Preparing Yakushi medicines

How Yakushi medicines are prepared

All Yakushi medicines are gathered and prepared at the temple by volunteers. They are comprised of completely natural and organically grown plants nourished only by natural fertilizers, composts and minerals from our own gardens. They are gathered according to the seasons and heated or dried between wooden slabs using only natural sunlight or very slow burning wood fires, often for periods exceeding a year or more. This ensures every possible trace of their oils or other therapeutic contents are fully captured in a manner ensuring they retain their most powerful form and effect. No commercial medicines could be produced in this way owing to the long time involved in such preparation. All tools and implements used in the preparation of medicines are made from wood or natural mineral ores. We mix all our ingredients using mainly a pure almond oil and occasionaly various flower based oils. These being neutral do not affect the efficacy of our remedies. We only produce small quantities at a time, usually to individual order and utilising seasonal flowers or roots etc as needed. Consquently often only one batch of some medicines can be produced each year.

Types of medicines

Oriental remedies and medicines in general fall into several distinct categories. These can be simply summarised thus -

(A)

Healing balms and medicines composed of very few components. These are usually very strong medicines and used for specific ranges of ailments over a relatively short period of treatment.

(B)

Healing balms and medicines containing small amounts of very many substances. These are usually used for a wide range of ailments and are not as powerful in their effects as the first. They are usually taken for longer periods of time.

(C)

Combinations of the above two forms i.e. courses of treatment in which medicinal substances will be changed according to the rate of recovery. Some medicines will be taken very frequently over a short time and then followed by a medicine taken only intermittently over a very long period. The Healer will vary all such treatments or remedies according to his or hers observation of the patients condition. Such observation will be practiced on a regular basis (sometimes several times in one day) depending upon the ailment and the patients condition.

(D)

Solitary medicines, potions or other substances held to be of a very special nature and capable of great healing power irrespective of the patients ailment. A good example of this type of substance is what is called in the west Ginseng - a plant root credited as being a panacea for all sorts of illnesses by both Chinese and Westerners alike.