Dit Da Jow Techniques

Dit da jow, literally translated from Chinese as "steel hit wine," is a staple of traditional Chinese martial arts training. It is an herbal liniment with an alcohol base used to help the martial artist recover quickly from bruises and other minor injuries, as well as to help toughen body tissues to avoid them altogether. There are a great number of different recipes for dit da jow, many of which are claimed to be secrets passed down from ancient times, but they are all used in the same basic ways.

  1. Basics of Use

    • Dit da jow is a liquid that is rubbed into a person's skin until it begins to dry. Once it is rubbed in, the alcohol base evaporates away and leaves the herbal ingredients behind. Depending on the recipe, these ingredients may stain the skin, but they should be left on in order to take effect.

      It is important to note that, no matter what recipe is used, all dit da jows are for external use only and should never be consumed or used on injuries that involve broken skin. They are also only used for minor injuries and never as a substitute for proper medical care in the case of a major injury. Also, many recipes contain ingredients that may be harmful in large doses, so you should only use dit da jow under the supervision of someone trained in the use of such herbal medicines.

    Use After Injury

    • The most common use of dit da jow is on a bruise or sore spot to relieve the pain and swelling. The practitioner applies dit da jow liberally to the injured area as soon as possible after the injury takes place and rubs it in forcefully. Some martial arts schools encourage the injured person to have a partner rub the dit da jow in, as the partner will do so with greater force, not feeling the pain of the bruise. The extra pressure is used both to ensure the dit da jow is rubbed well into the injured area and as a form of deep-tissue massage, helping to prevent swelling before it occurs.

      For most bruises, one application of dit da jow is all that is needed. For larger bruises or other similar, more lasting injuries, however, it may be necessary to use it several times over the course of a few days.

    Use Before Injury

    • In some cases, practitioners apply dit da jow before sustaining any injury. This is often the case, for example, with forms of iron body training, during which the practitioner will repeatedly strike a certain part of his body. In this case, the practitioner applies dit da jow preemptively, knowing that minor injuries will occur during the training.

      When a practitioner applied dit da jow preemptively, it is not necessary to use the same force as he does after injury. This is because the herbal ingredients will have time to soak into the skin, and massage is unnecessary. However, the preemptive use will generally only lessen the bumps and bruises left by intense training, not eliminate them, and so practitioners will commonly apply dit da jow both before and after such a training session.