It is without a doubt the most common ailment out there is soreness or pain somewhere in the body. The most common of this problem is probably going to be muscle pain. Let’s discuss herbal and home remedies for pain and soreness.

The reason pain and soreness most of the time go hand in hand is because in herbal or Chinese medicine both are manifesting from the same problem, blockage! Whether you are talking about muscle pain, constricted muscle, pain anywhere, joint pain, back pain there is a blockage of Qi and blood to the area. This can cause coldness to set in the area, healing not to happen, area not getting nutrition it needs.

Blockage can happen several different ways. Self inflicted by working out and causing tearing of the muscle (normal), areas not getting used so circulation is low, coldness constricting the area, the body using self protecting mechanisms to contract and hold muscles, and many more. Most of the time all of these problems can be handled with herbs that move Qi and blood, including general pain or syndrome pain like fibromyalgia.

Wei Ling Xian / Clematis – Is an herb actually that is categorized to open blockages from what is called wind – damp or Bi syndrome (a problem that manifests similar to arthritis or other joint pain). Wei Ling Xian is an herb that regardless of category has a special focus on helping with pain. This is mainly thanks to its invigorating properties or movement properties. Wei Ling Xian can be used internally, soaks, liniments, poultices and more.

Dang Gui / Angelica Sinensis – Dan Gui (Chinese Angelica) is used as a tonic (blood tonic more specifically) and is heavily used in Chinese Medicine. I want to use Dang Gui as an example because it has a bit different use. Dan Gui also moves blood and is used in many external applications to move blood to an area, but it also has a soothing effect on the area. For example, Dang Gui is found in balms to help with burns and such. As you can see a bit different than Wei Ling Xian, Dang Gui can handle a bit different of pain. Externally used Dan Gui is very versatile; if you are wanting mostly the invigorating properties you should use the TAIL of the herb, or Dang Gui Wei.

Mo Yao & Ru Xiang / Myrrh & Frankincense – These two herbs deserve a part in this post because they are so widely used and respected for their invigorating properties. You will find Mo Yao and Ru Xiang in many formulas, especially external, for pain and blockage. Externally they make the base of most liniments and such, when taken internally a tincture is more common and low dosage is normal. You will find many arthritis patients that are seeking alternative medicine taking a tincture of these tree resins. Last great thing to say about Myrrh and Frankincense is they are quite inexpensive. I also realize that while I really never mention exotic herbs on here, some of the herbs I talk about aren’t easy to get unless you order online or go to a Chinese Herb Shop. Myrrh and Frankincense can be found even at most health food stores, so sourcing these 2 herbs should be easy for anyone.

San Qi / Tien Qi – Here we go again, my 1 Herb To Rule Them All. San Qi easily fits into this category for many reasons. San Qi reduces swelling, stops bleeding, invigorates the blood, and warms. You can see an almost complete package for pain relief but more commonly soreness and acute trauma. San Qi is in about every good external formula, but care should be taken internally especially if pregnant.

For most applications of these herbs a decoction is okay and easy to do. 3-9g of each herb can be taken in a decoction daily. Externally applied poultices can be made easily by making an even stronger decoction and applying externally with a cloth. Tinctures can be made as a 4 ounce herb to 500 ml of alcohol and soaked for 2-4 weeks. Liniments are by far the most potent and useful for soreness. Liniments are bit more complicated with herb dosages and amounts and soaked for 6 months to a few years. Therefore, liniments are best bought pre-made from a reputable seller.

Dimmak Herbs has many herbal liniments for externally treating many ailments. For soreness I would recommend Dimmak ‘19’ Liniment as it is a complicated formula that is very warming and makes soreness better on contact! Visit Dimmak Herbs’ Herbal Liniment Section to look over all the liniments you should ever need.

Balms are familiar to most people, they are jelly or wax bases used for a variety of problems. Tiger Balm is a popular balm or ointment that people use for external soreness. Here is what I like about Tiger Balm. Tiger Balm uses some of its Chinese roots to create a very popular balm, rather than Western over the counter applications that use a small percentage of menthol in a jelly base. What I like about Dimmak Herbs’ Dimmak ‘19’ Balm is that it uses an HERBAL blend that is infused into the oil based balm. Then the balm adds a good percentage of essential oils like Cajuput & Cassia. Tiger Balm is just 3 essential oils in a jelly base. This herbal infused oil in Dimmak ‘19’ Balm uses many of these invigorating properties and pain killers. This makes for the most superior yield of ointment application possible! I would also like to mention that Tiger Balm runs $11.00 per ounce, compared to half that of a product like Dimmak ‘19’ Soreness Balm. Alternatively look around at all the products for soreness: Soreness Herbal Remedies

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Geri asks me: “Hi, I have been constantly sick for years, catching everything going. Immune system shot. Started Miso soup 3-5 days a week and didn’t get sick for months. But, gained 15lbs. Dr. advised i stop it, and lost 6 pounds within a week.
Would the miso have any benefit to me if i drank just 2 tablespoons a day instead of small bowl? Small amounts of vitamins and medications suit me, and am always told take the least of anything due to reactions.
What do you think?
Thanks very much. Geri “

So, lets see if we can’t help Geri and others raise their immune system in a healthy way. Hopefully we can do it in a way where no one is going to have a reaction!

I would like to start with the Miso Soup. Good job on picking up the miso and sticking to it. Well, gaining 15 lbs in a few months isn’t a medical problem so I don’t know why your doctor would intervene in this when you clearly made a good change and have not gotten sick! Seaweed and the minerals in miso soup are truly miracle workers in themselves. Seaweed is very alkaline which works to balance your body’s pH. Its a fact that people with higher acidic pH levels are more prone to getting sick. Seaweeds also balance your thyroid and metabolism as well. A problem I am seeing is the amount of salt in the miso soup! My suspicions here seem to be confirmed based on the fact that you lost 6 pounds in a week by not eating the miso soup. The saying goes like this “where sodium goes, water follows”. You have clearly built up quite a bit of water weight and your body has been able tore-balance itself when you stopped taking in the miso. You have taxed your kidneys a bit at this point in filtering the sodium out, but now you should be okay.

At this point lets talk about increasing immunity. In Chinese Medicine people don’t ‘catch a cold’. We believe that we are exposed to pathogens (germs) all the time. These external pathogens want to invade us all the time. It depends on the person and their defense system (wei qi or immunity) if they get sick or not.  This old Chinese Medicine way of looking at this has been proven by Western Science. In recent studies on ‘common cold’ or ‘rhino virus’ patients were planed with the rhino virus directly in thenostril . About 60% of the patients got sick. This study was used in very different ways, but as far as Chinese Medicine is concerned- What Happened to the Other 40%? Simply they had defense high enough to dispel the virus!

There are many herbs when used together to supplement the system they can raise your immunity! However, alone there is one that stands atop these called Astragalus or Huang Qi.  Huang Qi is well documented for this task and is recommend for everyone. This is a typical herb used through the Fall and Winter season. I would also note that Echinacea is also used to raise white blood cell count, but this herb should be used in no more than 10 day increments.

Immunity is best done by eating soups and such. Foods like Congee or Kicharee offer foods and herbs that are already cooked down. This allows your body to easily digest and assimilate the nutrients and foods. This really gives your body a break from working so hard on the foods we take in all the time. Also, making a soup or other food like this allows you to add herbs. Herbs for medicinal purposes need to be decocted down. Being in a crockpot and slow cooking for a few hours, you are also decocting these herbs!

Here is a recipe I would like you to switch to:
http://blogofherbs.com/herbs/energy-weight-maintenance-congee-recipe

This Congee recipe has many great herbs and is very uplifting to your energy and immune system. I want you to pay special attention to use the herbs Huang Qi and Dang Gui. If you can’t or aren’t able to source the other herbs that is fine! Huang Qi and Dang Gui together is going to supplement your body and immune system.

For ongoing immunity supplementing you can take pills for this as well! Lung Tonics, Yin Tonics, Immunity Tonics and such are essential here.
Dimmak Herbs sells a formula called ‘Immunity’. These pills contain Ginseng, Huang Qi, Dang Gui, Goji (Gou Qi Zi) Berries, Licorice Root, and about 5 other herbs that synergistically are used to raise your immunity to these external pathogens!

I think between alternating these other foods and maybe eating Miso once a week should be great. Also note the usage of seaweeds in the Congee recipe, add more if you like!

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My favorite healthy food is Congee. Congee is basically a porridge made of white rice cooked over several hours. Dispite what you think or what you have read white rice is quite good for you. The important part of white rice in this recipe is to have a soup that is as easy to digest as possible. Many things can be added to the simple medium of congee, its like a casserole add anything you want to it. Here is the basic recipe:

Add 2 cups white rice to 18 cups water in a crockpot and let slow cook for about 7 hours.  

If you are not sick in anyway, then brown rice may be substituted. Now for the additives-
Mung Beans- I always recommend these be in Congee as they are good for the entire body in any condition. Add 1/2 cup pre-soaked beans.
Immunity/Longevity/Health/Vitality: I recommend this combination be added to congee always as it is general health building and a tonic! 6g Ginseng, 12g Codonopsis/Dang Shen, 9g Dang Gui, 9g Goji Berries/Gou Qi Zi/Lychii Berries, 9g Huang Qi/Astragalus, 10-20 JuJube Dates/Da Zao, and 4g Ginger. That will make a very nice base for your congee!
Adzuki Beans: Use these beans for bladder or kidney problems including water retention. These are sometimes called small red beans.
Add barley, wheat germ, fennel, brewers yeast or anything else to get vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber!
Add any vegetable you like for vitamins, minerals, and their individual properties.

This is traditionally taken as a breakfast. Organic brown sugar may be added after the cooking process for extra energetic properties in the morning. If you are frail, weak, or sick you may take the congee through the day for several days until you feel better. You will be surprised how well you feel after you eat the congee and how easy it is to keep down. For degenerative diseases and after times of chemotherapy Add 9g of Chen Pi/Citrus Peel to the formula and take as all your meals for 7days (or as long as you can make it!)
This recipe will make a generous amount of congee for you and your family, so enjoy!

Feel free to ask any questions or get help on a congee recipe.

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