Anyone make their own Dit Da Jow?

[xcakid]

If so what do you use to ferment it? I have heard rubbing alcohol, or high quality vodka, or rubbing alcohol with a touch of wintergreen oil.

Anyone have a good recipe?

Been thinking about just making my own with some prepackaged herbs I can get online. If anyone has a good source for that, I would welcome any suggestions as well.

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

You don't ferment it.Fermentation occurs when you make the alcohol used to make the jow in the first place.

I ferment rice in 5 gallon glass jugs. Once it's done, distill it down by freezing it. Whatever does not freeze is about 35-40% alcohol. It costs pennies on the dollar to make alcohol this way.

Once you have made your alcohol and distilled it down in your freezer, you then soak the herbs in it for 6-9 months and that makes your jow.

[Dale Dugas]

If so what do you use to ferment it? I have heard rubbing alcohol, or high quality vodka, or rubbing alcohol with a touch of wintergreen oil.

Anyone have a good recipe?

Been thinking about just making my own with some prepackaged herbs I can get online. If anyone has a good source for that, I would welcome any suggestions as well.


DO NOT USE rubbing alcohol to make dit da jow. It breaks down into acetone over time and that is extremely poisonous to your body.

As RD mentioned. You use any kind of alcohol whether homemade or not and decoct the herbs into it over time.

There are many different ways to prepare jow:

Bury it

Burn the herbs before you make it

Steam the herbs before you make it.

etc......

[Dale Dugas]

If so what do you use to ferment it? I have heard rubbing alcohol, or high quality vodka, or rubbing alcohol with a touch of wintergreen oil.

Anyone have a good recipe?

Been thinking about just making my own with some prepackaged herbs I can get online. If anyone has a good source for that, I would welcome any suggestions as well.


DO NOT USE rubbing alcohol to make dit da jow. It breaks down into acetone over time and that is extremely poisonous to your body.

As RD mentioned. You use any kind of alcohol whether homemade or not and decoct the herbs into it over time.

There are many different ways to prepare jow:

Bury it

Burn the herbs before you make it

Steam the herbs before you make it.

etc......

Why not ask your shifu about this? He should be willing to teach you how.

Be well,

Dale

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

Bury it? Thats a new one on me...how does that work?

[xcakid]

So if I can get some everclear or other pure grain alcohol, I can use that to soak the herbs in?

I'm too lazy to make my own alcohol.

Thank RD and Dale.

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

Yes, but cut it with water so you have a 50% mix. Some components of the herbs extract better in water, others in alcohol.

[herb ox]

I've often heard of burying the jow - from a traditional standpoint, it's to gather the yin Qi of the earth - but from a practical point, it's more to keep the jow a constant temperature, away from light, and away from prying eyes who might want a 'sneak preview' of the jow. I simply think it's to keep it 'out of sight, out of mind' since it takes a few months to make a good jow (I've almost never been able to wait that long).

Otherwise, try layering napa cabbage with salt, garlic, ground up shrimp and plenty of chili powder. Bury the jar and let ferment for a few months. Apply as necessary to rice or soup to treat injury from bland food :D

peace

herb ox

[herb ox]

You probably wouldn't want to burn or steam ALL the herbs - just the ones whose properties you want to change - for example, wine fried Da Huang has a more invigorating effect and lessens the cold property of the herb.

Dale, what kind of herbs would you steam or burn for a jow?

peace

ox

[Royal Dragon]

I know in one training wine recipe i have you have to toast the remnniea in vinager before you add it to the alcohol.

[xcakid]

Otherwise, try layering napa cabbage with salt, garlic, ground up shrimp and plenty of chili powder. Bury the jar and let ferment for a few months. Apply as necessary to rice or soup to treat injury from bland food :D

peace

herb ox

Great thanx!! Now I am craving KimChee. I know what I'm having for dinner. Bul Go kee, rice and kimchee. :D

[Dale Dugas]

You probably wouldn't want to burn or steam ALL the herbs - just the ones whose properties you want to change - for example, wine fried Da Huang has a more invigorating effect and lessens the cold property of the herb.

Dale, what kind of herbs would you steam or burn for a jow?

peace

ox

Some SPM people char their herbs slightly before adding them to the booze.

Burying the whole jar is an yin power booster thing as well as keeping it cool.

Ive done both and the burying imparts something to the jow.

Good jow is like kung fu. Takes a long time to make perfect....

[Oso]

i bought an herb mix from this guy

http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/member.php?u=19307

it's good jow. his recipe called for bourbon and warming it in a pot and adding the herbs and then decanting it all to a sealable jar and letting it sit for 90 days min.

[Dale Dugas]

Piercinghammer(Shifu Mike Biggie) has some of the best formulae around. Mike and I have shared formula over the years. He has a great working knowledge of dit da formula around.

Not that all formula are treated the same. all depends on how that formula is meant to be set up.

Shows the various methods and differences in Chinese medicine.

[Oso]

yea, Mike impressed me.

Dale, I hadn't clued in that you were a student of Dr. Painter. He comes to the Chapel Hill NC area regularly but I've not had the time or money to make it to a seminar yet...one day I hope.

[Oso]

lol, I was looking through your pics and see that you found the big azz fake mason jar w/ the wire closure too...kinda sux that it's not a watertight seal but there just isn't much out there bigger than a gallon

here's a pic from when I bottled mine...I hadn't realized that stuff is now almost 2 years old! I've only used about 1/2 of it.

[Royal Dragon]

Just what the doctor ordered!

http://www.infused-vodka.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=27

http://www.instawares.com/2-gallon-glass-jar.0.3.0.htm

and a huge 5 gallon glass barrel

http://www.instawares.com/glass-barrel-jar-lid.9520004lib.0.7.htm

And last, but noty least:

http://www.happyherbalist.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=12

With some good brown rich, honey and baker's yeast, you have everything you need to not only make your jow, but the alcohol used in it's production too!

[xcakid]

Wow!! Dang wealth of knowledge in this forum.

Muchas Gracia
Dunke
Graci
Merci Beaucoup
Arigato
Salamat
Thank you





Hey Oso, what kinda bourban is that?

[Dale Dugas]

lol, I was looking through your pics and see that you found the big azz fake mason jar w/ the wire closure too...kinda sux that it's not a watertight seal but there just isn't much out there bigger than a gallon

here's a pic from when I bottled mine...I hadn't realized that stuff is now almost 2 years old! I've only used about 1/2 of it.


I also use glass carboys that are made to ferment beer or wine in(RD they would work great to ferment but not freeze...)

I have 6 gallon carboys that hold the 4 gallons I make at a time and then some.

That jar is what one of my students used for an IP formula. True about the non waterproof seal, but the carboys have solid rubber plugs and they are the best in my view.

Im off to the Zhang Sang Feng to teach Iron Palm and Iron Vest as well as train with Dr. Painter for a week at our annual gathering of the circle walkers. You should look up Ethan Rasiel who is the instructor down there. Great guy.

Im off to pack the van....

Be well,

Dale

[PlumDragon]

the carboys have solid rubber plugs and they are the best in my view.

Im off to the Zhang Sang Feng to teach Iron Palm and Iron Vest as well as train with Dr. Painter for a week at our annual gathering of the circle walkers.
Dale is right, the carboys are really the best thing for those wanting to make large amounts of anything. The rubber bungs seal very well for many many years. They are a bit more pricey than gallon jars and somewhat bulky. You can also pick up a racking cane and tubing to prime a siphon for next to nothing.

Wide mouth jars of any size are a serious pain and I recommend not using them at all. 1 gallon non-wide mouth jars are cheap and the caps hold a good seal for quite some time but wear out long before rubber bungs.

Have a safe drive and a fantastic time at the Festival, Dale! Wish I could join ya up there, perhaps next year. ;)

[Dale Dugas]

Brother J,

I will be having a great time.

Save up the PTO and come out and have your eyes opened to what Dr. Painter can do as well as the rest of us...

Ill be selling all of my formulas at the festival. Should be a good time and marketing/networking bonanza.

be well,

Dale

[Royal Dragon]

The problem with Carboys...is the openings are too small to put herbs into them.

With the wide mouthed jugs, you can easily put in herbs, and then clean them later.

Sealing them is easy, you just coat the tops with candle wax. Go buy a cheap pot, and melt a bunch of candles in it. With a paint brush, repeatedly brush the wax on the lids untill you can squish wax when you put the lids on. once you have that, you can cover the last coat of wax with rice papaer so the wax does not glue the lid to the jar.

I am doing this with Duck wax because it has a lower melting point than candles and will soften enough to make opening easy. I got a huge box of it when an Amish Live Poultry store closed years ago.

You can also make a lid with some wood from a lumber yard, and seal with the wax that way too. I'mmactually thinking of making some really nice ones but cutting them to fit like a pumpkin. Once done, I will drill out the center and place an air lock in the lids to use them for fermenting, or cork the hole for soaking herbs.

Once the lids are set up, they will seal perfectly, and you still have a wide opening for ease of cleaning, and adding/ removing herbs from the container.

[Dale Dugas]

RD,

I grind my herbs so that I can extract everything from them. I then strain it with a steel sieve and then press out the dregs to get every last drop. They clean out in a jiffy with cold water and some b brite to sterilize the container for the next batch.

I have about 30 gallons on hand at a time. I sell out of certain formulas every now and then.

[Royal Dragon]

I just soak them whole.

Have you ever simmered a formula down to make it stronger? Or so you can fit the same strength in a smaller container?

How did it work out?

I'd like to do that, but I am worried about lossing essential oils in the process.