What is Dit Da Jow?

Many people are not familiar with Dit Da Jow liniments and their wonderful effects. So, before writing a guide on how to properly select a Dit Da Jow, it is important to give an overview of what Dit Da Jow is.

Dit Da Jow refers to a category of herbal liniments developed in ancient China by martial artists for the healing of injuries and to strengthen the body. Dit Da Jow is a Cantonese term and its exact translation is the subject of some debate but is generally agreed to be either -Iron Hit Wine- or Fall and Hit Wine-. Chinese Martial Arts masters developed this herbal knowledge to a very high degree such that Dit Da Medicine is now considered a separate specialized branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Dit Da medicine is deepley intertwined with the Chinese Martial Arts, which are generally referred to as Kung Fu. Each distinct system or style of kung fu has its own set of formulas that have been passed on from generation to generation, typically only within the style. Each herbal recipe has its specific properties and uses, on for simple bumps and bruises, another for deeper tissue injuries, and still others for pulled or torn muscles, tendons, ligaments, for hairline fractures, severe multiple fractures and more, literally addressing all types of musculo-skeletal damage. Dit Da medicine however goes farther then the healing aspects. The ancient masters were much more focused on avodiing inury and in strengthening their bodies to prevent damage. Thus, the herbal Dit Da Jow recipes usually contain herbs to strengthen particular areas and tissues of the body. General purpose formulas address both healing and strengthening, but others are specially formulated for strengthening and conditioning to make the body more resistant to injury.

There is still another aspect to Dit Da Jow that is very important. Certainherbs have particular affinities with parts of the body or within areas of the body. Therefore, different formulations can target different areas of the body. For example, there are formulas that are best for the lower body, some that are best for leg injuries, others that are attuned to the upper body, some are best for joints and appendages and so on.

Martial artists have been using Dit Da Jow for centuries and there is a wealth of history and experience that have accumulated over time, making this a very deep and veryeffective catergory of natural healing. Over the last 4 decades, martial artists all over the world, outside of China have also experienced and developed a great deal of respect for this type of medicine and its sometimes miraculous results.

It is clear that this funny smelling herbal liquid with the weird Chinese name has great potential with many uses outside of the martial arts and is of benefit to other sports and to pain and injury management at large.

Shen Martial Arts Dit Da Jow