Why Asian Dandelion is called "Fishman's Herb" in Chinese?

The 16-year-old daughter of a government official in ancient China was suffering from mastitis, with a triangular lump underneath her left breast. She was in pain and very worried, but she dared not tell anyone about it, because deep down inside she felt ashamed. But her maid eventually noticed her illness and disclosed it to her father, pleading with him to hire a doctor.
  
Inquiring into his daughter's condition the official became angry as he suspected that his daughter must have done something immoral to have caused this. He rushed to his daughter's room and slapped her in the face. "How could you do such a shameful thing? You are a disgrace to your family," shouted the father. The maid insisted that his daughter had never gone out alone and could not have possibly done anything immoral. The father wouldn't listen. The daughter ran away from home that night out of shame and desperation.
   
She went to the river bank and thinking that no one would be around at that hour to see her, quickly jumped into the river in an attempt to commit suicide. A fisherman was fishing from a rowboat nearby with his 16-year-old daughter. When they heard that splash, the fisherman's daughter instantly jumped into the river to save her. Once they were both on board the fisherman was surprised to see that the girl was just about the same age as his daughter.

The fisherman's daughter changed the girl's clothes and in the process discovered the swelling in the young lady's left breast. She immediately understood the reason for her attempted suicide. Telling her father about it the fisherman replied, "We will go dig some [healing] plants for her breast first thing in the morning."
 
The plant was a perennial herb, with white milky juice in it, yellowish flowers and straight but fleshy stem and thick roots. They found the plants along the roadside not far from the river. They dug out a few plants that weighed about 100g, washed them clean and boiled them in water. Then they told the girl to drink the liquid. In the meantime they crushed some of the plants and applied them to her breast.

Hearing of her whereabouts and their daughter's attempted suicide the official and his wife, greatly worried and deeply regretful, rushed to see the fisherman and to take their daughter home.

Their daughter, grateful and in tears, said good-bye to the fisherman and his daughter and went home with her parents, bringing a bunch of the plants with her. Before she left, the fisherman kept reminding her to continue using and applying the herb for her illness.
 
After she had recovered she told her maid to plant the herb in their garden. So that she would always remember the fisherman, she named the plant after him; not knowing his name she called it "Fisherman's Herb."
 
The Chinese use Asian dandelion to treat such symptoms by decocting 50g dandelion in two glasses of water ( medium size glass) until the water is reduced by half, then they strain and drink the liquid once daily.

In the treatment of eye disorders, take a cotton ball soaked in the fluid and gently press it on the closed eyelid for about half an hour daily. Unlike most Chinese herbs, when Asian dandelion is used to treat inflammatory diseases, both internal and external methods should be applied - whether in treating mastitis, tonsillitis, or mumps.

More information, Asian dandelion is effective to treat

1. indigestion and chronic constipation
2.mastitis prior to becoming infected, by both ingestion and external applications simultaneously,
3.early stages of snake and insect bites prior to infection, and
4. promoting urination in treating acute urination disturbances, by a decoction of as much as 35-70g of fresh dandelion; smaller quantities produce little or no effect.

Action:  to clear up heat, counteract toxic effects, disperse swelling and heal carbuncles.

Winter Health Tips & Allergy Prevention

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant, if we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” Acupuncture Media Works (2012)

Winter is a time for the yin phase.  This season is for resting, relaxing, and nurturing our bodies.  The yin phase indicates going inward, night time, rest, and nourishment.  During this phase of the year, it is important to listen to your body.  When you are feeling run down from the stress of work and life, you may need that extra hour of sleep.  Going to bed earlier and waking up later is part of this phase.  It’s similar to a bear hibernating in the winter.  We should conserve our energies and not have too many “yang” activities, like excessive work or exercise.  If we care for our bodies well in the wintertime, the spring season will be much healthier. 

Here are some winter health tips that may help you in your resolutions to better care for yourself.  In order to eat right for the season, you can cook with “warming foods.”  The weather is colder and your body needs warm foods to function properly.  For breakfast, you can make oatmeal or rice porridge with cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins or diced apple.  A boiled egg is a great compliment to this healthy breakfast, which will provide some good protein.  Green tea with some honey will round out this breakfast to boost your energy but not make you jittery.  Other items to add to a healthy winter diet are whole grains, brown rice, squash, and root vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, onions, and garlic.  For a simple dinner soup, you can chop up some sweet potato, carrot, onion, and squash and boil for 30-45 minutes.  Add your favorite bean or legume for protein.  Add a bit of olive oil and salt to taste.  This will keep you warm and provide plenty of nutrition to build immunity.

Another winter health tip is to dress warmly.  This seems like an easy one, but is easily overlooked.  We may forget to check the weather and leave the house without our warm jacket.  Making sure that we dress warmly will protect our organs and prevent the cold from entering our body.  This can inevitably prevent disorders like arthritis, hip, back, and joint pain.  Covering our tummies in the winter can also help with women who have menstrual pain of the cold type.  If heating pads help your cramps, keeping your mid section properly covered can prevent the onset of menstrual cramping during winter.  Also, making sure you keep your neck covered while exercising and sweating can help prevent wind and cold from invading the body causing common cold.  It is very important to keep the back of the neck properly covered to prevent colds and stiff neck.  Scarves are great for this!  Dressing warmly during the winter can protect the body from cold, exhaustion and prevent illness.

During the wintertime, it’s important to support the kidney organ.  The vital energy and essence of the body derives from the kidneys.  If they are weakened during the wintertime, it can affect your energy level.  This is the time to support the adrenals and kidney organs.  How can we do this?  Other than getting plenty of sleep and eating healthfully, we can massage our acupuncture points.  This is called acupressure.  Gentle massage or rubbing of these points can aid the body in supporting health.  A good acupressure point to massage is Kidney 3.  This is located in the depression between the inner ankle and the Achilles tendon.  It is level with the ankle bone.  This point is used to treat various symptoms such as low back pain, tinnitus, headache, dizziness, wheezing, cough, poor memory, and impotence. 

If we can make small, simple adjustments in our daily life, we can support a healthier lifestyle and better immunity.  By resting well, eating warming foods, dressing appropriately, and using acupressure, we can build a stronger ability to fight off infections. 

Allergies

Winter is the time for allergies in Austin.  Our good old friend Cedar (Juniper) pollen is released into the air after the weather becomes cooler.  This can cause various symptoms for those who suffer from the allergic reaction.  These symptoms include itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, headache, cough, excess nasal mucus, and fatigue.  Those who have excess nasal drainage can be at higher risk for cough and bronchitis if the fluid drains into the lungs while sleeping.  Preventing the onset of these symptoms can protect from more serious conditions such as long term cough, chest congestions, and bronchial infections. 

So what can we do to prevent these allergic reactions?  One easy tip is to protect the immunity by getting plenty of rest and eating a nutritious diet.  Limiting intake of dairy and wheat can be helpful for some who suffer from allergies.  Foods that can be avoided during an allergic reaction are milk, cheese, yogurt, fried foods, breads, sweets, and sugary drinks.  These foods can cause excess mucosal production which can exaccerbate a stuffy nose or cough.  Excessive sugar intake can delay healing time. 

One easy recipe for fighting off allergies and boosting immunity is lemon honey tea.  Our grandmothers knew it best.  Combine one quarter organic lemon, local honey, and boiled water to prevent getting sick after an allergy attack. The lemon is high in vitamin C, which is helpful in boosting immunity.  The local honey contains pollen from flora in the surrounding area of Austin, which can introduce small amounts of the pollen to the body.  This concept is similar to the idea of a vaccine.  You introduce trace amounts of the pathogen into the body, thereby creating immunity to the pollen. Stocking these ingredients and making this tea can help keep your immune system healthy during the winter season. 

Also, breathing techniques combined with certain sounds can help to boost the immune system during the winter time.  The sound for lung is “ssss” or “thhhh”.  To try this technique, you exhale through the mouth and inhale through the nose.  Put your tongue in between your teeth and make the ‘ssss’ sound.  Your tongue should be just slightly sticking out of your mouth.  Repeat this technique approximately 30 times.  This technique strengthens the lung energy.  By using this combination of breathing and sound therapy, you can expel pathogens from the lung.  It’s also very relaxing.  

There are also Chinese herbs that can be helpful in preventing allergy attacks.  This formula is called “Jade Screen” or Yu Ping Feng San.  This formula is named “Jade Screen” because the prescription preventatively boosts the immune system, thereby creating a ‘screen’ to protect against an allergic attack.  Taking this formula several months before the allergy season can work wonders for those who have allergies.  I’m a living example of this!  I’ve taken Jade Screen and it helps my allergies, as well as preventing chronic bronchial infections during the winter season.  How it works is to strengthen the digestion and immune system to create a stronger immunity when the pollen season arrives.  It also helps to strengthen the lung organ to support good lung health.  Getting regular acupuncture treatments and taking “Jade Screen” are the best things I’ve done to help my allergies!

By taking care of yourself during the winter season, you can prevent an allergic reaction.  With nutritional therapy, resting well, breathing techniques, acupuncture, and taking herbal formulas, we can boost our immunity and stave off infection.  These are healthy, mild treatments that help to maintain longevity and promote well being!!

Written by: Kendall Ash McAnally

An Exercise that helps you Achieve Longevity

The kidneys, in addition to their normal blood purification functions, store the vital energy (essence) for the body. Vital energy is essential to life itself. To the degree that vital energy leaves the body, the body slowly dies. To the degree that vital energy increases in the body, the body thrives. Kidneys are vital to every other organ system. If the kidneys are damaged, it’s like the foundation of a house is being weakened.  

You may have kidney deficiencies if you have some of the following symptoms: ear ringing; deafness; foot or knee ache; lower back pain; night sweating; dizziness; loose teeth; hair loss; frequent urinating (especially at night); swollen eye lids (after you get up in the morning); dark circles around eyes; weakness in the legs. Mentally if you have more fear than before. For example, you were not afraid of driving when you were younger. Now you always fear other cars will hit you when you’re driving. This is an indication that your kidneys may be weaker than before.

Today let me introduce a simple exercise to help you strengthen your kidneys and accumulate more vital energies in the kidneys. See the linked video below:

http://youtu.be/BpikR_Hngq4

Do the exercise persistently and gradually you’ll see the results! You will!

How to Stay Healthy in Winter

Just like how millions of cells make up one organism, human beings are the tiny cells that make up the universe.  We must abide by the changes of nature, instead of going against it; we must interact with the millions of organisms in the world, instead of solely paying attention to our own needs.  As long as we do this, borrowing upon the strength of nature to cure our diseases, we will naturally be healthy. 

In ancient times, living conditions were relatively poor compared to today’s; it was impossible to control the temperature of the environment, so the only way to avoid the effects of the cold was to rely on the energy of the sun, meanwhile reducing the body’s use of energy—this was done by going to sleep as soon as the sun set, and waking up as soon as the sun rose at dawn.  This kind of lifestyle habit, if put in the context of today’s society, would not be well accepted, because people must wake up early to go to work, then come home from work very late at night; then, they may watch T.V., or go online—and, depending on where you live, there may be an abundance of nighttime activities.  This is the popular lifestyle of today’s society, and no one wants, or feels the need, to change it.   

However, the lifestyle of those who lived in the ancient times is indeed the most precious lesson we can learn from them, because it was not only a convenience, it also preserved their health and led them on a path to longevity. 

Because in the winter, the sun sets early and rises late, we should also sleep early and rise late—this will help us “escape” the winter’s cold.  We must seek more exposure to the sun during the winter—this will help “dispel” the winter’s cold.  Also, we should stay in warm areas and avoid cold areas—this will “expel” the winter’s cold.  Lastly, we must not expose our skin to the cold—this will “resist” the cold.  The above four methods may be common sense, but they are key to helping us prevent sickness during the wintertime, according to “Emperor Huang’s Internal Medicine”. 

To prevent sickness during the wintertime is not that difficult, given our modern living conditions.  However, there are some additional methods that will help dispel the cold that may accidentally enter your body. 

There are many women who, in the wintertime, will dress warmly with layers on top, but only wear a thin dress on the bottom.  Although this may look immaculate and professional, it will also bring endless amounts of harm to one’s body.  An old Chinese proverb says: “Wind comes into the body through one’s neck; the cold comes into the body through one’s legs”.  Although the blood circulating through our body is always warm, many people have poor circulation in their legs because the heat in their legs is not being protected by clothing.  So in the wintertime, remember to keep your legs and feet warm by wearing warm socks, shoes and pants. 

Once winter comes, some people feel that their feet and legs are never warm, even when layering on thick blankets or wearing socks.  This is because of poor circulation, and can be easily remedied by doing the “Walking on Your Knees” exercise, or the “Standing on One Leg” exercise.  These two exercises were both described in earlier blog articles.  Another solution is to soak your feet in warm saltwater every night—this will not only improve circulation, but is also beneficial towards healing and preventing frostbite.  Also, it’s very good for circulation to take walks during the wintertime; you don’t necessarily have to walk very fast, just make sure not to shuffle, instead picking your foot up off the ground each time you take a step.  This is not only good for circulation, but also for the muscles in your legs, which are likely to stiffen in the cold winter weather.  Moreover, walking can help strengthen the functions of the liver and spleen. 

During the winter, it is also important to eat the right foods.  For those who easily get cold, foods and spices such as shrimp, ginger, garlic, pepper and curry are good because of their warm nature.   However, don’t eat too much meat—if you love to eat meat, remember to eat some hawthorn tablets to help with digestion.   Taking Liu Wei Di Huang teapills is also a good idea to balance out the body’s Yin and Yang. 

If you are a completely healthy person, but still want to reinforce your health during the winter, you should use moxa on the Guan Yuan point beneath the belly button, and on the Zu San Li point of the Stomach Meridian, once every day for 15 minutes each.  It is said that this is one of the secrets to longevity of many centenarians. 

An Interesting Herb Story - How Dodder (Bunny's seed) was found

Dodder (bunny's seed) is effective treating back pain, impotence, seminal emission, diarrhea, lumbago and insecure fetus. The following is the story how it was discovered.

A young man was hired by a farmer to look after his bunnies. Being a harsh task-master, the master warned the young man that the death of a bunny would cost him a quarter of his wages. This made the young man very nervous.

One day this young man accidently dropped a bamboo stick to a bunny and broke her spine. The bunny lay on the ground unable to move. The young man was afraid that his boss would find out, so he picked up the bunny form the ground and hid her in the field of soybean plants, where the poor bunny lay very still as if dying.

The farmer found out one bunny missing and demand the young man to find her. So the young man went to the field to bring the bunny back. To his surprise, the bunny was running around in the field. He chased after her for quite a while before finally catch her and put her back to the pen.

Then the young man intentionally broke another bunny’s back and brought her to the soybean field. A few days later, he found out that the bunny’s back had completely healed.

“How could this have happened?” he asked his father, who suffered from backache and had laid in bed for years.

“Maybe it’s the soybean plants?” mused the father.

The next day, the young man deliberately broke the back of another bunny and brought her to the field. But this time, he watched closely what the bunny ate. He found that the bunny was not eating the soybean plant at all, but rather the seed of s parasitic plant living on them. A few days later, the bunny recovered from her back injury.

The young man started to pick the seeds of this parasitic plant and decocted them for his father to drink; soon afterwards, his father’s backache was cured. The herb has been known as “Bunny’s seed” ever since.

Autumn is the Perfect Time to Care for Your Lungs

Did you know? Autumn is the time of year when the lungs are the most active, when they are in the most optimal condition.  We can take advantage of this time to nurture our lungs, to give them any necessary attention and care.  According to Chinese medicine, the lungs have two primary functions: one is to “release”, the other is to “reduce”, or to pass through.  The releasing function is expressed in ways such as sweating, coughing, and sneezing. The reducing function is expressed in two ways: one is opening the water passage within the body through the Pang Guang Meridian; the other is opening up the digestive organs and allowing waste to pass through.  However, the reducing function can only be seen and analyzed during sickness; in other words, when the lungs’ reducing function is normal and healthy, its effects can’t easily be observed—only when it is abnormal can you see any symptoms. 

Sometimes, the cause of constipation isn’t the hard, dry nature of the stool; rather, it is often because the stool is unable to make its way out.  Many people also find that they do not urinate as often as they should.  These conditions are both caused by and directly related to an abnormal reducing function. 

So where exactly does the energy of the reducing and releasing functions come from?  This energy originates in the spleens and lungs, and is the central source of energy in our body.  This is why many Chinese medicines focus on replenishing this source of energy.  One example is the Shen Ling Bai Shu teapills—this herbal medicine not only reinforces the spleen but also replenishes the lungs and restores balance in the body, so it is the perfect remedy for a weak central energy source.  Another example is the Bu Zhong Yi Qi teapills. Its name means “Restore and Increase the Vital Central Energy”, and the medicine does exactly that.  However, the Bu Zhong Yi Qi teapills work by using the energy of the liver and kidney organs in order to restore the energy of the central source (the spleen and lungs), so this medicine is not suitable for those with a weak liver and kidney function. 

On the Lung Meridian, there is a point called Zhong Fu, meaning “central residence” because this is where the central energy of the body comes together and resides.  Therefore, it is one of the key points in treating and restoring the body’s central energy.  Another key point is the Tai Yuan point; it is the point where the Lung Meridian originates, so it has enormous effects in restoring the body’s central energy.  Either using moxa or massaging out these two points will prove extremely beneficial in restoring the body’s energy balance, and meanwhile, taking care of the lungs. 

Many people don’t want to eat medicine or drink porridge for medicinal purposes, either because they dislike the practice or have difficulties preparing it.  So they wonder if there are any other good methods to maintain and replenish the lungs.  In actuality, if the lungs do not receive harm from the exterior, no sickness will arise—so how would we go about maintaining them?  The main source of exterior harm that our lungs receive is the cold; if the body is exposed to the cold for an extended period of time, it will come into the body through the pores and do damage to our lungs.  Therefore, preventing the cold from entering our bodies is the key to keeping our lungs healthy. 

The lungs do have one threat that comes from the body’s interior—it is the excessive heat of the liver, or liver inflammation.  In Chinese Medicine, we call this “Liver Fire”.  Although this excessive heat given off by the liver is very intense, it shouldn’t do too much damage to the lungs, as long as it is controlled in time.  The Yu Ji point is a point on the Lung Meridian that, when massaged, can heal coughs and lung inflammation caused by “Liver Fire”.   

Some people do not have enough Chi in their lungs, therefore their bodies do not retain heat well, and easily feel cold.  People with this condition often find that they have difficulty breathing, or don’t always take in enough oxygen; this is because the spleen does not absorb energy well.  Because the spleen is one of the centers of our body's energy, we must treat this condition starting with the spleen.  To strengthen the spleen, you can use moxa on the Ming Men point, the Shen Yu point located near the waist, the Yuan Guan point located beneath the belly button, and the Tai Xi point located on the Spleen Meridian.  By using moxa on this acupuncture points, you will give warmth to the meridians they are positioned on and open up the stagnant pathways.  If you persist in this method, you will find that it is the best way to treat a weak spleen and lungs during the fall season. 

Another common condition occurs in people who have excess liver fire, but their lungs are not weak either; these people easily get upset, but they stifle it instead of expressing their emotion.  Because of this, they often feel like there is a huge weight inside their chest, preventing them from breathing with ease.  If you have this condition, you can massage the Lung Meridian’s Chi Ze point.  Massaging this point daily can also relieve symptoms of conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma, and enuresis (bed-wetting syndrome). 

The methods above can be used according to individual body types, conditions, and needs.  However, one method that can be applied to all conditions relating to the lungs’ releasing and reducing functions is the “Making-Yourself-Sneeze” method.  This method was introduced in a previous blog entry, and can relieve such conditions as allergies, cold, stagnant or obstructed energy in the body, various skin diseases, and etc. 

Future blog: What Should You Do in Winter to Keep Yourself Fit

How to Treat Athlete's Foot

Athlete's foot, also called tinea pedis, is a fungal infection of the foot. The condition often develops between the toes and other areas of the foot. You know athlete’s foot can be really unpleasant, itching, redness, scaling, cracking... You may have tried Lamisil, Lotrimin, Terbinafine, Clotrimazole, etc. All these product works, but the fungus keeps coming back.

Now let me share a natural and easy way. Very simple, just soak your feet in vinegar - about one part vinegar and 2 or 3 parts water. The acidity of the vinegar makes it very hard for the fungus to survive. Also, a little Listerine foot soak will do much the same thing. Or you can even put a little Listerine in with your vinegar and water. Soak your feet once a week and you’ll find it very helpful.

My husband found this method in Reader’s Digest. He tried this and it’s very helpful for him. Hope it works for you too.