Tag Archives: Race and ethnicity in the United States Census

Big Shiny Hair

Ho/He Shu Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) is a Chinese herb known to restore hair color, and is named after the herbalist  Mr. He, who used it to maintain his own jet-black hair color well into his seventies. It is one of few Chinese herbs that rebuilds kidney essence, and is considered an adaptogen (stress manager) in the West.

The Wonders of Castor Oil

Three of the many uses for castor oil:

1. Improving Digestion  2. Detoxifying the liver,  3. Reducing pain and inflammation (e.g. joint pain).

Here’s what to do:

Take two strips of organic cotton flannel free of any flame retardants, and place some plastic cut out from an old shopping bag between them. Pour a line of castor oil on one of the strips of flannel and place oil-side onto the liver, gut, or site of pain and inflammation. Use a towel to tie around or hold firm with hands to secure for 20 minutes or longer. For fans of Chinese medicine, the prime time for liver detox is 6-8pm as lymphocytes peak 7 hours after treatment, which is “Liver-Time” in Asian med (1-3am).

The molecular weight of castor oil is 298 Da, which means it can be absorbed topically, as it is less than 500 Da. Enjoy!