You may have noted the use of the term Dit Da Ke in some of my posts either from past, older writings or from more recent posts. In recognition that this may not be a familiar term, I thought I would give a brief explanation.
Dit Da Ke
Dit Da Ke is a classical branch or specialty of healing that encompasses a variety of methods, focusing on promoting, improving and preserving Musculo-skeletal and structural health and conversly on preventing and healing illness and injury to the same.
Dit (跌) - Fall
Da (打) - Hit / Strike
Ke (科) - Science, Specialty, Course
The term "classical" is a descriptor used to differentiate the ancient pre-modern systems of healing from the current, predominant form known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Classical Chinese Medicine refers to those styles and systems of medicine that have survived the modernization and revision that is today's TCM. Dit Da Ke is closely associated to traditional Chinese Martial Arts (Kung Fu) and it is within traditional Kung Fu clans and lineages that Dit Da Ke has been preserved, curated and passed on to newer generations.
It is interesting to note that Classical Chinese Medice differs from TCM in the same manner as traditional Kung Fu differs from contemporary Wushu, but that is a subject for another post.
So, in short, Dit Da Ke is the category or classical Chinese medicine that Dit Da Jow originates from.
Dit Da Jow
Dit Da Jow is now a fairly well recognized term that refers to a mixture of herbs extracted in a liquid solvent base, and used topically as a medicinal liniment. Dit Da Jow is actually the romanization for the Cantonese pronounciation, sometimes written as Dit Da Jau. You may encounter the romanization of the Mandarin pronounciation, which would be in the standardized romanization called PinYin as Die Da Jiu.
Dit / Die (跌) - Fall
Da /Da (打) - Hit, Strike
Jow /Jiu (酒) - Wine, Liquor, Alcoholic Spirit
So, the complete transalation for Dit Da Jow is "Fall and Hit Wine".
There is alot of information being conveyed in the term Dit Da Jow, that is important. The most relevant is that it is meant for falls and hits or strikes, which we can extrapolate to physical injury resulting in trauma.
But, what about the use of of the term (Jow), Wine, Liguor, Alcoholic Spirit? Well, for those of you that have been students of the Chinese Martials for long enough, you will know that there is alwayspurpose in the choice of words terms or characters, and that these are seldom, if ever selected lightly. Instead terms and their corresponding characters are meant to convey some essential aspect of the subject or object in question.
Initially it seems quite obvious since in Chinese, wine, liquor and alcohol can be used interchangeably. However, there are many other terms that can be used if for example, the desired meaning was just wine as shown in the table below.
Chinese Characters for "Wine:
The use of the particular character for Jiu / Jau and the first meaning, "wine" is meant to convey that Dit Da Jow can be drank like wine. Before some of you begin rioting, it does not mean that all Dit Da Jow should be taken orally, but that this type of herbal medicine can be taken orally. With respect to toxic herbs and poisonous dit da jow, the ingredients included in the formula and their quantities will clearly show if it can and should be taken orally. I am relating this to you all in exactly the way it was taught to me.
But we are not done yet. The character chosen provides more insight about dit da jow. The character for wine entails more than just wine, as it includes liquor and alcoholic spirit. This gives us a ton of guiding information such as that the preferred liquid base to extract the herbs in is.....yes, Alcohol. This seems trivial yet is fundamental. The herbs are to be extracted in alcohol and one that is in the range of alcoholic spirits. In China, this could be a wide range but it generally will not exceed 50% alcohol (100 proof). Of course there are some higher alcohol content spirits but the range from wine to most spirits will be under 50% alcohol. Furthermore, if you consider that one specific type of rice wine. "Bai Jiu" is perhaps the most popular alcohol spirit you can see how the choice of characters used tells you should use rice wine , bai jiu, or something close to it.
During my years of learning, my teachers carefully guided me but also allowed me to uncover these connections and directed me to see them again and again, confirming the patterns, and the elegant and effective use of words, characters and infused meaning and thus be able to glean understanding just from names and titles.
So, just the title, dit da jow tells us this is an herbal medicine for injury or trauma that is extracted in an alcohol spirit, normally being rice wine. and while it is a topical liniment, we know that in most cases it can be taken orally as well.
Dit Da Ke is the category of medicine and dit da jow is its primary tool of choice but certainly not the only one and Dit Da Ke has a variety of other herbals, as well as methods in its repertoire. Perhaps, if there is interest, this could be the topic of another post. Leave a comment if you would like to see this.
Next we will explore the importance of the alcohol base in more detail and how the ancient doctors and herbalist were keenly aware of why it is the extraction media of choice for medicinal herbology. Stay tunned.
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