The Wonders of Bone-Knitting Powder
In the waiting game of bone healing, weeks of hauling
a useless appendage in its hard cast can cause anyone to question “Do I really
need to wait this long?”. Thankfully, the masters of ancient Martial Arts
Medicine discovered an answer that would make any bone-fracture patient exclaim
“Yippee!”. Enter bone-knitting powder, an amazing formulation of seventeen
herbs that work as a team to not only alleviate the aches and pains of healing
bones, but also provides the necessary materials and directions for the bones
to heal at an increased rate.
Now,
how does bone-knitting powder work? From a broad viewpoint, its functions
are to: 1) build the blood and qi so as to provide the necessary materials for
bone-building, 2) break and move blood stasis while promoting circulation so
that the healing area has a fresh supply of materials and so that all of the detritus
is swept away, 3) Resupply the Kidney’s so that they may strengthen and heal
their associated tissues, the bones! How does it do all of this? The original
bone-knitting powder formula from A Tooth from The Tiger’s Mouth
contains six of the nine herbs that heal broken bones. The nine herbs are: 1. Gu
Sui Bu 2. Bu Gu Zhi 3. Xu Duan 4. Du Zhong 5. Gou Ji 6. Gui Ban 7. He Gu 8. Tu
Bie Chong 9. Zi Ran Tong (Pg. 62, Bisio). Alas, the formula created for this
informational journey contains only the first four of the nine herbs. A
breakdown of each of the herbs contained in the accompanying formula can be
found in Appendix 1 of this paper.
Here are some quick
numbers about this formula:
· Seven
of the seventeen herbs (41%) stop or alleviate pain.
· Seven
of the seventeen herbs (41%) tonify Kidney yin, strengthen bones or augment
marrow.
· Seven
of the seventeen herbs (41%) tonify Liver yin and blood, and strengthen or
relax the sinews.
· Nine
of the seventeen herbs (53%) have some function that directly tonifies or
assists the Spleen by promoting Yin or Yang, transforming food stagnation or
promoting flesh.
At first glance, it seems
curious that this bone rebuilding formula would have such a disproportionate number
of herbs that are focused on the patient’s digestion. However, this is logical
as the Earth element (the digestion) is the foundation from which all other
elements expand from and return to (See image in Appendix 2). When there is
heavy, active healing necessary, it follows that the Earth element will need to
be supported so that the Kidneys and Liver can have the resources to repair
their tissues. This goes to show the sheer wisdom of the creators of this
formula to not only discover unique herbs that can rebuild bones, but to also
take into account the entirety of the individual.
Another
intriguing discovery in this formula is the equal weight given to the healing
of sinews, which includes tendons and ligaments. Broken bones do not occur in a
vacuum, because this is true, we must consider the healing of the sinews that
surround the damaged bone as well as the bone itself. If we were to heal the
bone without healing the sinews, the bone would be functionally unusable as it
would not have the healthy connective tissue needed to utilize its functions.
Finally, there are two
herbs that need special attention. The first is Gu Sui Bu, it is a uniquely
special herb for this formula as it not only strengthens the bones, but it also
has the special function of promoting the mending of bones and sinews. Second, Xu
Duan is also incredibly unique as it is the only herb in this formula with the explicit
function of reconnecting sinews and bones. These two herbs deserve a special
place in our understanding of herbology since they harbor these unique
abilities to perform a very specific function. All of the other herbs in this
formula play a role in giving resources, moving the resources present, and assisting
the patient in pain management. However, Gu Sui Bu and Xu Duan are the
specialists that enter the affected area and go to work pulling the sinews and
bones back together so that the fundamental purpose of this medicine can be
achieved.
When
would this formula be prescribed? Bone-knitting powder is not to be
administered immediately after a bone is broken. Its functions are too moving
and can be detrimental to the early healing process. Instead, about two weeks
after a bone is fractured, when the swelling and inflammation is gone or significantly
less than at the onset of the fracture, then the bone enters its knitting
phase. During the 2-3 week knitting phase, this formula can greatly aid the
bone in its natural process as well as avoiding any complications from a
difficult or prolonged bone knitting process. This formula can also be used for
treating recurring sprains from overstretched ligaments. When a joint has been
repeatedly overstretched and damaged, it can be difficult to heal. Bone knit
powder can help the patient regain stability in their chronically damaged
joints since this formula has its equal focus on strengthening and rebuilding
the sinews. The dosing instructions are as follows from A Tooth from The
Tiger’s Mouth, “Have the herbs ground to a fine powder. Take ¼ teaspoon 2
times a day, or make honey pills and take 1 pill twice a day. Take
bone-knitting powder for 2-3 weeks during the knitting stage and complete
healing stage of fracture healing,” (Pg. 240, Bisio).
Finally,
the application of tuina massage to assist with healing bones is very limited.
Ultimately the objective is to reduce swelling and pain, and restore circulation
to the area. This can be done with gentle and light stroking above and below
the break. Pressure on acupuncture points and ear points can also aid in reducing
pain. Direct or strong massage should be kept away from the site of the fracture
until after the bones have completely healed, emphasis should be on internal
use of formulas as well as possible topical liniments.
In
the end, Bone-Knitting powder is a fantastic piece of herbal medicine that
deserves a place in every medicine cabinet. It’s ability to heal bones without complication
and return integrity to overstretched joints puts this formula in a special
category alongside the wonderous Yunnan Bai Yao.
Works Cited:
Bisio, Tom. A Tooth from
the Tiger's Mouth: How to Treat Your Injuries with Powerful Healing Secrets of
the Great Chinese Warriors. Simon & Schuster International, 2005.
Matsumoto, Kiiko. Kiiko
Matsumoto's Clinical Strategies. David Euler, 2014.
Appendix 1 – Bone-Knitting Powder Herbs:
Dang Gui – 30g : sweet, acrid, warm; Heart, Liver,
Spleen; Tonifies the
blood, invigorates the blood and disperses cold, moistens the intestines and unblocks the bowels,
regulates menstruation, reduces swelling, expels pus, generates flesh and alleviates pain
Chuan Xiong – 15g : Acrid, warm; Liver, Gallbladder,
Pericardium; Invigorates
the blood, promotes the movement of qi, expels wind, stops pain
Bai Shao – 15g : Bitter, sour, mildly cold; Liver,
Spleen; Tonifies the Liver
blood, extinguishes wind, calms and curbs Liver Yang, stops pain, nourishes the Liver and Spleen Yin, adjusts the nutritive and
protective levels
Shu Di Huang – 15g : Sweet, slightly warm; Heart,
Kidney, Liver; Tonifies
the blood, enriches the yin, generates essence, augments the marrow
Du Zhong – 15g : Sweet, slightly acrid, warm; Kidney,
Liver; Tonifies the Liver and Kidneys, strengthens the sinews and bones, quiets the fetus, aids in the smooth flow of qi
and blood
Wu Jia Pi – 30g : Acrid, bitter, warm; Kidney, Liver;
Clears wind-dampness, warms
the Kidneys and Liver,
Stops pain, strengthens the
sinews and bones,
reduces swelling
*Gu Sui Bu – 45g : Bitter, warm; Kidney, Liver; Tonifies the Kidneys, strengthens
the bones, directs floating yang downwards, promotes mending of the sinews and bones
San Qi – 15g : Sweet, slightly bitter, warm; Liver,
Stomach; Stops bleeding
without causing blood stasis, transforms blood stasis, reduces swelling
and stops pain
Bu Gu Zhi – 30g : Acrid, bitter, very warm; Kidney,
Spleen; Tonifies the Kidneys
and Fortifies Yang, Tonifies
and warms Spleen yang, Stabilizes the essence, secures the urine, aids the Kidneys in grasping qi
Tu Si Zi – 30g : Acrid, sweet, neutral; Kidney, Liver;
Warms the primal yang, nourishes
the yin, secures the essence and urine, tonifies the Kidneys, Liver and Spleen without being drying, improves vision,
stops diarrhea, calms fetus
Dang Shen – 30g : Sweet, neutral; Lung, Spleen; Tonifies the middle burner,
augments the Spleen and Lung Qi
Mu Gua – 15g : sour, warm; Liver, Spleen; Transforms dampness,
harmonizes the Spleen and Stomach, alleviates cramping, relaxes the sinews and unblocks channels
Huang Qi – 15g : sweet, slightly warm; Lung, Spleen;
Raises the yang qi, tonifies
the Spleen and Lung qi, stops sweating, facilitates urination, promotes
the discharge of pus, generates
flesh
Dan Shen – 15g : Bitter, slightly cold; Heart,
Pericardium, Liver; invigorates
the blood and dispels stasis, tonifies the blood, calms irritability due
to blood heat, reduces abscesses, calms spirit
*Xu Duan – 30g : bitter, sweet, acrid, slightly warm;
Kidney, Liver; Tonifies the
Kidneys and Liver,
strengthens the sinews and
bones, gently invigorates
the blood, calms the fetus during pregnancy, stops leakage, alleviates pain, reconnects sinews and bones
San Leng – 25g : bitter, acrid, neutral; Liver,
Spleen; forcefully breaks
up stagnation of both the qi and blood, disperses food stagnation, stops pain
E Zhu – 25g : Bitter, acrid, warm; Liver, Spleen; promotes the movement of blood
and qi, reduces
food stagnation, alleviates
pain
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