Topical Liniment for Pain – IRON STRIKE LINIMENT

Tiě Dá Yào Jiǔ
铁 打 藥 酒

In Hawai’i, where I attended Tai Hsuan College of Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine (now known as World Medicine Institute-WMI), my fellow classmates and I we’re taught many traditional methods of healing in the weekly Taoist Medicine class. I enjoyed this class the most because of its focus on traditional Taoist medicine. The class focused on a variety of topics including meditation, chanting, Taoist spirituality, Eastern philosophy, qigong, diet, herbal medicine, acupuncture, I Ching study, Tao Te Ching study, palmistry and so much more.

Taoist Master and Founder of WMI, Dr. Chang Yi Hsiang, Ph. D., taught how to make Tiě Dá Yào Jiǔ (Yuk Jiao) or as I referred to it as Iron Strike Liniment. Dr. Chang is native of Lung Hu Shan (Dragon-Tiger Mountain), from the Jiangxi province located in the south east of China. This all natural topical rub was typically used by martial artists to soothe aches and pains, relieve stiffness, & promote healing. The majority of herbs in the formula are in the Blood moving category of Chinese Herbal Medicine. These are important herbs when dealing with injury due to physical trauma.

Tiě Dá Yào Jiǔ is the Mandarin name for Yuk Jiao which is from the more common Cantonese dialect. Tiě Dá translates as being hit or bitten by metal. The reference to metal, that of a sword or spear implies a martial art remedy. Yào translates as medicine of natural ingredients harmonized in a formula. Jiǔ translates as wine. I prefer san sheng jiǔ which is a special rice wine that is steamed 3 times for refinement and purity.

Classes for making Iron Strike Liniment included preparation with a special ceremony. After a month of initially letting 16 herbs soak in wine, a special ceremony was done to gather and add the remaining 3 herbs plus a special Ming Dynasty (time period 1368 – 1644) starter. The Ming Dynasty starter is a few drops of Tiě Dá Yào Jiǔ from a previously made batch of Dr. Chang’s personal supply. She received a starter from her teacher – a wonderful ritual of lineage extending back several hundred years. This is the very Tiě Dá Yào Jiǔ / Iron Strike Liniment I use in the clinic. Thank you Dr. Chang!