as: Nose Inflammation Pills

Indications
Acute or chronic nasal congestion, allergies, runny nose due to common cold

Functions
Dispels wind cold or wind heat, clears the nasal passages

Description
Bi Yan Pian is one of the more popular over-the-counter medicines. It is highly effective for nasal or sinus congestion as in the common cold, allergies, rhinitis, and sinusitis. The major herbal decongestants in this formula are magnolia flower (xin yi hua), Angelica dahurica (bai zhi), and Xanthium (cang er zi). These three herbs are effective individually, but their synergistic effect upon the nasal passages and sinuses is nothing short of remarkable.

After prescribing this remedy dozens of times over the years, the only side effect one experienced practitioner has seen is some dryness in the mouth and throat. This occurred in only two cases, and it was alleviated by decreasing the dose.

This example points to the need for assessing each case and prescribing an herbal remedy based on the individual's constitution. The individuals who experienced excessive dryness both had an underlying yin deficiency, which means that their body's ability to maintain a moist environment was impaired. Herbs that have a drying nature, as in this formula, tend to push that imbalance even further.

Bi Yan Pian can be used for sinus infections; it contains heat-clearing herbs such as Phellodendron (huang bai), forsythia (lian qiao), Anemarrhena (zhi mu), and wild chrysanthemum (ye ju hua). When treating an infection, it is best to be as aggressive as possible, since it can quickly progress to a more serious condition. For this reason, this patent formula is often combined with one that focuses more on clearing infections such as Chuan Xin Lian Antiphlogistic pills.

In addition, when treating any infection with herbs, it is essential to begin taking the herbs as early as possible, take them regularly until the infection is gone, and then continue them for a day or two after the symptoms are gone. This last step is important because if treatment is discontinued early, it is possible to kill off enough bacteria to alleviate symptoms while still leaving enough behind to multiply again. Once an infection has been partially cleared with herbs and allowed to come back, it is much more difficult to clear it with the same herbs in a second round of treatment.

Until recently, the disadvantage of using Bi Yan Pian has been the presence of artificial dyes in the tablet coating. Some of the batches also contained traces of Western over-the-counter pharmaceuticals.[Ed. Note: The Modern Herb Shop is careful to carry only approved remedies with no Western pharmaceutical additives.]

Traditional Chinese Cough Syrup
Those suffering from a dry cough can benefit from this traditional Chinese cough syrup, which moistens the lungs and helps loosen phlegm.

Chinese name: Chuan Bei Pi Pa Gao (chwahn bay pee pah gow)
Also known as: Fritillaria Loquat Syrup

Indications
Cough due to lung heat or dryness, with phlegm that is difficult to expectorate; a dry cough with no or little phlegm

Functions
Clears lung heat, moistens the lungs, stops coughing

Description
This soothing syrup is appropriate in cases of lung dryness that is due to wind heat, common colds, or smoking. Its chief ingredients are Fritillaria (bei mu) and loquat leaf (pi pa ye). Loquat leaf is especially useful for a heat-type cough, which is a cough with sticky phlegm that is difficult to expectorate. Loquat leaf comes from the same tree that produces the small delicious loquat fruits (Eriobotrya japonica).

Fritillaria, the other chief ingredient, is an expectorant that is moistening to the lungs, an important action when a cough is nonproductive.

Traditional Chinese anti-inflammatory tablets have a combination of three herbs that makes a potent antibacterial and antiviral medicine.

Chinese name: Chuan Xin Lian (chwahn shin lyahn) Antiphlogistic Tablets
Also known as: Andrographis Anti-inflammatory Tablets

Indications
Inflammation due to excess heat, swollen glands, severe sore throat, viral infections, bacterial infections

Functions
Clears heat, clears toxins, cools the blood, reduces inflammation

Description
This powerful antibacterial and antiviral formula contains just three herbs: Andrographis leaf, Isatis root, and Taraxacum root (dandelion). The combination of these ingredients produces a pronounced cooling effect on toxic heat throughout the body. Some of the bacterial infections this patent medicine treats are acute sore throat, swollen glands, lung abscess, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and dysentery. It can also be used for viral infections such as influenza and hepatitis.

The chief ingredient, Andrographis paniculata (chuan xin lian), has been shown to inhibit the Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Shigella organisms that can cause various infections. It is extremely bitter -- its name in Chinese translates to "pierce the heart lotus," meaning it is so bitter, its flavor "pierces the heart."

One herbalist recalls that while working in a Chinese herbal pharmacy some years ago, he noticed an extremely bitter taste in his mouth. When he turned around, he saw that a teacher had opened the drawer containing the Andrographis, 20 feet from where he was standing! Because of its bitterness, Andrographis is usually taken in pill form.

The second ingredient, Isatis tinctoria (ban lang gen), also has antiviral and antibacterial actions. Its broad antimicrobial effect has been shown to inhibit the bacteria that cause dysentery, salmonella, strep infection, and typhoid. Isatis has strong antiviral action against hepatitis and encephalitis. This is highly significant, since Western medicine has virtually no weapons against viral infections.

The third ingredient is the much-maligned dandelion (pu gong ying), a major medicine in both Western and Chinese herbalism. Traditionally used for breast abscesses, jaundice, and urinary tract infections, dandelion has impressive antibacterial effects against the pathogens that cause strep throat, pneumonia, dysentery, meningitis, diphtheria, and tuberculosis -- all from a plant that is relentlessly sprayed with herbicides by the unsuspecting suburban homeowner!

Chinese patent medicines generally consist of extracted condensed pills called teapills, which are usually small, spherical, and black, appearing like black pearls. They are called teapills because the herbs are cooked into an herbal tea to make the pills. Honey or water pills made from ground raw herbs are also a popular format in China, and tend to be bigger and slightly to significantly softer than teapills.

Modern teapills are created from herbs extracted in stainless steel extractors to create either a water decoction or water-alcohol decoction, depending on the herbs used. They are extracted at a low temperature (below 100 degrees Celsius) to preserve essential ingredients. The extracted liquid is then further condensed and a bit of raw herb powder from one of the herbal ingredients is mixed in to form an herbal dough. This dough is then machine cut into tiny pieces, a small amount of excipients are added for a smooth and consistent exterior, and they are spun into pills.

Honey pills and water pills have been made since ancient times by combining several dried herbs and other ingredients, which are ground into a powder, mixed with a binder and traditionally formed into pills by hand. Modern honey or water pills are formed into pills by machine. The binder is traditionally honey for honey pills. For water pills the binder may simply be water, or may include another binder, such as molasses. Modern manufacturers still produce many patent formulas as honey or water pills, such as Wuji Baifeng Wan, a popular honey pill formula to "nourish qi and blood to strengthen the body".

Patents may come in other forms such as dripping pills, liquids, syrups, powders, granules, instant teas, and capsules. Companies make Chinese patent medicines both within and outside China.

Like other patent medicines, they are not patented in the traditional sense of the word. No one has exclusive rights to the formula. Instead, "patent" refers to the standardization of the formula.

In China, all Chinese patent medicines of the same name have the same proportions of ingredients, and are manufactured in accordance with the PRC Pharmacopoeia's monograph on that particular formula, which is mandated by Chinese law. Each monograph details the exact herbal ingredients that make up the patent formula, usually accompanied by the specific tests that should be used for correct herb identification, such as thin layer chromatography (TLC) or high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the percentage of each ingredient, and specific cautions and contraindications. The monograph also details the manufacturing methods that must be followed, how to process and cook the herbs, often including specific requirements for finished product testing including authenticating and assessing the potency of the formula with active ingredient markers where known, as well as testing for dissolution time and content uniformity. All good manufacturing practice (GMP) certified factories must also test for heavy metal levels and microbials for all patent medicines they produce.

In western countries, there is considerable variation of ingredients and in the proportions of ingredients in products sharing the same name. This is because the Chinese government allows foreign companies to apply for modifications of patent formulas to be sold outside of China. For example, Hebei brand Lifei pills contain Kadsura (feng sha teng) and Morus (sang ye), whereas Plum Flower brand Li Fei Pian contains Schizandra (we wei zi) and Gecko (ge jie) instead. Another example is Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan. The Lanzou brand uses Citrus (ju hong). The Lanzhou Foci Min Shan brand and the Plum Flower brand do not, but use Ginger (sheng jiang).

Extract from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_patent_medicine

by Douglas Eisentark