A Review of Medicinal Herbs Used By Shaolin Temple Monks to Treat Painful Sports Injuries

The Shaolin Temple has a long, stable history as institution, in which knowledge and traditions where carefully nurtured and passed down through many generations of monks. It was a center of learning as well as religious observance. And, unlike such institutions in the West, there a particular emphasis here on holistically developing the body and mind as well as the spirit.

The monks were highly devoted to developing their skills in the martial arts, which was very physically demanding, as it required many hours of practice and demonstrating extreme, almost superhuman, acts of physical effort and conditioning. This is no exaggeration: during a visit to the Shaolin temple, the authored witness many such acts, in severe weather conditions. And one can find many finger, foot and arm sized depressions made in tree trunks, paving stones and walls, apparently made when no sparring partner was available.

Not surprisingly, the Shaolin developed a medical tradition which was particularly skilled at treated exactly the types of medical conditions that one would expect to find in a Shaolin monk: pain, bruising, sprains, swelling, muscle injuries, painful joints, necks and backs, etc. etc.

The sports injury and pain medicine described here was developed through careful observation and experimentation over the course of many generations. As noted, this was possible due to the long history and relative stability of this institution, which is devoted to study, mental and physical discipline and training, spiritualism and holistic healing. It would have been used in conjunction with specific movements and exercises designed to open up the channels to allow the medicines to penetrate where they were needed and give them a better chance to work.

While reading this review, please keep in mind that many of the papers cited were published very recently: often within the past 5 years. Yet, the Shaolin have been using these medicines for centuries.

Shaolin medicine, as with all Traditional Chinese Medicine, is holistic, as the various herbs are intended to work together. Some create the primary healing effects, some increase the action of the primary herbs, and some decrease adverse reactions from the primary and secondary herbs. A good analogy would be in Western herbal medicine, senna is often combined with another herb to calm the stomach such as anise or peppermint.

For example, it is clear that Nux Vomica, Semina Hyoscyami and Rhizoma Arisaematis Heterophylli are intended to complement each other in this formula. Nux Vomica is known to increase neurological excitability (and it was used as a tonic and even to enhance sports performance in the West), but taken orally in large amounts, this effect can be so strong as to be dangerous (FYI, please remember that this medicine is for external use only!) The other two herbs are anti-spasmodics and anti-convulsives, respectively: they calm the nervous system in different ways. Too much of either of these two herbs can also be bad. But look how clever the Shaolin were: by including the three herbs together in one medicine, they balance each other out.

Western drug makers are slowly starting to produce combination drugs which counteract side-effects in this way, but they are impeded by many factors. For example, often the ideal drugs to use together are not owned by the same company. Or, it is too much trouble (too expensive, too time consuming, etc.) to research the possible combinations and gain FDA approval.

But the Shaolin didn't have any of those problems: natural herbs were freely available for anyone to use, and they had plenty of time to try every possible combination (centuries, in fact.) So, if they found that some herbs had some very useful properties, but troublesome side effects, they patiently experimented until they found a combination that maximized the benefit, and minimized the harm.

One other thing: consider the list of herbs included here, versus those in the the Sports Injury Patch and /www.fbshealth.com/shaolin_arthritis_herbs.php>Arthritis Patch. There are some common themes: all three contain Aconite for long term pain relief, wintergreen for the warming effect, peppermint for the cooling effect, Frankincense and Myrrh for their aromatic, soothing and healing properties. This establishes the foundation: warming and cooling, soothing and healing pain relief.

Now, consider the differences: the Arthritis patch clearly emphasizes anti-inflammatory action, in particular herbs which seem to modulate the immune system to possibly calm auto-immune diseases...like Rheumatoid Arthritis. This may seem like an obvious thing to do now. But how could the Shaolin have known that Rheumatism was an auto-immune disease? How did they know that destructive cycles of inflammation leads to collagen destruction in the joint, leading to more inflammation and etc.? They couldn't have known, but yet somehow their medicine seems to do exactly the right things to treat the disease!

Likewise, the sports injury patch seems to be optimized for long term healing of soft tissue injuries. Its herbs get the blood flowing while stopping bleeding and eliminating bruising. They promote wound healing and muscle regeneration. One herb (Radix Paeoniae Rubra) even appears to protect injured tissue from dying. Of course, many herbs are also anti-inflammatory, as inflammation interferes with the healing process. Clearly, this was no randomly chosen collection of herbs: every single one has a purpose. And the Shaolin discovered this over centuries of careful experimentation.

Finally, the sports injury spray: this medicine seems to have been optimized for fast acting relief of pain and the acute effects of an injury. The three herbs, Nux Vomica, Semina Hyoscyami and Rhizoma Arisaematis Heterophyll, seem to work together, pushing and pulling, to create a powerful local analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. Plus, the Wild Ginger also acts upon the opioid receptors, creating further pain relief, and against NO and Bradykinin, which stops swelling. And because it is delivered in liquid form, it can be absorbed faster than a patch. Again, a formula whose action is perfectly suited to its intended purpose.

Radix Aconiti (Aconite Root) - Also known as Fu Zi , monkshood and wolfsbane

Radix Aconiti Kusnezoffii (Wild Aconite Root) - also known as Cao Wu Tou

Aconite root contains three closely allied alkaloids: Aconitine, Picraconitine (benzoylaconine), and Aconine. When applied to the skin, Aconitine is an effective and long lasting analgesic [1] (pain killer) and is often used in both the West and China to treat neuralgia and rheumatism.

For the moment, I am grouping the Aconiti and Aconiti Kusnezoffii together, as they appear to have similar effect although the wild Aconite is said to be stronger. The spray on Sports Injury and Pain medicine only has the wild root, presumably because it has a stronger pain relief element than the other two medicines.

Note: Aconite needs to be properly prepared by experienced herbalists (such as the Shaolin): the processing, several hours steaming or boiling is known as "PaoZhi".

Nux Vomica - Also known as Semen Strychni, Strychnos Nux Vomica and Ma Qian Zi

Used to treat rheumatism, muscle weakness and pain. Analgesic, anti-inflammatory properties [2]. This herb, together with Henbane and Heterophyllum, are a very potent combination that was clearly chosen by the Shaolin for their complementary actions.

Semina Hyoscyami - Also known as Henbane Seeds and Tian Xian Zi

Contains hyoscyamine, which is an anti-spasmodic [3], analgesic and analgesic enhancer. It would appear that Nux Vomica and Semina Hyoscyami counteracts each other's adverse effects.

Rhizoma Arisaematis Heterophylli - Also known as Rhizoma Arisaema Heterophyllum, Jack In The Pulpit and Tian Nan Xing

Used as an anticonvulsive and analgesic. It would appear that Nux Vomica and Arisaema Heterophyllum counteracts each other's adverse effects. Unable to find applicable English language published research-yet.

Myrrh - Also known as Commiphora myrrha and Mo Yao

One of the gifts of the Magi, used from antiquity in both the West and the East. Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, promotes healing [4].

Frankincense - Also as known Indian Frankincense, Ru Xiang and Boswellia Serrata

Another gift of the Magi to the baby Jesus: great minds think alike! Potent anti-inflammatory [5] and protects collagen (joint cartilage) [6] and was found to be useful against osteoarthritis in a clinical trial [7].

Asarum Sieboldii - Also known Chinese Wild Ginger and Xin Yin

Used to treat pain and inflammation. Anti-Inflammatory activity (inhibits NO production) [8], inhibits bradykinin and histamine and activates opioid receptors [9].

Borneol - Also known as Bin Pian

Said to relieve pain and reduce swelling. No English research found-yet.

Peppermint - Also known Bo He and Mentha piperita

Topical analgesic [10], creates cooling pleasant sensation.

Methylsalicylate - Also known oil of wintergreen or Shui Yang Suan Jia Zhi

Well known rubefacient used in deep heating rubs: produces a warming effect and increases blood circulation.

1. Anesthesiology. 2007 July; 107(1): 82-90., Bulleyaconitine A isolated from Aconitum plant displays long-acting local anesthetic properties in vitro and in vivo, Chi-Fei Wang, MD, Peter Gerner, MD, Sho-Ya Wang, PhD, and Ging Kuo Wang, PhD

2. J Ethnopharmacol. 2003 Oct;88(2-3):205-14. Analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of brucine and brucine N-oxide extracted from seeds of Strychnos nux-vomica. Yin W, Wang TS, Yin FZ, Cai BC.

These results suggest that central and peripheral mechanism are involved in the pain modulation and anti-inflammation effects of brucine and brucine N-oxide, biochemical mechanisms of brucine and brucine N-oxide are different even though they are similar in chemical structure.

3. American Journal of Roentgenology, Vol 161, 965-968, Antispasmodic drugs to reduce discomfort and colonic spasm during barium enemas: comparison of oral hyoscyamine, i.v. glucagon, and no drug, JG Bova, RA Jurdi and WF Bennett

CONCLUSION. When compared with IV glucagon, oral hyoscyamine had fewer side effects, but the degree of colonic distension or abdominal distress was not significantly different. In addition, hyoscyamine is considerably less expensive than glucagon and can be given orally. Patients who received medications had less discomfort than those who did not. However, the degree of distension was not different.

4. Holist Nurs Pract. 2007 Nov-Dec;21(6):308-23. Myrrh: medical marvel or myth of the Magi?

Since antiquity, the genus Commiphora is composed of more than 200 species, and has been exploited as a natural drug to treat pain, skin infections, inflammatory conditions, diarrhea, and periodontal diseases. In more recent history, products derived from Commiphora myrrha and various other species of Commiphora are becoming recognized to possess significant antiseptic, anesthetic, and antitumor properties. Traditional practice and evidence-based research have supported that these properties are directly attributable to terpenoids (especially furanosesquiterpenes), the active compounds present in myrrh essential oil. More recently, current studies have focused on applying clinical trial methodologies to validate its use as an antineoplastic, an antiparasitic agent, and as an adjunct in healing wounds.

5. Transplant Proc. 2001 Feb-Mar;33(1-2):539-41. Boswellic acid, a potent antiinflammatory drug, inhibits rejection to the same extent as high dose steroids. Dahmen U, Gu YL, Dirsch O, Fan LM, Li J, Shen K, Broelsch CE.

6. Phytother Res. 2009 Nov 26. [Epub ahead of print] Boswellia frereana (frankincense) suppresses cytokine-induced matrix metalloproteinase expression and production of pro-inflammatory molecules in articular cartilage. Blain EJ, Ali AY, Duance VC.

We have demonstrated that B. frereana prevents collagen degradation, and inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory mediators and MMPs. Due to its efficacy we propose that B. frereana should be examined further as a potential therapeutic agent for treating inflammatory symptoms

7. Arthritis Res Ther. 2008;10(4):R85. Epub 2008 Jul 30. A double blind, randomized, placebo controlled study of the efficacy and safety of 5-Loxin for treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. Sengupta K, Alluri KV, Satish AR, Mishra S, Golakoti T, Sarma KV, Dey D, Raychaudhuri SP.

INTRODUCTION: 5-Loxin is a novel Boswellia serrata extract enriched with 30% 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA), which exhibits potential anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme. A 90-day, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 5-Loxin in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.
CONCLUSION: 5-Loxin reduces pain and improves physical functioning significantly in OA patients; and it is safe for human consumption. 5-Loxin may exert its beneficial effects by controlling inflammatory responses through reducing proinflammatory modulators, and it may improve joint health by reducing the enzymatic degradation of cartilage in OA patients.

8. Constituents of Asarum sieboldii with Inhibitory Activity on Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Induced NO Production in BV-2 Microglial Cells Ah-Reum Han, Hye Jeoung Kim, Minkyu Shin, Moochang Hong, Yang Seok Kim, Hyunsu Bae

9. Journal of Ethnopharmacology Volume 88, Issue 1, September 2003, Pages 5-9, Mechanism of anti-nociceptive effects of Asarum sieboldii Miq. Radix: potential role of bradykinin, histamine and opioid receptor-mediated pathways. Sung-Jin Kim, Cheng Gao Zhang and Jung Taek Lim

The radix of Asarum sieboldii Miq. (AR) has been used to treat pain and inflammation in Korea. The present study was conducted to gain insights into the mechanism of actions regarding anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of AR. Administration of methanol extract of AR caused dramatic anti-nociceptive effects based on acetic acid writhing and tail-flick assay. When naloxone (Nx) was pre-treated, AR extract failed to exert such anti-nociceptive effect in the tail-flick assays. These results suggest that AR extract have opioid-like activity. It also exerted significant anti-inflammatory effects in the rat paw edema assay. AR extract caused inhibition in the bradykinin (BK)/histamine-mediated ileum contractions of guinea pig. Taken together, these results provide evidence that the methanol extract of AR exerts anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects by activating opioid receptor as well as by inhibiting bradykinin and histamine-mediated actions.

10. Clin J Pain. 2002 May-Jun;18(3):200-2. A novel treatment of postherpetic neuralgia using peppermint oil. Davies SJ, Harding LM, Baranowski AP.

BACKGROUND: Postherpetic neuralgia remains a difficult problem to treat. A number of therapies have been shown to be effective, but some patients have intractable pain. PATIENT: The case of a 76-year-old woman whose pain had been resistant to standard therapies is described. The pattern of quantitative sensory testing results for this patient led the authors to believe that she had an "irritable nociceptor" type of pathophysiology.
INTERVENTION: The patient was instructed to apply neat peppermint oil (containing 10% menthol) to her skin, resulting in an almost immediate improvement in her pain. This pain relief persisted for 4-6 hours after application of the oil.
RESULTS: The patient was successfully treated with topical peppermint oil. During 2 months of follow-up she has had only a minor side effect, with continuing analgesia. The authors believe this is the first evidence of peppermint oil (or menthol) having a strong analgesic effect on neuropathic pain. The possible mechanisms of action of peppermint oil are discussed.