Lajiao

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

I never thought about pickled peppers before but last night I was having dinner at the home of a Chinese friend when I came across an interesting looking vegetable. I took a taste and thought it was a pickle but moments later after chewing thoroughly and swallowing it I realized to late that it was not a pickle. I asked my friend what it was and she told me it was "La jiao" or in English a hot pepper. What I had eaten was a pickled pepper and it was way too hot for me. I didn't dare eat the rest of them though the noodles they were in were very good.

Run Chang Wan

Q: I have some pain in the lower left abdomen. A friend of mine suggested it might be constipation.

I am wondering if Run Chang Wan might be a short term help. Long term I am not sure what to do. Now I just need to figure out how to help the bowels run more smoothly.

We also have some 'phase two' cleansing tonic, with Cascara Sagarada. I suppose I could try a very small amount of that.

A. Run Chang Wan is a very gentle intestinal lubricant. It is safe for long-term use or for elderly people or those recovering from an illness. Cascara is a harsh laxative. I think the Run Chang Wan is better. You can buy it at East Earth Trade Winds.

Pearl Powder

Q: Do you know where to get pearl powder? Are there varying qualities of the stuff?

A: East Earth Trade Winds has mother-of-pearl (margaritifera) available. This is used as a substitute for pearl powder. Pearl powder itself is generally more expensive. The pearls used are not jewel quality so there aren't different grades.

Indigo

Q: I wanted to make up some Indigo ointment to use for my few patches of psoriasis, but I have been unable to find a recipe. Do you have such a recipe or sell a book which gives a recipe? Do you sell a ready-made ointment into which I could put the indigo, and how much would I stir in? Thanks. ----S.F.
A: Indigo can be mixed with shampoo or skin creams. Please see this link at eastearthtrade.com for more information.
Indigo

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.

Dit da jou or dit da chiu?

Q: Where can I get dit da jou or dit da chiu? Are these good for arthritis pain in the knee?

A: Dit ja jou or dit da chiu are different spellings of "dit da jow". Basicallythe name translates as "injury medicine" or "hit medicine". Here are several links to products in that are considered Dit Da Jow's.
While the formulas are generally used for a recent injury, many do help give relief for chronic pain like arthritis.

See:

Iron Hand Liniment

Zheng gu shui

Five Photo's

Tai Chi Demo

For our speaking class final exam Zhao Laoshi had us talk on a subject. Ten minutes before our exam we were given our topic. I drew sports. One of the questions we were to address in our topic was "What is your favorite sport?" so in the course of my final I told Zhao Laoshi that tai chi was my favorite sport and that I had practiced it for over 30 years.
At class the next day Zhao Laoshi started talking about the exam and how everyone did. I didn't realize it at the time of the test but she was taking notes on what everyone said. When she mentioned my exam she told the class I practiced tai chi and asked me to come to the front of the room to demonstrate.
I didn't realize it at the time but fellow student Xiang Siow made a video. He recently posted it on youtube. Click the link if you would like to see it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyv1NjAu3yY