Digest Number 1682

[Guest guest]

Tue, 28 Oct 2003 19:31:44 -0000

" " <

Alcohol for tinctures

 

>Hi All,

 

>Vodka or brandy (40-45% alcohol) would also do, as would triple-

>distilled moonshine (could be 45-75% alcohol, depending on the

>moonshiner!).

 

Yer' aren't to many moonshiners in this neck of the woods!!!!!!

 

>Lab grade ethanol (NOT METHANOL] is 99.9% pure alcohol. If one

>takes 700ml of ethanol and adds 300ml triple-distilled deionised lab

<grade distilled water, one will have 1 litre of 70% pure alcohol.

 

Actually Phil, " lab grade ethanol " is right around 95% pure as anything more

than that is quite unstable. It is most likely if you are getting 99.9% pure

alcohol it is methanol or rubbing alcohol, which is fine for external

preparations but I avoid it just in case someone decides to drink one of my

liniments.

 

thomas

 

 

Chinese Herbology and Acupuncture

acupuncture and herbal information

 

 

 

" Knowing nothing, you will be aware of everything. "

Lao Tzu

[Guest guest]

Ken,

 

This is very interesting but I would wonder about weather your teacher used

the sorghum wine because he thought is best or because that was what he was

taught to use or because that is what was available.

 

Although I could see it working fine for san qi or hong hua, I think it

would be less effective for mu xiang, gui zhi, qiang huo, bai zhi or a

plethera of other medicinals.

 

Do you have any literature on traditional alcohol preparations, I would be

VERY interested in seeing it. I have studied the Western tradition

extensively but there is so little available on Chinese preps. and no one

who goes to China seems to be able to fill that order for me.

 

thanks,

thomas

 

Message: 20

Tue, 28 Oct 2003 19:49:55 -0000

" kenrose2008 " <kenrose2008

Re: Alcohol for tinctures

 

All,

 

For what it's worth, whenever I'm

in China I use sorghum wine,

from Sichuan because it makes

me melancholic, which is about

38% alcohol.

 

I do this because this is the way

that old Dr. Chen did it. He told

me to do it this way. And I do it

this way ever since.

 

And he was one of a long lineage

of boxer/bone doctors who broke

'em in the morning and set 'em in

the afternoon. It could be that his

ancestors proved scientifically

that 38% was the best concentration

to use for the specifc ingredients

he used in his formulas.

 

Lots of hong hua and tian qi

but always included some tiger

bone...yes, he had real tiger bone,

I have no idea where he got it

and have never done anything

odd or illegal in my life.

 

It's hard to find this wine outside of

China, as even most Chinese groceries

don't have it, once you get outside of

Monterey Park or SF.

 

Then I just use whatever is around.

 

I just put up some wine for my brother

in a bottle of Seagrams gin, because

he likes gin. And it's about 80 proof.

 

I've always thought that a comprehensive

survey of ancient preparation methods

would make for devilishly interesting

reading. I did a lot of research about

medicinal wines a few years back and

it seems as if winemaking was an integral

part of medicine at a relatively early

state.

 

Look at the complex character for medicine.

 

But don't expect to learn anything of any

value from doing so. Just a curiousity

which might make it possible for you

to access more scientific information.

 

Ken

 

 

Chinese Herbology and Acupuncture

acupuncture and herbal information

 

 

 

" Knowing nothing, you will be aware of everything. "

Lao Tzu+

[Guest guest]

, " kenrose2008 " <

kenrose2008> wrote:

 

>

> It really would be a good idea ot get a

> good book done on the subject.

 

 

Ken

 

Have you seen Bob Flaws work on medicinal wines. I think it all comes from

chinese source material.