The wonders of Bone Setting Water!

OK, this isn't a martial art, but it's something I've used across my training career in martial arts! Zheng Gu Shui is literally translated as bone setting water. It's a Chinese herbal remedy which works absolute wonders on muscle pains. It was introduced to me by a Singaporean teacher in the UK many years ago, and personally I find it works better than Deep Heat and its compatriots, when it comes to those post-training aches.

Zheng Gu Shui is apparently an old remedy, which does/did actually speed the healing process for broken bones. I have never tried this (I do think it's best to visit a medic for advice if you have any serious problems!) But it works great for aching muscles, stiff neck, and even has helped a bit with a diagnosed back pain, tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. My teacher apparently used to use it along with massage of the effected area.

The product is a brown water, smelling strongly of camphor - which is one of the constituents along with cinnamon bark, and various seeds and roots. So it's not very social from a fragrance perspective - but you can apply with a cotton pad at night, and you will find your achey quads / shoulders / triceps etc do feel better by morning. 

It gives a hot / cold tingling effect when applied to the skin and I can't imagine it would be very good for broken or sensitive skin, so take care. 

In London, a bottle of Zheng Gu Shui from Chinatown can set you back £14 (SG$28). While in Singapore the same bottle will cost you SG$3.50. It's even cheaper in Malaysia. So if you are visiting Malaysia or Singapore, or have an easygoing team member who is, it's a good place to stock up.

Happy training!