Category: Injury Prevention

Chinese Herbs for Tendons and Ligaments: Gu Sui Bu

Posted on August 25, 2026 by - Injury Prevention, Pain Management, Recovery, Topical Medicine

Tendon Mending Jiao by Fu Medicinals
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12 minutes read

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Chinese Herbs for Tendons and Ligaments: Gu Sui Bu

Willard Sheppy Dipl. OM, LAc, BS

Willard Sheppy is a licensed acupuncturist (LAc) and Founder of Valley Health Clinic specializing in using Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat acute injuries and chronic conditions, and to improve sports performance and rehabilitation.

Tendon Mending Jiao by Fu Medicinals

Table of Contents

Tendons and ligaments are the slowest-healing tissue most of us ever injure. Muscle strains settle down in a couple of weeks. A cranky Achilles, a tennis elbow, an ankle you rolled last spring that still complains on uneven ground — those drag on for months, and the advice you get is usually some version of rest it.

In the clinic, that is the conversation I have most often about tendons: not “what is wrong with it,” but “why is this taking so long, and is there anything I can actually do while I wait?” It is a fair question. Poor blood supply is a real part of the answer, and it is also the part traditional Chinese medicine has been aiming at for a very long time.

Which brings me to a herb with an unforgettable name. Below, what Gu Sui Bu is, what the research does and does not show, and how to tell whether a topical Chinese herbal formula belongs in your recovery plan.

Quick answer

Gu Sui Bu (Drynaria rhizome) is a Chinese herb whose name translates roughly as “mender of shattered bones.” It is traditionally used for broken bones and for tendon and ligament injuries, and it is the chief herb in Fu Medicinals’ Tendon Mending Jiao, a topical salve for chronic tendonitis, tendinosis, and old sprains.

The modern research on Drynaria is real but mostly about bone — lab and animal work on bone formation, plus some evidence it supports blood-vessel growth and cell migration. Direct human research on tendons is not there yet. Treat it as a well-established traditional strategy with promising mechanism data behind it, not a proven tendon cure. External use only; check the safety section before you use it.

Why Tendons and Ligaments Heal So Slowly

Muscle is thick with blood vessels. Tendon and ligament are not. They are dense, fibrous, built for tensile strength rather than metabolic activity — which is exactly what makes them good at their job and bad at repairing themselves. Less circulation means fewer of the raw materials of repair arriving, and it means they arrive slowly.

That is also why the picture changes name over time. What starts as tendonitis — genuine inflammation in the first days and weeks — often becomes tendinosis, where the inflammation has largely burned out and what is left is disorganised, degenerated tissue that simply never finished rebuilding. Anti-inflammatories are aimed at the first problem. Most people who are still hurting at the six-month mark have the second one.

In Chinese medicine the framing is different but it points at the same target: an old injury leaves behind stagnant blood and obstructed circulation in the sinews, and the job is to move it. Whatever vocabulary you prefer, the practical question is the same — how do I get more circulation into a tissue that does not have much?

Which is where one particular herb has been the traditional answer for a very long time.

"Gu Sui Bu in Chinese means the mender of broken bones. And not only is it fantastic for broken bones, it is really good for your tendons and ligaments."
— John Ditmars, Fu Medicinals

Gu Sui Bu: The Herb Called Mender of Shattered Bones

Gu Sui Bu (骨碎补), known botanically as Drynaria fortunei, is the rhizome of a fern that grows on rocks and tree trunks. It is covered in a golden-brown fuzz, and it looks nothing like a pharmaceutical. It has been used in Chinese medicine for bone and sinew injuries for centuries, and it is the reason John Ditmars — the practitioner-maker behind Fu Medicinals, whose liniments we carry — built the Tendon Mending formula around it.

What does the name actually mean?

Gu Sui Bu translates literally as something close to “mend the shattered bone.” Ditmars calls it the Great Mender of Broken Bones, and that is a fair reading of the classical use. What is less obvious to English speakers is that in Chinese medicine, bone and sinew are treated as neighbours rather than separate departments — the same herbs that address one are routinely reached for with the other. So a bone herb heading up a tendon formula is not a stretch of the tradition. It is the tradition.

The research

Drynaria has a genuine and growing modern literature — but nearly all of it is about bone. Animal and cell studies show its flavonoid fraction stimulates bone-forming cells and improves bone density and bone strength, and a 2023 study traced that effect to the TGF-β signalling pathway. A small randomised trial in older women with postmenopausal osteoporosis found improvements in bone density and inflammatory markers.

The finding most relevant to a tendon, though, is a 2018 Taiwanese study showing that Drynaria extract promoted new blood-vessel formation and cell migration in lab and embryo models, working through VEGF and matrix metalloproteinase pathways. Circulation and cell migration are precisely what a poorly-vascularised tendon is short of. That is a mechanism worth taking seriously.

What does not exist is a human trial of Gu Sui Bu for tendonitis, and none of the research above tested a topical preparation. 

A long traditional track record, plausible mechanism, real bone data, and no direct tendon proof. That is better than most herbs and less than a guarantee. Sources are listed at the end.

Why a topical, and not a pill?

A jiao is a salve — herbs extracted into an oil-and-wax base and rubbed in. The appeal for tendon problems is location: an Achilles, a lateral elbow, a wrist or a finger sits close to the surface, and you can put the medicine directly over it and massage it in, several times a day, for as long as it takes. You are combining the herbs with mechanical work on the tissue, which is a large part of why topicals earn their keep in a sports practice.

The Other Herbs Working Alongside It

Gu Sui Bu is the chief, but a jiao is a formula, not a single herb. Tendon Mending Jiao carries 28 botanicals in an organic coconut oil and beeswax base. A few of the ones doing recognisable work:

  • Gu Sui Bu (Drynaria rhizome) — the chief herb, traditionally used for bone and sinew injury
  • Hong Hua (safflower) and Tao Ren (peach kernel) — the classic blood-moving pair for old, stuck injuries
  • Ru Xiang (frankincense) and Mo Yao (myrrh) — the traditional partners for pain and swelling in the sinews
  • Gui Zhi (cinnamon twig) and Rou Gui (cinnamon bark) — warm and open the channels, part of why the salve feels warming going on
  • Wei Ling Xian (clematis) — traditionally used where stiffness and restricted movement dominate
  • Xue Jie (dragon’s blood resin) — a trauma-medicine staple across the Chinese topical tradition
  • Cao Wu and Chuan Wu (prepared aconite) — powerful warming analgesics, and the reason this is strictly external-use-only

The full ingredient list is on the product page. If you have a known herbal allergy, read it before you buy — with 28 botanicals, that is not a formality.

Is Tendon Mending Jiao Right for Your Injury?

Fu Medicinals does not make one universal liniment — the line is deliberately split by injury type, and picking the wrong one is the most common way people get a disappointing result. Here is how I sort it.

Reach for it when...

  • The injury is old. Weeks to years, not hours. Chronic tendonitis, tendinosis, a sprain that technically healed but never came right.
  • It is tendon or ligament — Achilles, elbow, rotator cuff, wrist, knee, ankle — rather than muscle belly or bruised tissue.
  • You can reach it. Superficial structures respond best to something you rub in.
  • Rest alone has stalled out. You have given it time and time has not finished the job.
  • You want something to do daily. Consistency is most of the effect here.

Look elsewhere when...

  • It just happened and it is hot and swollen. Fresh trauma and bruising is dit da territory — the PNW Dit Da Trauma liniment is built for that stage.
  • The skin is broken. Never over open wounds, cuts, or damaged skin. This formula contains prepared aconite.
  • You cannot bear weight, the joint looks wrong, or you have numbness or tingling. That needs imaging and a hands-on exam, not a salve. Please get it looked at.
  • You want broad, everyday relief for general aches and stiffness — that is what Evil Bone Water is for, and it layers underneath a targeted salve rather than competing with it.
Tendon Mending Jiao by Fu Medicinals

Tendon Mending Jiao

Fu Medicinals’ Tendon Mending Jiao is the formula built around Gu Sui Bu — 2 fl oz, small-batch, made in Oregon in an organic coconut oil and beeswax base. We carry it because it is the one I reach for with the chronic tendon and old-sprain cases that come through the clinic, and because John makes it the way it should be made.

Shop Tendon Mending Jiao

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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References

Research located via PubMed.

Huang ST, Chang CC, Pang JS, et al. Drynaria fortunei promoted angiogenesis associated with modified MMP-2/TIMP-2 balance and activation of VEGF ligand/receptors expression. Front Pharmacol. 2018;9:979. Link

Zhao Y, Cai X, Sun J, Bi W, Yu Y. Active components and mechanisms of total flavonoids from Rhizoma Drynariae in enhancing cranial bone regeneration. J Ethnopharmacol. 2023;319(Pt 3):117253. Link

Lee YE, Liu HC, Lin YL, Liu SH, Yang RS, Chen RM. Drynaria fortunei J. Sm. improves the bone mass of ovariectomized rats through osteocalcin-involved endochondral ossification. J Ethnopharmacol. 2014;158(Pt A):94-101. Link

Wong KC, Pang WY, Wang XL, et al. Drynaria fortunei-derived total flavonoid fraction and isolated compounds exert oestrogen-like protective effects in bone. Br J Nutr. 2013;110(3):475-485. Link

Lu L, Wang Z, Zhang H, Liu T, Fang H. Drynaria improves lipid profiles of elderly patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis via regulation of Notch1-NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2022;38(2):176-180. Link

Ditmars J. Fu Medicinals: Gu Sui Bu and the Tendon Mending formula. Video interview, 2026.

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Will Sheppy, Founder and Acupuncturist at Valley Health Clinic
Willard Sheppy
Willard Sheppy is a licensed acupuncturist (LAc) and Founder of Valley Health Clinic specializing in using Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat acute injuries and chronic conditions, and to improve sports performance and rehabilitation.

FAQ's

Does Gu Sui Bu have side effects?

Most reported concerns about Gu Sui Bu come from taking it internally, which should be supervised by a trained herbalist. Used topically in a salve, the main cautions are about the formula as a whole: external use only, never on broken skin, avoid sensitive areas, and keep it away from children. Stop if your skin reacts, and check the full ingredient list if you have known herbal allergies.

Tendon tissue turns over slowly, so a week is not a verdict. Use it consistently, several times a day over several weeks, while you keep loading the tendon sensibly. If nothing has shifted after a fair trial, or the problem is getting worse, get the injury properly examined rather than continuing on your own.

For fresh trauma that is hot, swollen, and bruised, a dit da trauma liniment is the better fit. Tendon Mending Jiao is built for the chronic stage. If you cannot bear weight, the joint looks deformed, or you have numbness or tingling, that needs imaging and a hands-on exam first.

Evil Bone Water is the broad-use foundation for general aches, bruises, sprains, and stiff joints, and it is what most people apply first. Tendon Mending Jiao is targeted at chronic tendon and ligament injury. They layer rather than compete, foundation first and the targeted salve on top.

Consult your doctor before using it if you are pregnant or might be, as several herbs in this formula are blood-moving, which is traditionally avoided in pregnancy. If you take anticoagulants or have a bleeding disorder, run it past your prescriber first.

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What Is a Dit Da Jiao? Fu Medicinals

Posted on August 5, 2026 by - Injury Prevention, Pain Management, Recovery, Topical Medicine

Fu Medicine Formulas Herbal Line up
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17 minutes read

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What Is a Dit Da Jiao? Fu Medicinals

Willard Sheppy Dipl. OM, LAc, BS

Willard Sheppy is a licensed acupuncturist (LAc) and Founder of Valley Health Clinic specializing in using Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat acute injuries and chronic conditions, and to improve sports performance and rehabilitation.

Fu Medicine Formulas Herbal Line up

Table of Contents

When you buy something for pain, you assume newer is better. Fresher herbs, a more recent batch, more punch.

With liniments it runs the other way. Some of the bottles we carry are more than ten years old — on purpose. That isn’t old stock sitting around. That’s the medicine finishing itself.

I’ve been using Fu Medicinals on patients in my Albany clinic for a while now, and it’s one of the few topical lines where I can point to a person, a place, and a process. That person is John, an acupuncturist who spent fourteen years developing these formulas in a working treatment room. Here’s what a jiao actually is, what the aging does, and which of the three formulas fits which kind of pain.

Quick answer

A jiao (roughly “jee-yow”) is a traditional Chinese herbal liniment — medicinal herbs steeped in alcohol and applied to the skin, never swallowed. Fu Medicinals makes three of them, handcrafted in small batches in Oregon, and nothing is released until it has aged at least two years. Each formula targets a different depth of injury: PNW Dit Da Trauma for acute injury and bruising, Tendon Mending for tendons and ligaments, Bone Spur for chronic joint and bone pain. External use only — talk to your doctor first if you are pregnant.

What Is a Jiao — and Why Does Age Matter?

A jiao is an alcohol extraction. Herbs go into high-proof spirits, and the alcohol pulls the medicinal constituents out of the plant material over time. Unlike a cream or a gel, it isn’t finished the day it’s bottled — the extraction keeps going.

That’s the whole argument for aging it. The longer the herbs and the alcohol sit together, the more completely the formula comes out, and the more the individual herbs stop behaving like a list and start behaving like one medicine. John’s rule is that nothing leaves his shop under two years old, and some of what ends up on our shelf is well past a decade.

Dit da jiao is the most famous member of the family. It translates, almost comically literally, to “hit fall wine” — the medicine you reach for when someone got hit, or fell. It has been the standard first-aid topical in Chinese martial arts halls for a very long time, which is exactly the pedigree you want in something meant for a fresh bruise.

"When it comes to liniments, the older the more potent."
— John Ditmars, maker of Fu Medicinals

Meet John Ditmars, the Maker Behind Fu Medicinals

Fu Medicinals didn’t start as a product line. It started as an acupuncturist making liniments for his own aches — John is an athlete, and he specializes in pain-based conditions — and then for the patients in front of him. Fourteen years of adjusting the recipes based on what actually worked in the treatment room is how three formulas came out the other side. The name nods to the Kung Fu healing tradition these recipes come from.

He’s clear about what he was reacting against. He had tried the brands sitting in his acupuncture school clinics and on store shelves and didn’t want any of it: no synthetic chemicals, no overpowering odor, and nothing formulated to produce a dramatic tingle. As he puts it, that sensation doesn’t necessarily mean the product is working — it just means people have been trained to expect it.

Here is what actually separates these from the topical aisle:

  • Small batches, by hand — the herbs are hand-crushed rather than machine-milled, in quantities one person can actually manage.
  • Oregon-sourced where possible — most ingredients come from within the state, and the alcohol is distilled at the base of Mount Hood.
  • Real Chinese medicinals, named on the label — mugwort, safflower, myrrh, frankincense, peach kernel, salvia, drynaria, zedoary and two dozen more. No "proprietary blend."
  • Aged before release — a minimum of two years in the bottle, no exceptions.
  • One problem per formula — rather than one topical claiming to handle every kind of pain, each recipe is built for a specific tissue at a specific stage.

I care about that history for a practical reason. A topical made by someone who has to look a patient in the eye next week gets revised. A topical made to hit a price point does not. That’s the standard anything has to clear before it earns shelf space at Valley Health Market.

The Three Formulas, and When I Reach for Each

Chinese medicine thinks about injury in layers — blood and muscle nearest the surface, then sinew and connective tissue, then bone. Fu Medicinals color-codes the labels to match: red for the blood and muscle level, green for tendon, blue for bone. Once you know that, choosing is mostly a matter of asking how deep the problem sits and how long it has been there.

PNW Dit Da Trauma — the acute one

Fresh injury, bruising, swelling, the ankle you rolled on Saturday

This is the “hit fall wine” formula, and it’s the one to have in the cupboard before you need it. The Pacific Northwest version leans on mugwort (Ai Ye) to answer the cold and damp we actually live in, and it combines warming and cooling herbs so it can be used while things are still hot and swollen. Twenty-eight herbs in total.

Tendon Mending — the connective-tissue one

Tendonitis, a ligament sprain that hasn’t settled, any nagging tweak in a tendon. It’s built around Gu Sui Bu (drynaria), the herb whose name translates roughly as “mender of shattered bones,” and the base is organic coconut oil and beeswax in the balm version. Worth knowing: this one is warming, which is the point of it — and which is why it isn’t the right choice in the first day or two after a fresh injury.

Bone Spur — the deep, chronic one

Bone spurs and osteoarthritis — which in Chinese medicine is always read as a long-standing pattern rather than an acute event. E Zhu (zedoary rhizome) does the heavy lifting here, aimed at blood and qi stagnation that has had years to set in. Thirty-plus herbs, and the one I reach for when someone’s joint pain has been part of their life long enough that they’ve stopped mentioning it.

  PNW Dit Da Traumared — blood & muscle Tendon Mendinggreen — sinew Bone Spurblue — bone
Best forBruises, sprains, knocks, fresh swellingTendonitis, ligament sprains, nagging tweaksBone spurs, osteoarthritis, deep joint ache
StageAcute — hours to days oldSub-acute to chronic — weeks to monthsChronic — months to years
Signature herbAi Ye (mugwort)Gu Sui Bu (drynaria)E Zhu (zedoary rhizome)
TemperatureWarming and cooling together — usable while hot and swollenWarming — wait 1–2 days after a fresh injuryWarming — built for long-standing stagnation
Comes asJiao (2 oz liniment) or balmJiao (2 oz liniment) or balmJiao (2 oz liniment) or balm

Jiao or Balm? How to Choose

Every recipe comes two ways: the traditional jiao — a 2 oz alcohol liniment — and a modern balm that puts the same formula in an organic coconut oil and beeswax base. They aren’t competing versions of the same thing. They suit different situations, and plenty of patients end up owning both.

Reach for the jiao when…

You want fast penetration and you’re applying several times a day

The alcohol carries the herbs in and then evaporates, so nothing is left sitting on the skin. That makes it easy to reapply through the day without building up a greasy layer, and it’s the form that has been aged.

Reach for the balm when…

The skin is dry or irritated, you’re using it as a glide medium for massage or cupping, or you’re traveling and would rather not carry a liquid. The balm stays put longer and is gentler on skin that’s already unhappy.

The gauze trick

For a longer soak, put the jiao on a piece of gauze and tape it over the area rather than rubbing it in. It’s a traditional method and it keeps the herbs in contact with the tissue far longer than a two-minute massage does. Good for an evening on the couch or overnight on a stubborn joint.

What the Research Actually Shows

I want to be straight about this: these specific formulas have not been through clinical trials. Handmade, small-batch liniments almost never are — there is nobody to fund the study. What has been studied, in laboratories and in animals, is the individual herbs, and some of that work lines up neatly with what the tradition has been claiming for centuries.

Frankincense and myrrh, tested as a pair

The combination outperformed either resin used alone

Ru Xiang and Mo Yao appear together in nearly every trauma formula in the Chinese materia medica, and researchers have tested whether the pairing is actually doing something. In mouse models of inflammation and pain, the combined extract suppressed swelling and reduced pain behavior more effectively than frankincense or myrrh on their own (Su et al., 2012).

Gu Sui Bu and the bone-and-sinew claim

Drynaria, the anchor of Tendon Mending, has a connective-tissue reputation going back centuries. In cell studies its water extract protected osteoblasts — the cells that build bone — from oxidative damage and pushed them toward maturity (Hsu et al., 2011). Naringin, its main constituent, sped up fracture healing in rats by improving blood-vessel growth at the fracture site (Song et al., 2017).

Ai Ye, the herb that makes it a Pacific Northwest formula

More than 200 compounds have been identified in mugwort’s essential oil, with anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity documented across a wide body of work — alongside a clear note from the same reviewers that the oil is not harmless in quantity (Liu et al., 2021).

None of that proves a liniment will fix your shoulder. It is laboratory and animal evidence about ingredients, not human trials of a finished product. But it is a good deal more than nothing, and it is consistent with what I see when I use these in the treatment room.

"That sensation doesn't necessarily mean that the product is working — but people are familiar with those tingles via products they've previously tried, and might expect it to be a sign that the topical is working."
— John Ditmars, on why Fu Medicinals doesn't chase the burn

PNW Dit Da Jiao Trauma Liniment by Fu Medicinals

Fu Medicinals at Valley Health Market

Three formulas. Two forms. Aged at least two years.

We carry all three Fu Medicinals formulas at Valley Health Market, in both the traditional jiao and the balm, starting at $25 for a 2 oz liniment. There are also two bundles if you’d rather keep the acute and the chronic option on hand at the same time.

Shop Fu Medicinals

How to Use a Liniment — and When Not To

Application is simple, and doing it often matters more than doing it heavily.

  1. Massage a small amount into the sore area with your fingertips or a cotton ball until it’s absorbed.
  2. Repeat several times a day — three or four is reasonable for something you’re actively working on.
  3. For deeper contact, apply the liniment to a piece of gauze and tape it over the area for a longer stretch.
  4. Wash your hands afterward, and keep it well away from your eyes.

Cautions, and I mean these

External use only — never take a jiao internally

  • Not on broken skin, open wounds, or mucous membranes. Avoid sensitive areas and keep it out of reach of children.
  • If you are pregnant, talk to your doctor before using any of these. Several of the herbs in these formulas move blood, which is exactly why they work on bruises and exactly why pregnancy is a different conversation.
  • Tendon Mending is warming — that’s the point of it — which makes it the wrong choice in the first day or two after a fresh injury, while things are still hot and swollen. Use the Dit Da formula in that window instead.
  • If you have herbal or plant allergies, read the full ingredient list on the product page first. The equipment these are made on contacts a wide range of medicinal herbs.

When to stop rubbing and get it looked at

A liniment supports tissue while it heals. It is not a way of finding out what’s wrong. Get the injury assessed if you can’t bear weight, the joint looks deformed, the swelling came on hard and fast, or you have numbness, tingling, or weakness anywhere downstream of it. The same goes for pain that hasn’t budged after a couple of weeks of sensible self-care — that’s information, and it’s worth acting on rather than covering up.

Which Formula Should You Start With?

If you’re standing in front of the three of them trying to decide, the question isn’t “which is strongest.” It’s how deep is the problem, and how long has it been there. Something that happened this week, at the level of muscle and bruise, wants the Dit Da. Something in a tendon that has been grumbling for a month wants Tendon Mending. Something in a joint that has been part of your life for years wants Bone Spur.

And if you genuinely can’t tell — which is common, because pain is a bad narrator — start with the acute formula. It’s the most broadly useful of the three, it’s the one martial artists have kept on the shelf for centuries for exactly that reason, and it won’t be wasted.

Your Next Step

Not sure which one fits what you’re dealing with?

Call the clinic at (541) 760-9670 or stop by at 220 5th Ave SW in Albany and ask. That’s a two-minute conversation and it’s free — and if what you’re describing sounds like something a topical won’t touch, I’d rather tell you that than sell you a bottle.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is educational and is not a substitute for individual medical advice.

Ask Us Which One

References

Su S, Hua Y, Wang Y, et al. Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of individual and combined extracts from Commiphora myrrha and Boswellia carterii. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2012;139(2):649–656. Link →

Hsu CK, Liao MH, Tai YT, et al. Nanoparticles prepared from the water extract of Gusuibu (Drynaria fortunei J. Sm.) protects osteoblasts against insults and promotes cell maturation. International Journal of Nanomedicine. 2011;6:1405–1413. Link →

Song N, Zhao Z, Ma X, et al. Naringin promotes fracture healing through stimulation of angiogenesis by regulating the VEGF/VEGFR-2 signaling pathway in osteoporotic rats. Chemico-Biological Interactions. 2017;261:11–17. (animal study) Link →

Liu Y, He Y, Wang F, et al. From longevity grass to contemporary soft gold: Explore the chemical constituents, pharmacology, and toxicology of Artemisia argyi H.Lév. & Vaniot essential oil. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2021;279:114404. Link →

Ditmars J. About John Ditmars the Maker — interview and product FAQ. Valley Health Clinic. Link →

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Will Sheppy, Founder and Acupuncturist at Valley Health Clinic
Willard Sheppy
Willard Sheppy is a licensed acupuncturist (LAc) and Founder of Valley Health Clinic specializing in using Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat acute injuries and chronic conditions, and to improve sports performance and rehabilitation.

FAQ's

What does "dit da jiao" mean?

It translates almost literally as “hit fall wine” — the medicine you use after someone has been hit or has fallen. It’s an alcohol-based herbal liniment that has been the standard first-aid topical in Chinese martial arts for a very long time, and it’s the tradition the PNW Dit Da Trauma formula comes out of.

A jiao is an alcohol extraction, and the alcohol keeps drawing constituents out of the herbs long after the bottle is sealed. Fu Medicinals releases nothing under two years old, and some bottles are well over ten. As maker John Ditmars puts it: with liniments, the older the more potent.

Same formula, different carrier. The jiao is the traditional 2 oz alcohol liniment — it penetrates quickly and evaporates, which suits applying several times a day. The balm puts the same herbs in an organic coconut oil and beeswax base, so it stays on the skin longer and is gentler on dry or irritated skin. Plenty of people keep both.

Tendon Mending is the one built for connective tissue — tendonitis, ligament sprains, and lingering tweaks. It’s a warming formula, though, so it isn’t the right choice in the first day or two after a fresh injury while things are still hot and swollen. Use PNW Dit Da Trauma in that window instead.

Talk to your doctor first. Several of the herbs in these formulas move blood — which is precisely why they help with bruising and stagnation — and that makes pregnancy a conversation to have with your provider rather than a decision to make from a label. All of these are for external use only, and none should go on broken skin.

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