Edited

“He-Shou-Wu Root is a powerful Kidney and Liver Tonic. Its very action of restoring gray hair back to color is testimony to this.”

Chinese tonic herbs

Posted by Dana on April 16, 2008
Chinese Tonic Herbs: The Amazing Natural Health Rejuvenators
by: Christopher Gussa

Many of us are somewhat familiar with Chinese pathological and systematic healing herbal formulas such as “Yin Qiao” for flu and colds. These are tremendous healing formulas and they hold within them centuries of knowledge of the thousands of herbs, the 5 elements, and the 12 meridians of the body. These types of formulas, in a nutshell are the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Herbal Doctor’s tools for healing illness.

There are over 8,000 logged and fully understood (In their energy factors) herbs used in thousands of formulas and their is also the fact that many formulas are created on the spot after a diagnoses of the patient. This is the heartbeat of TCM.

However there is also a small grouping of herbs called The Superior Herbs. These are the true tonic herbs. Although everyone is different in their balances of Yin, Yang, Chi, Jing, Shen, Blood, Heat, Moisture, and other factors, This group of Superior Herbs are those herbs that can benefit just about anyone.

The Superior Class of herbs are called ‘The Rulers’. They control the maintenance of life in general. These Superior Herbs are not considered to be ‘medicinal’ in the usual sense of the word. They are not used to treat specific diseases or disorders, yet such things as Week Sore Knees, Poor Eyesight, Low Sexual Energy, Impotence and Infertility, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Obesity, General Week Vitality, even Gray Hair, and many other things that plague many of us are often completely cured by these Superior Tonic Herbs.

Remember these symptoms just mentioned are commonly treated by doctors with the most deadly of all pharmaceuticals. This is why I have always said doctors should concentrate on traumatic injuries and stay far, far away from our tonic health with their “Science” and Pharmaceuticals.

So what makes a superior tonic herb separate from other healing herbs and what actually do these tonic herbs address? Basically, they must address at least one (Or often all) of “The Three Treasuries”

The Three Treasures of The Human Body are: Jing (Essence) - chi (Vitality) - Shen (Spirit) The Taoist tradition, which is at the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine states, “There are Three Treasures that in effect constitute our life. These are known as Jing, Chi and Shen.”

The ultimate goal of the Herbal Doctor is to cultivate, balance and expand the Three Treasures attempting to harmonize all aspects of one’s being. This is best accomplished by focusing one’s attention on the Three Treasures. There are no exact translations for the terms Jing, Qi and Shen into English. They are generally translated, though, as Essence, Vitality and Spirit. Here is a look at The Three Treasures:

Jing
“The Superior Treasure” existed before the body existed. It enters the body tissues and becomes the root of our lives. It is this very essence that defines what we are and who we are, also what and who we will produce. This is why it is associated with our development and also our sexual energy. We must take care of our jing throughout our lives or we will die.
Note: Can you see how this relates to our western understanding of DNA?

Chi
This is God’s created living energy that empowers us to live, breath, and do all our voluntary actions. We cannot create it but we can use it to the fullest and keep its pathways within our temples (bodies) clean. It enters us in the form of “Heaven Chi” through the nose as we breathe and circulates through the twelve meridians nourishing all our vital organs keeping them held firmly in place as long as we take care of ourselves.

Note: Chi is vaguely beginning to be “accepted” in the west but it must be recognized as a “chain reaction of energy” in the body and its path (the 12 meridians)and must be taken seriously (mapped out on medical charts) and not fouled up with “science” trying to relate it to western thought!

Shen
This is a combination of our mind and spirit. It is developed by both our Jing and our Chi. It gives us our will and our conscience. Our Shen depends on a healthy Jing and healthy free flowing Chi to make the right decisions in life and to contribute to the world and to our creator.

The Three Treasures are often Likened to a Candle in the Dark: The Jing or Life Root of the body is like the candle wick and wax. They existed before the body of the flame did and they are made from the elements which are actually condensed energy which is God’s own creation.

The flame of the candle is exactly like Chi. This is the energetic living activity of the candle which will last a good long time if kept from wind and rain or other outside disturbances but it will always eventually burn itself out. It can, however be made to burn a much longer time if the right wax materials are added as it burns.

The glowing light that the candle radiates is the Shen. The better quality of wick, wax, and other materials, the greater the flame and the greater the flame, the greater light the candle radiates. The more light the candle radiates, the more people are not in darkness. The more people are not in darkness, the better the world!

So is it worth it to take the greatest possible care of these three treasures? I would certainly say yes!

While there are about a hundred Chinese herbs in the true Superior Tonic Class of herbs (It would take a large book to go into all of them), I would like to address perhaps my favorite tonic herb, He-Shou-Wu (Polygonum multiflorum).

He-Shou-Wu Root is a powerful Kidney and Liver Tonic. Its very action of restoring gray hair back to color is testimony to this. There are hundreds of thousands of people that have seen their gray hair return to color from using He Shou Wu. However there are a whole host of other health benefits surrounding this incredible tonic herb. Weak painful knees are another sign of kidney deficiency as is lower back pain and low sexual energy. He Shou Wu is quite often the answer. However this herb goes much farther than this in its restorative benefits, studies show that He-Shou-Wu extract improves the cardiovascular system, enhances immune functions, slows the degeneration of glands, increases antioxidant activity, and reduces the accumulation of lipid peroxidation.

Such findings suggest that He-Shou-Wu is helpful in combating some of the processes that lead to conditions characteristic of old age, thereby also reducing the risk of fatal diseases (e.g., cancer) and incidents (e.g., heart attack, stroke). He Shou Wu was shown to have effects on the antioxidant system superoxide dismutase (SOD), accumulation of lipid peroxidase, and enhancement of cell-mediated immune responses.

Also, traditionally this herb is said to increase essence and blood. This combination of attributes indicates that it would increase fertility in a woman and sperm in a man since essence and blood are the two necessary qualities required to bare a child. Thus both men and women attempting to have children should take He-Shou-Wu.

For all you Science buffs out there:
To date they have found He-Shou-Wu contains leucoanthrocyanides (LAC) which are anti-inflammatory, Chrysophanol, Emodin, Rhapontin, Phenolic Glucosides, Nitrogen, Minerals, Starch (up to 50%), Unsaturated Fat, Lecithin, and Oxymethylanthroquinone (keep in mind these are only the ones they can identify –- there may be hundreds more).

Because of Polygonum multiflorum’s reputation as an anti-aging, longevity herb, various studies have been conducted to determine the nature of this activity. Studies have demonstrated that various laboratory animals fed Polygonum multiflorum in their diets lived longer than control animals.

Research has demonstrated that Polygonum multiflorum can very significantly increase superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. SOD is a powerful natural antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been demonstrated to have powerful anti-aging benefits in humans. Polygonum multiflorum also inhibits b-monoamine oxidase (b-MAO). Both of these factors contribute to the anti-aging effects of this herb.

Polygonum multiflorum has been demonstrated to help strengthen the membranes of erythrocytes (red blood cells) and to promote the growth and development of erythrocytes. Polygonum multiflorum has been found to induce the production in human beings of g-interferon.
Polygonum multiflorum is being used clinically in China for patients suffering from Schizophrenia. It is generally combined with Shen stabilizing herbs such as Ziziphus and Polygonum stem. Reportedly, results have been good.

The tuberous root, the part of the plant used herbally under the name Polygonum multiflorum, contains lecithin and anthraquinones, free or conjugated. The tuberous root also contains more than 1.2% of a substance known as 2,3,5,4-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-0-b-D-glucoside, which is considered to be the principle active constituent.

Apart from trying to “Scientifically” figure out He-Shou-Wu which is imposable anyway, He-Shou-Wu is good to strengthen the muscles and tendons. It is also very beneficial for the nerves. It is used for backaches, knee joint pain, traumatic bruises, and neurasthenia. It has been used to lower blood pressure. Many people say it helps them to fall asleep at night also. The list goes on and on.
I hope this has planted a seed of knowledge in many of you to explore the ultimate health giving world of Chinese Tonic Herbs.


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