# What is your take on Jow ?



## bowser666 (Aug 18, 2008)

So I was curious and wanted to see what you all think of Jow and how useful, or not useful it is ?  I personally use it and I have found it to be quite helpful.   I do hear mixed opinions on it , like Tiger Balm or Ben Gay is better, etc.......   Looking forward to your thoughts....


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## clfsean (Aug 18, 2008)

I believe in it. Won't do any conditioning without it... before or after. Good for the skin, muscle & bones. Keeps bruising & callusing down if not totally gone.

You smell funny though, can't skip that.


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## bostonbomber (Sep 23, 2008)

I swear by the stuff (you've got to find a good one though).  You need to make sure you rub it in well for bruises and contusions.  The jow I use cuts healing time by at least a factor of four.


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## pstarr (Sep 24, 2008)

Absolutely.  We use a number of medicines but the "hit medicine" we use is an excellent recipe.


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## jow yeroc (Sep 24, 2008)

Agreed.  I use it for conditioning and for bruised and sore muscles.  Smells weird but works
well in my opinion.


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## clfsean (Sep 24, 2008)

jow yeroc said:


> Agreed.  I use it for conditioning and for bruised and sore muscles.  Smells weird but works
> well in my opinion.



Weird??? Cousin... jow is the bomb for smells!!! I love it. I literally makes me wanna go do more banging & such. I'm weird I know... but even my wife uses it for bruises & bumps she gets around the house with the kids & dogs & all.

Jow is good... jow is your friend... love the jow...


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## jow yeroc (Sep 24, 2008)

:uhyeah:
A true jow lover if ever there was one eh, clfsean!?!

I actually do love the smell too.  I just meant it would prolly smell weird to
one not "steeped" in the jow experience! 
If you ask me, next to a 20 yr. single malt, jow is the elixir of life!!  Ok that's
going a bit far but you get the point.  Just ask my wife, i actually smell
like jow quite often.  She just doesn't appreciate the bouquet!!


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## bostonbomber (Sep 25, 2008)

My wife's grandmother made it using vodka as the solvent.  You'd get light-headed from the fumes!


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## clfsean (Sep 25, 2008)

The best jow I ever got my hands on was made with vodka. I use it sparingly for really bad bruising. 

My current jow is made with something other than vodka & it works pretty good, but the vodka jow... man... the aroma & feel of it literally make me go out hit harder just so I have an excuse to use it.


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## clfsean (Sep 25, 2008)

jow yeroc said:


> :uhyeah:
> A true jow lover if ever there was one eh, clfsean!?!



yes I admit I'm a jow fan big time!



jow yeroc said:


> I actually do love the smell too.  I just meant it would prolly smell weird to
> one not "steeped" in the jow experience!



Their loss but y'know the best way to spread the love of jow is spreading the fu so everybody can smell the goodness. 



jow yeroc said:


> If you ask me, next to a 20 yr. single malt, jow is the elixir of life!!  Ok that's
> going a bit far but you get the point.



Nah... not so far. Now if you'd said a patron tequila... ok that's a bit much.



jow yeroc said:


> Just ask my wife, i actually smell
> like jow quite often.  She just doesn't appreciate the bouquet!!



I used to smell like jow nightly, but my wife could only take it for a minute before it got to her. Now it's not so bad, but I will admit my saam sing time & dummy time has significantly decreased just because of daily life so has the jow scenting of the house.


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## geezer (Sep 25, 2008)

bowser666 said:


> So I was curious and wanted to see what you all think of Jow and how useful, or not useful it is ? I personally use it and I have found it to be quite helpful. I do hear mixed opinions on it , like Tiger Balm or Ben Gay is better, etc....... Looking forward to your thoughts....


 
I have mixed feelings. Using dit dar jow _seemed_ helpful.... but is there any good evidence that it is really better than other linaments? And how much of the results come from the method of application, including the regular resting from striking to massage in the jow? There are so many recipes. Who even knows what's in it or how the stuff works. And then, what about the very real "placebo effect". Unless you are very credulous, a lot of questions pop up.

I used to have a more trusting attitude and respect for traditional Chinese medicine. But have you ever checked out all the superstitious and harmful garbage that's mixed in along with the good? How about the marketing of pieces of endangered animals for supposed curative effects in traditional Chinese herbalism? You know, stuff like rhino horn and tiger penis as aphrodesiacs. Then, there's also the excessively secretive nature of many herbalists. Yeah, it may be a _cultural thing_, but it makes for unreliable medical practice. In fact there's no way for the average martial artist to know if he's got something useful or just "snake oil". Don't tell me to, "Just try it and you'll know the difference." It's not that easy.

So what's a poor CMA guy to do? As for myself, I'll continue to use the stuff when I can get it, but don't count on me for wide-eyed and glowing testimonials. I'd like to see some science behind what works.


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## geezer (Sep 25, 2008)

Oh yeah, there's one more thing. Kinda ironic too. I had a couple of kung fu sifus recomend various jow formulations. But the only sifu who was _actually Chinese_, and also a so-called "Grandmaster", told me not to bother with jow. He said that, except for real injuries, "it was a waste of time". Go figure.


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## clfsean (Sep 25, 2008)

geezer said:


> I have mixed feelings. Using dit dar jow _seemed_ helpful.... but is there any good evidence that it is really better than other linaments? And how much of the results come from the method of application, including the regular resting from striking to massage in the jow? There are so many recipes. Who even knows what's in it or how the stuff works. And then, what about the very real "placebo effect". Unless you are very credulous, a lot of questions pop up.



For bruising I don't use anything else. I don't use it for strains & tears. So in that aspect it's very helpful. For application, I applied it before & after arm & leg conditioning _daily_ with no ill effects & positive results.

For the receipes... those belonged to my sifu's teachers & both are Chinese from China, both of them taught by their teachers who were known healers & TCM physicians. So I trust them based on their combined 170+ experience & the background of their teachers.



geezer said:


> I used to have a more trusting attitude and respect for traditional Chinese medicine. But have you ever checked out all the superstitious and harmful garbage that's mixed in along with the good? How about the marketing of pieces of endangered animals for supposed curative effects in traditional Chinese herbalism? You know, stuff like rhino horn and tiger penis as aphrodesiacs. Then, there's also the excessively secretive nature of many herbalists. Yeah, it may be a _cultural thing_, but it makes for unreliable medical practice. In fact there's no way for the average martial artist to know if he's got something useful or just "snake oil". Don't tell me to, "Just try it and you'll know the difference." It's not that easy.


 
Snake oil medicine in TCMA doesn't last in my experience... much like faith healers in the Western world, as well as the Eastern world.



geezer said:


> So what's a poor CMA guy to do? As for myself, I'll continue to use the stuff when I can get it, but don't count on me for wide-eyed and glowing testimonials. I'd like to see some science behind what works.



That's cool... to each his own. I don't care about the science behind it. As long as I'm bruise free after each session, it has my confidence on what it purports to do with visible proof and evidence. If I can strike 100 times with saam sing on an old basketball goal post in my backyard made of steel , on the "stump of woe" & sandbags at my sifu's with no bruising on a daily basis when I had the time to train daily, I'm sold on what he provides for me courtesy of teacher.


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## jow yeroc (Sep 25, 2008)

geezer said:


> I have mixed feelings. Using dit dar jow _seemed_ helpful.... but is there any good evidence that it is really better than other linaments? And how much of the results come from the method of application, including the regular resting from striking to massage in the jow? There are so many recipes. Who even knows what's in it or how the stuff works. And then, what about the very real "placebo effect". Unless you are very credulous, a lot of questions pop up.
> 
> I used to have a more trusting attitude and respect for traditional Chinese medicine. But have you ever checked out all the superstitious and harmful garbage that's mixed in along with the good? How about the marketing of pieces of endangered animals for supposed curative effects in traditional Chinese herbalism? You know, stuff like rhino horn and tiger penis as aphrodesiacs. Then, there's also the excessively secretive nature of many herbalists. Yeah, it may be a _cultural thing_, but it makes for unreliable medical practice. In fact there's no way for the average martial artist to know if he's got something useful or just "snake oil". Don't tell me to, "Just try it and you'll know the difference." It's not that easy.
> 
> So what's a poor CMA guy to do? As for myself, I'll continue to use the stuff when I can get it, but don't count on me for wide-eyed and glowing testimonials. I'd like to see some science behind what works.


 

I hear what you're saying bro.  But unless you're a purity nut i'm sure you
couldn't tell me all the ingredients, and explain what they do, that were in
your morning breakfast.  Heck the additives in our food supply are in many
cases straight poison.  But i take your point.  Yes there are a number of 
formulations but for the most part most hit wines use the same or similar
herbs in varying measure.  The iron palm jows prolly have some different
stuff in them to differentiate them from regular jow. I'm not an expert on
jow so i couldn't say with certainty.  My sifu makes our jow and he doesn't
use tiger penis pr Yeti gall bladders or anything, though he hasn't told me
his recipe yet.:wink1:


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## JadeDragon3 (Oct 27, 2008)

I use Dit Da Jow anytime I get a bruise.  I make my own Jow from a recipe my Sifu gave me.  It's a simple recipe with only 5 different ingredients and a half gallon of whiskey.


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## punisher73 (Oct 27, 2008)

Just out of curiousity.  Have any of you done the forearm conditioning and just massaged the area like you would with the jow, but did not use anything else?  If so what were the results?


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## clfsean (Oct 27, 2008)

punisher73 said:


> Just out of curiousity.  Have any of you done the forearm conditioning and just massaged the area like you would with the jow, but did not use anything else?  If so what were the results?



Yep done that before. I prefer the jow to sooth & ease up the bruising (if there's any), but it's good enough if you've got no jow. 

Normally I don't bruise if I'm doing saam sing with a partner, so I'll just rub down the arm without. But if I'm doing saam sing on a post, then I tend to hit a lot harder than I would with a partner & that requires jow normally.


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## jow yeroc (Oct 27, 2008)

I'll rub my hands together until hot and massage my forearms and yes it
works.  When there's jow though, i use a little before and after.


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## JadeDragon3 (Oct 28, 2008)

jow yeroc said:


> I'll rub my hands together until hot and massage my forearms and yes it
> works. When there's jow though, i use a little before and after.


 
You've been watching to much Karate Kid.


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## jow yeroc (Oct 28, 2008)

...guess i did get a little Macchio.:uhyeah:


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## mook jong man (Oct 28, 2008)

When i first started Wing Chun i got bruises all up my arms and i used one called Woodlock balm from Hong Kong , it burns a little at first and the fumes will make your eyes water but i think it works pretty good .


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## Nebuchadnezzar (Oct 29, 2008)

jow yeroc said:


> ...guess i did get a little Macchio.:uhyeah:


 
That was so bad.


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## Drac (Oct 30, 2008)

mook jong man said:


> When i first started Wing Chun i got bruises all up my arms and i used one called Woodlock balm from Hong Kong , it burns a little at first and the fumes will make your eyes water but i think it works pretty good .


 
*Woodlock* is great on sore joints and *White Flower Oil* on muscles..


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## DaleDugas (Nov 3, 2008)

Dit Da Jow is a sticky point for many.

there are people on both sides of the coin.

Some use it and have incredible results.

Others claim they have used it and it has done nothing.

There are way too many people out there selling watered down junk that is not worthy of the name.

The proof is in the results.  If it works, it works.

Being that I have been both a user as well as a brewer, feel free to ask more questions. 

I have been making Injury and Iron Palm Dit Da Jow for over 15 years as well as working on my masters in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Unlike many people out there I have both the background in Chinese Medicine and Chinese martial arts as well as Iron Palm and Iron Vest training.


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## Nebuchadnezzar (Nov 3, 2008)

DaleDugas said:


> ......Being that I have been both a user as well as a brewer, feel free to ask more questions.
> 
> I have been making Injury and Iron Palm Dit Da Jow for over 15 years as well as working on my masters in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Unlike many people out there I have both the background in Chinese Medicine and Chinese martial arts as well as Iron Palm and Iron Vest training.


 
Show off!  :ultracool


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## Phoenix44 (Nov 10, 2008)

I made my dit da jow with vodka as a solvent.  I use it for bruises and swelling.  I find it works INCREDIBLY well for these purposes.  The bruise discoloration and swelling disappear much more rapidly with jow than without.  However, it doesn't necessarily diminish the pain or tenderness.

I've never tried it for conditioning.

I'm a physician, and I don't believe ANYTHING without double-blind placebo controlled studies...but I do believe in jow.  It's probably time for a double blind placebo controlled study.


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## Almost (Nov 16, 2008)

Can't say I have ever used Jow. In my branch of Pai Lum we use stuff called Meridian. Smells like curry and works well however there are people that are allergic to it and break out in some sort of rash or claims it eats their skin. Those people use jow and I have heard nothing bad about it. 

Anyone have a recipe for jow? Despite having Meridian, I would love to have something more powerful for deep bruises that I get on occasion.


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