Making Shi Un Kou cream

Shi Un Kou (紫雲膏, Purple Cloud Ointment) is used with okyu moxa to both protect the skin and to allow for the moxa to stick to the skin.

Traditionally it was used for healing the skin, close wounds, burns, cuts, eczema, rashes, frost bites, etc.  Some Japanese practitioners use it on the tips of their fingers with the belief that it makes their fingertips softer and thus more sensitive to pulse taking.

Making Shi Un Kou is easy (and cheap), but it can be messy and can smell up your kitchen.  Be prepared to scrub well the pans and to air out the space used.  The quantity produced is quite large, so it might be a good idea to share it amongst friends and have a Shi Un Kou cooking party.

The official ingredient list:

1 kg sesame oil

100 gm Dang Gui (当归, Angelica Chinesis) – use whole slices, do not crumble

100 gm Zi Cao Gen (紫草根, Lithospermi root) – note this is the purple root of Zi Cao Rong

350 gm bee’s or cendelilla wax

Some people use toasted sesame oil, but I find it is too smelly, and I use regular sesame oil.  The original recipe also calls for 25gm of lard which I have never used.  I use 32 fluid ounces of sesame oil.

Modifications:

I tend to use 150 to 200gm of each of the herbs (Dang Gui and Zi Cao Gen).

I then add a third batch of mixed herbs that total no more than 150gm, all combined.

Typical added herbs would be:

Da Huang (大黄, rhubarb root), Di Yu (地榆, Sanguisorba)

Huang Bai (黄柏, Phelodendron) or Huang Lian (黄莲, Coptis)

Sheng Di (生地, Rhemania), Mu Dan Pi (牡丹皮, Moutan) or Dan Shen (丹参, Salvia)

Sang Ji Sheng (桑寄生, Mulberry twigs)

Huang Qi (黄芪, Astaraglus) or Shan Yao (山药, Dioscoria)

These are chosen for the clearing heat properties as well as for generating skin abilities.

The herbs should not be crushed or powdered.

Cooking Instructions:

Slowly heat up the sesame oil in a large pan (use a larger pan you think you will need because it can easily boil over when adding Zi Cao Gen to the mix).  When it is bubbling, lower the flame.

Dip in the Dang Gui first, and wait for all bubbles/reactions to stop.

Dip in the Zi Cao Gen.  Now the mixture will bubble like a witch’s brew.  Wait for the reaction to subside.   The oil should be quite purple/red.

Dip in the extra optional herbs as your third dip (all together must be less than the Dang Gui or Zi Cao Gen).

Take off flame and let it cool.

Pass through a cheese cloth and squeeze all the liquid.

Mix in the bee’s wax, and keep churning until it cools fully and solidifies (The original recipe mixes the bee’s wax with the oil as it is heating)

While you can put the herbs into the oil directly (once the oil is hot, the Dang Gui fitrst, then Zi Cao Gen, as per above), I put the herbs in a strainer and dip the strainer in the oil.  This saves a lot of work when squeezing the liquid through the cheese cloth, as you will have no herb pieces in the liquid.

To put into oral syringes (available at any pharmacy) – just pull out the squeezer and insert the cream into the syringe.  Do not attempt to suck the cream in, it cannot be done!