Chinese herbal first aid

Today's post is about the Chinese herbal formulas that every household should keep on stock.

Disclaimer: Of COURSE if any of the below-mentioned situations happens to you, SEE A DOCTOR. These herbal formulas are NOT meant to take the place of emergency medicine. If you are pregnant or nursing, do not take the following herbal formulas without first consulting your licensed Chinese medical herbalist.

Jin Gu Die Shang Wan - This is a GREAT formula to take orally for keeping the swelling, bruising and pain associated with sprains, strains and broken bones to a minimum. First run of the season and you pushed yourself a little too hard? Jin Gu Die Shang Wan. Playing basketball and landed on someone else's foot, spraining your ankle? Jin Gu Die Shang Wan. Fell down rollerblading and broke your arm? Jin Gu Die Shang Wan. While this formula is great for treating traumatic injuries, this formula is not to be used for any other types of pains. It is only meant for acute bodily injury.


Yunnan Bai Yao - This formula goes with my family on all of our camping and backpacking trips. Yunnan Bai Yao can be used in an emergency to stop bleeding, both internal and external. So this example might be a bit extreme, but it's a proper use for this formula - if you're hiking and a member of your party falls down a cliff, and you can give them Yunnan Bai Yao to take by mouth (assuming they're conscious, of course) to help control any bleeding that you see coming from the skin, but also to help minimize potential internal bleeding. Additionally, this formula can be used topically (it usually comes in capsules that can be opened and the powdered herbs applied topically) to help stop bleeding. I've even used Yunnan Bai Yao powder to stop the bleeding of my dogs' toenails if I accidentally trimmed them too short. Anyone who has ever "quicked" their dog knows that those suckers can bleed!

Gan Mao Ling - This formula is used at the first signs of a cold. If taken promptly, Gan Mao Ling can be effective at shortening the duration of the cold, keeping symptoms to a minimum, or even keeping the cold from ever taking hold!