Ginseng Extract stick, LIV-52 and alcohol

November 27, 2005

Hi Matthew, & All,

Matthew wrote:

> Recently I celebrated my birthday a little too exuberantly, finding by

> the end of the evening that my half of a fifth of scotch was

> nowhere to be seen (same with my friend's...).

Ireland, like most countries, has her share of " Martyrs to the Demon

Drink " . As one who used to enjoy the BEST whiskey in the world [irish of

course!] I have picked up a few useful tips on the way.

1. A Taiwanese colleague gave me a 1 " length of Concentrated Ginseng

Extract (in stick-form from Taiwan) to chew circa 30 minutes before I

was due to deliver the opening lecture on the morning after the

Congress Banquet - a helluva night. The party broke up at 0600 and the

first lecture was for 0900! [Friends told me that I demolished a bottle of

Bushmills 12-year-old that night].

Within 20 minutes of starting to chew the Ginseng stick, I was back on

the planet and able to give a complicated lecture on IT in TCM, using

modern IT technology.

2. Some years ago, an Indian colleague, whose school-teacher father

was a life-long student of Ayurvedic medicine, told me about the LV-

restorative properties of LIV-52 [ http://tinyurl.com/8omd2 ].

Having used it a few times, and having had feedback from friends who

used it, I can recommend it both as a preventative and symptomatic

cure for overexuberant partying [2 DS (double-strength) tablets before

partying + two before bed, or first thing next morning].

Also, I have prescribed LIV-52 with excellent clinical results for other LV

problems (idiopathic itch in humans, exaggerated by drinking alcohol,

and aggressiveness in horses with yellow tinge in the sclera and gums).

Matthew, I cannot say what Ginseng Extract or LIV-52 does to Weiqi,

but they sure work on other alcohol-related symptoms.

PS: Excessive love of alcholic spirits has wrecked many careers,

marriages and lives in Ireland. Though I drank a fair drop of whiskey

when I was younger, I treat it with great respect today and drink it rarely

now, even on my birthday. That said, I have left instructions with my

brothers and sons that there is to be no-one thirsty for a drop of

whiskey, be that their preference, at my wake.

Best regards,

Tel: (H): +353-(0) or (M): +353-(0)

Ireland.

Tel: (W): +353-(0) or (M): +353-(0)

" Man who says it can't be done should not interrupt man doing it " -

Chinese Proverb

November 27, 2005

Phil,

Thank you for the words of wisdom. (Hard-earned, by the sound of it.)

Sometimes, as they say, the spirits call us. Had I only prepared as you suggest

for the encounter, I may have escaped more or less unscathed. Perhaps that will

come with age... Regardless, my dates with the demon drink come less often these

days.

While not an herbal remedy, one of my acupuncture teachers, Steven Brown,

advocates the needling of Liver 1 to overcome the effects of such evenings. I've

found it to be quite helpful, especially if the heat generated internally is

making sleep difficult.

BTW, has anybody seen such an item as Phil talks of, the 1 " length of

Concentrated Ginseng Extract in stick-form, available in the US? It might be a

useful item for the pharmacy.

I wonder also, has anyone ever seen discussion of the various effects of the

different hard liquors? The qi quality derived from imbibing, say, tequila, is

quite different from whisky or vodka. Chinese Bai Jiu has its own (yuck) unique

qualities. Even between the various whiskies there is a definite difference in

psychological and energetic effect. Especially between bourbon and Scotch or

Irish Whiskey, wouldn't you say? My wife won't let me drink bourbon anymore...

The cowboy's been put to pasture.

-Matt

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