Showing posts with label Chinese medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chinese medicine. Show all posts

Saturday, April 10, 2010

eastearthherb on twitter

You can now get daily herbal and health insights from East Earth Trade Winds on twitter. Go to twitter.com then search for and follow: eastearthherb

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Chinese Pears for Cough

If you have ever read about using Chinese pears and sugar for coughs but don't know how to prepare it you've come to the right place.
First you need Chinese pears which you may find at a Chinese market or perhaps at your local grocer.
1). Imagine that you are going to make a little hat for the pear and cut the top off about 1/2 - 3/4 inch below the stem.
2). Remove the seeds by hollowing out the pear.
3). Fill with honey.
4). Put the top of the pear back on.
5). Put the pear in a bowl and fill about halfway up with water.
6). You will cook the pear in a double boiler, so put the bowl in another pan of water and heat the outer pan.
7). Turn the heat on low so that the water outside the bowl is warm and steamy.
8). Put a lid on it and cook for 60-90 minutes
9). Eat the pear.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Tonic wine may pose health risk

From Viet Nam News:


HA NOI — Consumption of medicinal liquor is on the rise as an alternative to home-made wine, despite concerns over the quality and health benefits.
Medicinal liquor, which has origins in traditional Chinese medicine, is believed to treat disease and improve health. The wine is a mixture of alcohol fermented with herbs, including ginseng and jujube. Seahorses, snakes and termites are also used.
Because of the perceived health benefits, many consume more units than the daily limit recommended by doctors.
Vu Quoc Quan, 62, is a dedicated medicinal liquor drinker. He buys his booze from a shop on Ton That Tung Street. Today, he is washing down his lunch with bee wine.
"This wine is good for you and I can drink as much as I want without worrying about being poisoned," he says.
Shop owner Nguyen Thanh Huyen backs him up: "This wine is very tonic. I made it at least five years ago. The ingredients include rare herbs, gecko, deer horn and snake soaked in alcohol. The wine can help cure many diseases and is very cheap, only VND30,000 (US$1.8) – 60,000 ($3.6) per bottle."
She points behind her to six big glass jars full of snake wine, saying this is more expensive, but good for different diseases.
"I choose the ingredients very carefully and make it myself," she says. "The alcohol comes from a well-known distillery in Nam Dinh Province, so there’s nothing to worry about."
According to the statistics of the Ministry of Health, out of the approximately 20,000 distilleries nationwide, only 10 per cent meet quality standards.
The director of Bach Mai Hospital’s Detoxification Centre, Pham Due, says although the number of people suffering alcohol poisoning is small, patients usually arrive in a critical condition.
"The two most recent cases of alcohol poisoning were due to medicinal wine," Due says. "One drank bee wine, the other termite wine. They both recovered."
Hallucinogenic
Nguyen Dang Bao, owner of traditional medicine shop named Bao Thuan Duong on La Thanh Street, says tonic wine usually has a hallucinogenic effect.
"I myself don’t believe tonic wine is good for your health," he says. "Animal organs disintegrate after fermenting for three years. You would be lucky if the wine didn’t make your health worse."
According to traditional medicine practitioner Nguyen Van Duc, from Binh Duong Traditional Medicine Hospital, every animal or insect has different toxins which alcohol can kill but only over a certain length of time.
"In some cases tonic wine has health benefits. However, like any kind of medicine, users must choose the right wine to suit their ailment, or they could risk doing themselves harm," Duc says.
Only knowledgeable wine-makers should sell medicinal liquor, says the head of the Toxic Centre, Due. "It’s difficult to control the quality of medicinal liquor. A wine-maker who has little knowledge of herbs, could mix the wrong combination or make other mistakes in the wine-making process."
Can Tho City’s Market Management Department recently confiscated over 700 litres of medicinal wine produced by Long Giang Company after it was found contaminated with formaldehyde. Herbs and certain animals were also sold without a hygiene certificate. The company were fined VND4 million ($243). — VNS

Sunday, January 18, 2009

American publisher to issue Chinese Medical Science book by UMAC's professors

University of Macau (UMAC) revealed that Nova Science Publishers, Inc from USA, has recently published “Pharmacological Activity Based Quality Control of Chinese Herbs”, written by Associate Prof. Li Shaoping and Prof. Wang Yitao, from the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences (ICMS) of UMAC. Following the growing trend of “Getting Back to Nature”, the Chinese herbs have become more and more popular because of its security and effectiveness characteristics. Associate Professor Li and Professor Wang's book was written based on the recent research results of the quality control of Chinese herbs conducted by UMAC, as well as invited experts from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Singapore to write and edit the book. Meanwhile, the concept of “Pharmacological Activity Based Quality Control of Chinese Herbs” not only represents the research direction of the quality control of modern Chinese medicine, but is also conducive to the international expansion of Chinese medicine. Nova Science Publishers, Inc (USA) is one of the most influential publishers of scientific and technical books in the world, and is well-known to publish the newest advancement in scientific areas. It publishes more than 500 types of book and 45 types of academic periodicals every year. The publication of the book has indicated that research on the quality control for Chinese medicine conducted by UMAC is international acknowledged.

For full article see:
http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21824&Itemid=28

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Tang dynasty Chinese Medicine Practitioner Sun Si Miao

The great Tang dynasty Chinese Medicine Practitioner Sun Si Miao (孙思邈) once wrote:
上医医未病之病;中医医欲病之病;下医医已病之病
Translated, it means: The best doctors treat the disease that is yet to occur; The average doctors treat the disease that is about to occur;The mediocre doctors treat the disease that has already occurred.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Letha Hadady conducts Midlife Topics Workshop

From Letha Hadady:

You may know me from my walking tours of New York Asian food and herb markets or my articles and books. I am the author of Asian Health Secrets, Personal Renewal, Healthy Beauty, and Feed Your Tiger: The Asian Diet Secret for Permanent Weight Loss and Vibrant Health. I am also the Ayurvedic health correspondent for Heal India, India's premier health magazine.

Next week, November 17, 2008 I will teach an all day Continuing Education workshop covering midlife topics at:
The Renfield Center
Beth Israel Medical Center School of Nursing
776 Sixth Avenue at W. 27th Street - 3rd Floor
Contact: www.nurse-education.orgor Call: 212 614-6177

Recently, I have posted new articles at my website www.asianhealthsecrets.com. They include:
"More Good News About Mushrooms" It covers their anti-cancer and immune-enhancing properties
"Advice for Finger-Tappers" It describes current brain research and several useful brain-foods
"Strontium the Bone Maker" An important health food store supplement that increases bone mass
"Astragalus a Wonderful Tonic" An Asian herb that increases energy, improves memory and sexuality, and reduces chronic back pain
"The Mother of All Colds is Back" Here is an excerpt from that timely article: This year’s cold and flu season threatens to outdo last year’s sore throat, cough, fever, and chronic asthma, which became so widespread we nicknamed it The Mother of All Colds. Now is the time to protect yourself and family from catching and spreading it. Psychic Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) and traditional Asian herbal doctors agree: Clean up your act by eliminating congestion and germs, and you are safer from colds and flu. Cayce recommended fasting, purging, and sweating treatments to reduce excess mucus and improve breathing and digestion. These may be weakening for people who are run-down, tired, and stressed. However a few adjustments in your diet and herbs can accomplish similar protection. . . Continue reading this article at: http://www.asianhealthsecrets.com/letha/?p=432
***To update your email address, subscribe friends and family to receive announcements of my new articles at www.asianhealthsecrets.com (a beneficial, free holiday gift) or to unsubscribe from my private health newsletter, kindly email me at lethah@earthlink.net.
I never share email addresses.
with my best warm wishes for your health and happiness,
Letha Hadady