Guest guest Posted May 17, 2002 Report Share Posted May 17, 2002 Several topics in my day to day travels have recently converged, leading to a botanical question on chinese herbs. Lately I have been a) exposed more and more to latin nomenclature, b) thinking about (shall I say) the deficiencies of my education, c) reading about dui yao, and finally - feeling spring has sprung. I dutifully memorized all the mnemonics for taste, temperature and channels for all the herbs, and so was slightly disappointed when recent contributors posed questions about the validity of channel associations. Nevertheless, I would like to understand more about the qualities of flower, bark, root, seed, whole plant, pods, and whatever other botany I never learned can tell me about the nature of an herb, and the nature of combining herbs. Beyond bitter being draining, for example, what the essential botanical portion of an herb might tell me is of interest. Do all flowers since they are light have raising qualities? Are botanical generalizations possible? Also, I have unearthed from storage a gallon jar of ling zhi /vodka which I packed three years ago. I was told that water, not vodka is the proper liquid to use to make an infusion. Any feedback on whether I should either bottle ounces or make margaritas would be much appreciated. -pz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2002 Report Share Posted May 17, 2002 , Pamela Zilavy <yinyang@i...> wrote: I was told that water, not vodka is the proper > liquid to use to make an infusion. Any feedback on whether I should either > bottle ounces or make margaritas would be much appreciated. Ling zhi has a high concentration of alcohol soluble triterpenes with strong antiallergy effects. the immune stimulating polysaccharides are not alcohol soluble, but the product still might prove useful. However, if all else fails, I would probably go for bloody mary's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2002 Report Share Posted May 17, 2002 Tinctures are made with alcohol (what you've done). Infusions are typically made with water. However, you can't store infusions long-term. They'll go bad. Tinctures can be stored indefinitely. Wow, Chinese herbal cocktails. What a concept! Here's a topic for a whole new Website (there are already several which list hundreds of Margarita recipes). Or a concept for a trendy new bar. I've been threatening to brew a He Shou Wu porter/stout and a Huang Qi pilsner for several years now. Long Yan Rou wine makes a fine fruity mixer. So does Gou Qi Zi and Cherry wine. Bob , Pamela Zilavy <yinyang@i...> wrote: > > > Several topics in my day to day travels have recently converged, leading to > a botanical question on chinese herbs. Lately I have been a) exposed more > and more to latin nomenclature, b) thinking about (shall I say) the > deficiencies of my education, c) reading about dui yao, and finally - > feeling spring has sprung. I dutifully memorized all the mnemonics for > taste, temperature and channels for all the herbs, and so was slightly > disappointed when recent contributors posed questions about the validity of > channel associations. Nevertheless, I would like to understand more about > the qualities of flower, bark, root, seed, whole plant, pods, and whatever > other botany I never learned can tell me about the nature of an herb, and > the nature of combining herbs. Beyond bitter being draining, for example, > what the essential botanical portion of an herb might tell me is of > interest. Do all flowers since they are light have raising qualities? Are > botanical generalizations possible? > Also, I have unearthed from storage a gallon jar of ling zhi /vodka which I > packed three years ago. I was told that water, not vodka is the proper > liquid to use to make an infusion. Any feedback on whether I should either > bottle ounces or make margaritas would be much appreciated. > -pz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2002 Report Share Posted May 17, 2002 pamela, What you have as a result of immersing ling Zhi in vodka is called a tincture, ling Zhi extract well in vodka so you should bottle ounces... An infusion is water based. Eti Pamela Zilavy <yinyang wrote: Several topics in my day to day travels have recently converged, leading to a botanical question on chinese herbs. Lately I have been a) exposed more and more to latin nomenclature, b) thinking about (shall I say) the deficiencies of my education, c) reading about dui yao, and finally - feeling spring has sprung. I dutifully memorized all the mnemonics for taste, temperature and channels for all the herbs, and so was slightly disappointed when recent contributors posed questions about the validity of channel associations. Nevertheless, I would like to understand more about the qualities of flower, bark, root, seed, whole plant, pods, and whatever other botany I never learned can tell me about the nature of an herb, and the nature of combining herbs. Beyond bitter being draining, for example, what the essential botanical portion of an herb might tell me is of interest. Do all flowers since they are light have raising qualities? Are botanical generalizations possible?Also, I have unearthed from storage a gallon jar of ling zhi /vodka which I packed three years ago. I was told that water, not vodka is the proper liquid to use to make an infusion. Any feedback on whether I should either bottle ounces or make margaritas would be much appreciated.-pzChinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing in Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services, including board approved online continuing education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2002 Report Share Posted May 17, 2002 I've got herbs steeping in a jug of vodka in my kitchen. This is the second batch, actually. It started out with just Gan Cao, Fu Xiao Mai and Da Zao. Steeping these in vodka for a few months made a rather delicious libition. Neat thing about it is that it doesn't cause any dry mouth later on, or a hangover at all. So, for the second batch I added some he shou wu, long yan rou, gou qi zi. Its been steeping for months and on special occasions we bring it out to have a few shots... Its good stuff, actually. pemachophel2001 wrote: > > Tinctures are made with alcohol (what you've done). Infusions are > typically made with water. However, you can't store infusions > long-term. They'll go bad. Tinctures can be stored indefinitely. > > Wow, Chinese herbal cocktails. What a concept! Here's a topic for a > whole new Website (there are already several which list hundreds of > Margarita recipes). Or a concept for a trendy new bar. I've been > threatening to brew a He Shou Wu porter/stout and a Huang Qi pilsner > for several years now. Long Yan Rou wine makes a fine fruity mixer. So > does Gou Qi Zi and Cherry wine. > > Bob > > , Pamela Zilavy <yinyang@i...> wrote: > > > > > > Several topics in my day to day travels have recently converged, > leading to > > a botanical question on chinese herbs. Lately I have been a) exposed > more > > and more to latin nomenclature, b) thinking about (shall I say) the > > deficiencies of my education, c) reading about dui yao, and finally > - > > feeling spring has sprung. I dutifully memorized all the mnemonics > for > > taste, temperature and channels for all the herbs, and so was > slightly > > disappointed when recent contributors posed questions about the > validity of > > channel associations. Nevertheless, I would like to understand more > about > > the qualities of flower, bark, root, seed, whole plant, pods, and > whatever > > other botany I never learned can tell me about the nature of an > herb, and > > the nature of combining herbs. Beyond bitter being draining, for > example, > > what the essential botanical portion of an herb might tell me is of > > interest. Do all flowers since they are light have raising > qualities? Are > > botanical generalizations possible? > > Also, I have unearthed from storage a gallon jar of ling zhi /vodka > which I > > packed three years ago. I was told that water, not vodka is the > proper > > liquid to use to make an infusion. Any feedback on whether I should > either > > bottle ounces or make margaritas would be much appreciated. > > -pz > > > Chinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing in Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services, including board approved online continuing education. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2002 Report Share Posted May 17, 2002 Pamela - There are practitioners who organize their pharmacies along these lines. In addition, they balance formulas between the various plant parts. I always found this intriguing. Will Nevertheless, I would like to understand more about the qualities of flower, bark, root, seed, whole plant, pods, and whatever other botany I never learned can tell me about the nature of an herb, and the nature of combining herbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2002 Report Share Posted May 17, 2002 Me to, I have had a formula decocting since the 11th Lunar month of 2001! My tincture consist of Organic Milk Thistle, Organic Dandelion Root, Organic Dandelion Leaf, Lu Rong, Huang Qi, Gou Qi Zi, Ju Hua, Ren Shen, and Long Yan Rou. I believe it may be time to bottle it up. I love this medicine! Teresa Hall San Diego Acupuncture Orthopedic Institute 619-517-1188 - " Al Stone " <alstone Friday, May 17, 2002 2:55 PM Re: Re: botany > I've got herbs steeping in a jug of vodka in my kitchen. This is the > second batch, actually. > > It started out with just Gan Cao, Fu Xiao Mai and Da Zao. Steeping these > in vodka for a few months made a rather delicious libition. Neat thing > about it is that it doesn't cause any dry mouth later on, or a hangover > at all. > > So, for the second batch I added some he shou wu, long yan rou, gou qi > zi. Its been steeping for months and on special occasions we bring it > out to have a few shots... Its good stuff, actually. > > pemachophel2001 wrote: > > > > Tinctures are made with alcohol (what you've done). Infusions are > > typically made with water. However, you can't store infusions > > long-term. They'll go bad. Tinctures can be stored indefinitely. > > > > Wow, Chinese herbal cocktails. What a concept! Here's a topic for a > > whole new Website (there are already several which list hundreds of > > Margarita recipes). Or a concept for a trendy new bar. I've been > > threatening to brew a He Shou Wu porter/stout and a Huang Qi pilsner > > for several years now. Long Yan Rou wine makes a fine fruity mixer. So > > does Gou Qi Zi and Cherry wine. > > > > Bob > > > > , Pamela Zilavy <yinyang@i...> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Several topics in my day to day travels have recently converged, > > leading to > > > a botanical question on chinese herbs. Lately I have been a) exposed > > more > > > and more to latin nomenclature, b) thinking about (shall I say) the > > > deficiencies of my education, c) reading about dui yao, and finally > > - > > > feeling spring has sprung. I dutifully memorized all the mnemonics > > for > > > taste, temperature and channels for all the herbs, and so was > > slightly > > > disappointed when recent contributors posed questions about the > > validity of > > > channel associations. Nevertheless, I would like to understand more > > about > > > the qualities of flower, bark, root, seed, whole plant, pods, and > > whatever > > > other botany I never learned can tell me about the nature of an > > herb, and > > > the nature of combining herbs. Beyond bitter being draining, for > > example, > > > what the essential botanical portion of an herb might tell me is of > > > interest. Do all flowers since they are light have raising > > qualities? Are > > > botanical generalizations possible? > > > Also, I have unearthed from storage a gallon jar of ling zhi /vodka > > which I > > > packed three years ago. I was told that water, not vodka is the > > proper > > > liquid to use to make an infusion. Any feedback on whether I should > > either > > > bottle ounces or make margaritas would be much appreciated. > > > -pz > > > > > > Chinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing in Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services, including board approved online continuing education. > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 18, 2002 Report Share Posted May 18, 2002 Nevertheless, I would like to understand more about the qualities of flower, bark, root, seed, whole plant, pods, and whatever other botany I never learned can tell me about the nature of an herb, and the nature of combining herbs. >>>>Pam my mild-neutral formulas teacher used to say that flowers are mild and can be used in all patients alon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 18, 2002 Report Share Posted May 18, 2002 A friend of mine, Andy Miller, tried marketing some ginseng/black cherry beer a few years ago. A bit too sweet, but a step in the right direction. It didn't go over in the marketplace. I'd love to try a he shou wu stout, for a start! On Friday, May 17, 2002, at 01:31 PM, pemachophel2001 wrote: > Tinctures are made with alcohol (what you've done). Infusions are > typically made with water. However, you can't store infusions > long-term. They'll go bad. Tinctures can be stored indefinitely. > > Wow, Chinese herbal cocktails. What a concept! Here's a topic for a > whole new Website (there are already several which list hundreds of > Margarita recipes). Or a concept for a trendy new bar. I've been > threatening to brew a He Shou Wu porter/stout and a Huang Qi pilsner > for several years now. Long Yan Rou wine makes a fine fruity mixer. So > does Gou Qi Zi and Cherry wine. > > Bob > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2002 Report Share Posted May 19, 2002 , " Alon Marcus " < alonmarcus@w...> wrote: > > >>>>Pam my mild-neutral formulas teacher used to say that flowers are mild and can be used in all patients > alon like entering channels and flavors, plant parts suggest a likelihood of certain actions or strengths or affinities. but this relationship is not nearly absolute. while the " rule " certainly holds for the majority of herbs, there are a huge number of exceptions. So this is not a law of herbology like gravity is a law of physics. Consider yinyang huo, a leaf used for yang xu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2002 Report Share Posted May 19, 2002 While I agree with you, there are tendencies in different parts of plants. The textbooks do say that aerial parts of plants tend to have more light and floating qi. With medicinals such as yin yang huo/hb. epimidium, the leaves are thicker and tougher (they are a scrub plant growing on rocky mountain slopes) and less aromatic, than, say, bo he/peppermint leaves. This would make them less light and floating by nature. They are also usually fried in goat fat before using as medicine. This increases their heat, sinking quality, and yang supplementing power. On Sunday, May 19, 2002, at 12:34 PM, 1 wrote: > , " Alon Marcus " < > alonmarcus@w...> wrote: > > > > > >>>>Pam my mild-neutral formulas teacher used to say that > flowers are mild and can be used in all patients > > alon > > like entering channels and flavors, plant parts suggest a > likelihood of certain actions or strengths or affinities. but this > relationship is not nearly absolute. while the " rule " certainly > holds for the majority of herbs, there are a huge number of > exceptions. So this is not a law of herbology like gravity is a law > of physics. > > Consider yinyang huo, a leaf used for yang xu. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2002 Report Share Posted May 19, 2002 Dear Z'ev: RE: Yin Yang Huo, are the ones we buy (from Mayway, say) fried in goat fat? Or is that a special processing step done in China? Julie - Sunday, May 19, 2002 2:01 PM Re: Re: botany While I agree with you, there are tendencies in different parts of plants. The textbooks do say that aerial parts of plants tend to have more light and floating qi. With medicinals such as yin yang huo/hb. epimidium, the leaves are thicker and tougher (they are a scrub plant growing on rocky mountain slopes) and less aromatic, than, say, bo he/peppermint leaves. This would make them less light and floating by nature. They are also usually fried in goat fat before using as medicine. This increases their heat, sinking quality, and yang supplementing power.On Sunday, May 19, 2002, at 12:34 PM, 1 wrote: , "Alon Marcus" <alonmarcus@w...> wrote:>> >>>>Pam my mild-neutral formulas teacher used to say thatflowers are mild and can be used in all patients> alonlike entering channels and flavors, plant parts suggest alikelihood of certain actions or strengths or affinities. but thisrelationship is not nearly absolute. while the "rule" certainlyholds for the majority of herbs, there are a huge number ofexceptions. So this is not a law of herbology like gravity is a lawof physics.Consider yinyang huo, a leaf used for yang xu.Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2002 Report Share Posted May 19, 2002 You'll have to ask Mayway. . . .but I assume it is. On Sunday, May 19, 2002, at 05:14 PM, Julie Chambers wrote: > > > Dear Z'ev: > > RE: Yin Yang Huo, are the ones we buy (from Mayway, say) fried in goat > fat? Or is that a special processing step done in China? > > Julie > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2002 Report Share Posted May 20, 2002 I'd love to try a he shou wu stout, for a start! Sounds tantalizing. Shou wu dried in thin slices makes an interesting snack. I grew and harvested a small amount. It would work well in stout. Frances Gander wrote: A friend of mine, Andy Miller, tried marketing some ginseng/black cherry beer a few years ago. A bit too sweet, but a step in the right direction. It didn't go over in the marketplace. I'd love to try a he shou wu stout, for a start! On Friday, May 17, 2002, at 01:31 PM, pemachophel2001 wrote: Tinctures are made with alcohol (what you've done). Infusions are typically made with water. However, you can't store infusions long-term. They'll go bad. Tinctures can be stored indefinitely. Wow, Chinese herbal cocktails. What a concept! Here's a topic for a whole new Website (there are already several which list hundreds of Margarita recipes). Or a concept for a trendy new bar. I've been threatening to brew a He Shou Wu porter/stout and a Huang Qi pilsner for several years now. Long Yan Rou wine makes a fine fruity mixer. So does Gou Qi Zi and Cherry wine. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2002 Report Share Posted May 20, 2002 So this is not a law of herbology like gravity is a law of physics.Consider yinyang huo, a leaf used for yang xu >>>Agreed but yin yang huo is not a flower Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 23, 2002 Report Share Posted May 23, 2002 But xuan fu hua is… -JAson ALON MARCUS [alonmarcus] Monday, May 20, 2002 9:24 AM To: Re: Re: botany So this is not a law of herbology like gravity is a law of physics. Consider yinyang huo, a leaf used for yang xu >>>Agreed but yin yang huo is not a flower Chinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing in Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services, including board approved online continuing education. Your use of is subject to the Terms of Service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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