Master Yin's Remedy for Common Colds
- 3-4 cups of water
- Ginger root (size of your thumb)
- 4-5 whole green onions
- Fresh lemon, 3 squeezes
- 1 T. brown sugar
- Tangerine peel (optional)
Bring water to a boil in saucepan. Slice ginger root and green onions and simmer in water until water gets some color (about 15 minutes). Add tangerine peel (optional) after turning off heat. Cover and leave for 5 minutes. Lift out solid material and discard. Add fresh lemon and stir in brown sugar. Sip this hot tea throughout the day. If not feeling better, make another pot the next day. This tea is also helpful for respiratory-type viruses and flus. The tangerine peel is good to improve the taste of the tea and to cut through and move phlegm. Proportions of ingredients can be varied, but tea should be strong. For more assistance, call your herbalist: 740-797-9297.
TAIJI & QIGONG: AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
The mind's health affects the body, likewise, the body's health affects the mind. The degree of chronic tension held in the body is strongly associated with a youthful (or lack of youthful) mental state. This principle was aptly described in a French journal published in 1778 by the Jesuit priest Cibot:
"It follows that the various postures of the Cong Fu (kung fu, a category which includes taiji and qigong) if well directed should effect a salutary clearance in all those illnesses which arise from an embarrassed, retarded, or even interrupted circulation. But, how many diseases are there which have a cause other than this? One may well ask whether--apart from fractures and wounds which injure the organization of the human frame--there are any such diseases." -- Quote from a translation in Joseph Needham's Science and Civilization in China, Vol.5.
Practice Taiji for Health
The secret to sustaining good health can be found in many ancient Chinese writings, especially in traditional Daoist philosophy. Illness is regarded as an outcome of an imbalance between the yin and yang aspects of the internal energy or life force (qi), which exists within each of us. The potential for disease exists inside and outside each individual at all times. It is only when the yin and yang powers become unbalanced that this disease potential can overwhelm the system. An important applications of the internal power cultivated through taiji practice is healing the qi of the body. Taiji movements contain both yin and yang and thereby this practice harmonizes the qi. By helping to balance and promote the flow of qi, the taiji practice helps one's body heal itself and generally tonifies and strengthens the entire organism.
Happy Year of the Ox!
The Chinese lunar new year falls on January 26 this year, and the Year of the Ox will begin.
Pragmatic and down-to-earth, Ox people are motivated to work hard and have no respect for lazy or careless people. Although they can be easily trusted and find it easy to put trust in others, they are not dependent on friends and family and would rather find an answer or a solution themselves than to ask these people for help or guidance. However, others can, without a doubt rely on Oxen, who are always honest and meticulous about their responsibilities. While they do not feel the need for many distant or acquaintance-oriented friendships, they value the strong bonds they share with their partners and families, and make close friends that last a lifetime.
Though they are quite open-minded, once Ox people have made a decision about something, they rarely change it. This is a defining characteristic that can be seen as obstinacy, but it is actually the way an Ox learns to be strong, brave and straightforward. It is the way the Ox learned to take on tasks and responsibilities and how he learns to be reliable for others. Oxen are more comfortable with the well-known as opposed to the unfamiliar. Yet, beneath their unpretentious, tranquil exterior lies a heart of gold and a motivation to prosper.
Learn more about Chinese astrology.
