COOKING with CHINESE HERBS and MAKING TONIC ELIXIRS

A FIVE-DAY INTENSIVE TRAINING WITH NAM SINGH

Academy of Healing Nutrition, NEW YORK CITY

April 25-29, 2011

Program | Longevity Diet | Study Notes | 5 Elements | Tongue Diagnosis | Herbal Pantry
Herbal Teas | Health Conditions | Medicinal Wines | Taoist Blessing | Book Now

A 5-DAY INTENSIVE TRAINING WITH NAM SINGH, APRIL 25-29, 2011

“Medicine and food are of the same origin.” – Chinese saying

There will be 5 classes, from Monday through to Friday, (9:30am-5pm) focusing on each season. Each class will include a cooking demonstration and tasting. You will learn several important dishes, which incorporate Chinese herbs, as well as learn how to balance your life and strengthen your chi/life-force with the art of the 5 elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.

Over the 5-day intensive Nam Singh will also teach you how to make the ancient elixir tonic wines of long life. Another special feature of this intensive is the art of using the Taoist Calendar, based on the lunar cycles, which define the year cycle into 24 solar qi nodes.

What food, conduct and medical treatments are most effective in calibrating our qi to Nature (Tao). Learn the relationship between health and synchronicity. References are made to the Chinese almanac astrology, medical classics, Taoist and Confucian philosophy and the direct experience of everyday life. An optional Chinatown tour will take place on the Friday afternoon before the intensive. A certificate of competition is presented to all graduates of the Intensive “Cooking with the 5 Seasons and Chinese Herbs”

Download our brochure - click on the image to the right.

Fee: $1200
Save $200, if you book and pay by March 4th:  Fee: $1,000

Includes all food, wine, tuition and 100-page handbook. Sorry, no individual days are available.

It is a 5-day intensive for serious and committed students of TAO and natural healing, who are passionate about FOOD AS MEDICINE.

Payment by cash, check, credit card and paypal

5-day Intensive Training before March 4, $1,000.00
5-day Intensive Training after March 4, $1,200.00

PROGRAM

Each day we will study a particular element/organ group, along with their associated foods, recipes, cooking styles, and diagnosis.

Threaded throughout the week will be studies on making TONIC WINES, tongue diagnosis, and a space purification ritual, along with studies of the Taoist calendar, meditation practices and simple mind/body exercises.

Times: Monday thru to Friday, 9.30-5pm each day
Location: Midtown, Manhattan

Study TAO philosophy, integrate the principles of yin and yang into your lifestyle, learn how to balance and obtain harmony of the mind/body. Master the energetics of Qi. If you are interested in the meaning of life, its purpose, its presence, its infinity, it’s TAO. Please join us.

Bookings: info@fengshuiseminars.com

Topics covered in the intensive:

Therapeutic cooking

• Seasonal nourishment with special foods and herbs
• Cooking with the 5 Elements and Food Energetics
• Meals in the course of the day
• Quick and easy pickling
• Special one-pot dishes
• The use of jook, the best breakfast anyone could possibly have
• Preparation as transformation

Chinese Herbal Medicine

• Learn to make your own Herbal tonic drinks and teas
• You will make your own personal Herbal Elixir

Traditional Chinese Medicine

• Learn Tongue diagnosis
• Foods and remedies for women’s health
• Foods for cancer, diabetes, arthritis and other health conditions

Meditation and movement

• The Sun And Moon In Your Belly meditation practice
• The Importance of movement (Qi Gong)
• Each day a certain Taosit meditation technique will be taught

Astrological Harmony

• Introduction to the 24 Qi Nodes
• Eating and the Course of Time
• Study the day to day application of the Taoist Calendar

Space clearing, purification

• Witness a Taoist Space purification ritual
• Talismans, Taoist Secret Language and Symbols of Power

Call 646-812-0091 to reserve your seat today! Info@AcademyHealingNutrition.com

SPONSORED BY ROGER GREEN AND THE ACADEMY OF HEALING NUTRITION

Nam Singh, L.Ac., O.M.D., N.C. is a practitioner of all eight limbs of Chinese Medicine: Meditation, Exercise, Diet, Herbology, Astrology, Feng Shui, Massage, Acupuncture and Moxabustion. He is a graduate of the Tai Pei Institute of Traditional Pharmacology and Acupuncture, a graduate of Wei Chuan’s Culinary Institute Tai Pei, R.O.C. Taiwan, as well as a chef specializing in Chinese medicinal cuisine. Mr. Singh, formerly of China Moon and Monsoon Restaurants, has worked extensively throughout the Bay Area restaurant scene.  He presently resides in San Francisco. Chef Singh has collaborated on two well-received books, Between Heaven and Earth—A Guide to Chinese Medicine and The Chinese Immigrant Cooking. He is on the faculty of The Academy Healing Nutrition.

Study the Longevity Diet

These 5 days will open the doors to wisdom, healing and universal spirit. Maintaining and regaining your health is the ultimate creative activity.

This course will introduce the student to the theory and practice of Taoist cooking. Through lecture and workshop each student will receive written information and practical hands-on experience in food preparation, selection of herbs and food.

The Educational Objective is to give each student familiarity with the principles and practices of Taoist Dietetics in order to make informed decisions on the applications of dietary needs in their lives, as well as to educate individuals and groups in Chinese nutrition in an integrated way with health practitioners to provide traditional Taoist referenced nutritional information.

Join us and master the principles and practical applications of:

• Health and healing
• Food energetic therapy,
• Spiritual alchemy
• Health diagnosis
• Longevity cooking skills
• Nutrition and energetics for anti-aging,
• Health maintaince and rejuvenation
• Home remedies
• Body-centered awareness
• Meditation practices.

Food is a vehicle for transformation.  What we put into our bodies has a direct impact on the quality—and longevity—of our lives. When we change our diet, we change everything.

Food affects our ability to achieve a healthy weight, regulate our moods, prevent disease, and recover from illness.  A balanced diet promotes harmony in all aspects of our lives. 

The Longevity Diet is a healing, rejuvenating diet, grounded in simple, whole, nutrient-rich foods.  It is a deeply nourishing diet, combining time-honored culinary tradition along with Eastern and Western healing methods.  Rooted in ancient wisdom, the Longevity Diet is supported by modern scientific research. 

It’s Time To Choose the Longevity Diet Program When:

• You know it’s time to take responsibility for your health.
• You’re sick and tired of being sick and tired.
• You want delicious, healing, dietary support for your current health concerns.
• You’ve committed to losing weight, safely and effectively.
• You want a step-by-step program to show you exactly how to eat to improve your health.
• You want compassionate, practical, nutritional guidance.
• You want to learn the best way to invigorate the rest of your life.

What the Longevity Diet will do for you:

Nourish Your Cells -- Nourish every cell in your body. Learn how to integrate deeply nourishing foods into your every-day diet. 

Boost Your Digestion – Improve the digestibility of the foods you eat.  Establish daily routines and habits to promote powerful digestion.  Eliminate digestive distress.

Boost Your Energy -- Easy foods and techniques to eliminate your energy drain.  Discover Nature’s best energizers.

Strengthen Your Immunity – Learn how to eat to protect yourself from illness.

Boost Your Brain Power -- Learn how nourish your brain to improve clarity, memory, and focus.

Transform Your Appearance – Learn the best foods, eating patterns, and life-style techniques for safe, gentle weight loss, and beautiful skin, nails and hair.

Relieve Stress -- Eliminate the foods and habits, which trigger stress.  Discover foods and techniques to promote inner tranquility.

Common Benefits of the Longevity Diet:

• Vibrant Energy
• Smooth, easy digestion.
• Conquered Cravings for Sweets and Carbs
• Weight Loss
• Waking up rested and refreshed
• Clarity and Focus
• Feeling deeply satisfied.
• Enhanced sense of responsibility for health and wellbeing
• Harmonized emotions
• Stabilized blood sugar
• Elimination of heart burn and acid reflux
• Easy bowel movements

Note: THE ACADEMY HEALING NUTRITION directed by Roger Green, bases it’s training on time-tested traditions of food and self-healing. We do not focus on new trendy diets. Our focus is on the time-tested approaches of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Lifestyle philosophy of Macrobiotics, Ayurvedic Medicine and The Principles of the Weston A Price Foundation along with scientifically proven and clinically tested supplements and hormones.

Study notes for your Nam Singh intensive training By Roger Green

Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the body is composed of an intricate web of energy pathways known as "meridians". The twelve regular and eight extra meridians help to maintain a balance of Yin (substances which nourish the body such as blood and body fluid) and Yang (related to activity and function) within the body. Each meridian is named after the specific internal organ that it encompasses and through which it passes.

When Qi (vital energy) and Xue (blood) flow freely through the meridians, the body is in good health and can perform at its optimum. However, if a particular energy pathway is obstructed, its corresponding organ's function will also be affected and the body's yin and yang will become unbalanced. This imbalance will ultimately affect the functioning of the body as a whole.

Everything in traditional Chinese nutrition resolves around one central idea: preserving the San Bao.  The direct translation of these words is ‘the three treasures’ and, to me, these words - the San Bao - sound like a collection of beautiful diamonds. The treasures that the San Bao refers to are good health, a good social life, and joy and wisdom, in other words a healthy mental/spiritual life.  To understand the meaning of the San Bao, the example of a house is often used: the foundation represents your health.  Without good health, it is hard to maintain good social contacts and joy or spiritual health. The walls and inside of the house represent your social life and behavior.  The roof represents your mental or spiritual life.

Preserving the source

All branches of TCM aim to maintain the San Bao in order to live a Long, Happy and Healthy life.  If we maintain the San Bao we need not drain, or nibble from, our reserves, or Jing.  The Jing is likened to the ’source’ of our well-being.  When we neglect our source, we diminish our chance of a Long, Healthy and Happy life.

Building our Reserves

In order to maintain optimal health, our daily diet and lifestyle should give us enough energy and ‘more to spare’, to get us through each day. The ‘more to spare’ goes into our Jing, or ‘reserve bank’.  A strong Jing has a dual action: it bolsters our immune system and helps us through the more challenging days of our life. When our Jing, or reserves are well maintained, we feel well.  When we become lax and begin to dip into, rather than top up, on our reserves, we undermine our immune system and we begin to feel unwell.

Digestion

In Chinese medicine, digestion is referred to as xiao hua. Hua means to transform and indicates the transformation of the pure part of foods and liquids into qi and blood. Xiao means to disperse, and this indicates the dispersal of the turbid residue.

Stewed Dishes

“Chinese cooking has a long history.  Food is never cooked in a slap-dash manner.  Although tonic dishes are cooked in much the same process as preparing Chinese medicine, and in ways different from ordinary dishes, they still have the persistent characteristics of Chinese cooking: good color, fragrant aroma, delicious aroma, delicious taste and texture. The methods of cooking dishes are plentiful: stewing, stir frying, frying in shallow oil, stewing after frying, baking, stewing in the sauce, etc.  The most common use of cooking tonic dishes is stewing.”
-Nam Singh

Chinese Savory Soups

The savory herbal soups have earned the reputation, over centuries, of being clearly nourishing and extremely tasty for their artful blend of herbs, barks, roots, seeds, meat and vegetables. Soups were created for their all-in-one ability to provide drink, food, warmth and nourishment.

Thus, soups have become an integral part of the Chinese meal, entirely different from their western counterpart.  While one is meant to be an appetizer, a taste bud teaser or just a stopgap measure while the western chef roasts his beef, the other is born with pride to the table to sit amid other dishes and be sipped ever so appreciatively and noisily.  In days gone by no Chinese meal would be regarded as complete if it did not consist of ‘four plates and a bowl’ which alludes to four stir-fried, braised or steamed dishes and the central bowl of hot, steaming soup

Different soups are made according to the season (i.e., cooling soups in summer, warming soups in winter), or to help individuals with specific conditions from arthritis and flu to stress at work.

The Study of preparing JOOK (Congee)

Rice congee is a digestive enhancer, improves assimilation, and promotes urination as a diuretic. Congee tonifies qi and blood. Congee is made with short grain rice, while boiled rice is made with long-grain rice. Congee must be slightly glutinous. In congee “rice and water should be interlocked, as one soft, rich mixture.” Congee that is all water is not right, nor should it appear to be all rice. Congee should never be pasty, nor should clear water overlie the grains beneath.

Example using JOOK for Breakfast:

Mulberry Congee (Jook)

Effective for bronchitis, sinus and asthma. Strengthens the lungs.

Rinse the red jujubes.  Wash the chicken breast and dice.  Rinse lotus seeds, pine nuts, mulberries, and rice separately.

In a pot, bring the lotus seeds and stock to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and add mulberries and simmer until the lotus seeds are tender (about 20 min or so).  Add the rice, red jujubes and pine nuts and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the rice is thoroughly cooked (about 30 min.).  Add the chicken breast and cook until done.  Season with rice wine, salt and pepper to taste and serve.

*Medicinal herbs

Note: For best results use a rice cooker that has a setting for porridge.  This is your best time saver and will cook your congee perfectly.

Restoring or maintaining health is possible through Oriental dietary therapy, which is the appropriate selection of foods and the combination of Chinese Herbal medicine with foods.  Oriental Dietary Therapy can have its greatest impact on four main areas of influence.

It can help to enrich the blood and nourish the yin. Appropriate herbs and foods include Chinese angelica, ginseng, lamb, dates, longan, chicken, etc.  Invigorate qi and replenish the spleen (qi deficiency due to weakness of lungs or spleen). Appropriate foods include congee with dates, maltose, honey, chicken, ginseng, etc.

Tonify the kidney and replenishing the vital essence. Appropriate herbs and foods include wolfberries, black soybeans, sesame, etc.

Reinforce the stomach and promote the production of body fluids (moisten lungs). Appropriate herbs and foods include pears, sugar cane, water chestnuts, honey, sesame, cow’s milk, persimmons, etc.

The Principle of Taking Tonic Foods Seasonally

According to the cycles of the lunar calendar, all things begin to grow in spring, and continue to grow and mature in summer. They are gathered as crops during autumn and stored up in winter.

The principle of Traditional Chinese Medical science for curing diseases is based on spring-warm, summer-hot, autumn-dry and winter-cold.  Taking nourishing food during the four seasons is also based on these principles, which can be used as a guide to help identify the proper foods to consume during the appropriate season.

Here is a note from Nam Singh: “Things on earth begin to grow in spring, when people are full of vitality and activity increases.  At this time, food for enriching the blood, liver, kidney and moistening the respiratory tract should be consumed. Summer is hot and sultry.  People often feel tired easily, especially those who do a lot of physical work, and they must replenish their strength in order to keep healthy.  However, food should be nourishing and must not be hot, dry or greasy.  The best nourishing food for this time should be strengthen the middle warmer and be beneficial for the vital energy.  It should invigorate the kidneys, moisten the lungs and dissipate phlegm. Autumn is the time of harvest.  It’s also the dry season.  During this time the most nourishing foods will be good for moistening the respiratory tract and skin, as well as dishes for enriching the spleen and kidneys. After working hard in spring, summer and autumn, we consume a lot of physical strength. Therefore in winter we must store a lot of energy to protect our health until the next spring.  If one is very weak, winter is the best time to take nourishment.  During piercingly cold days we must choose food suitable for invigorating vital energy, enriching the blood, nourishing yin, invigorating the kidneys and fortifying the urinary bladder.” -Nam Singh Intensive training workbook

Food Energetics and the 5 elements: STUDY NOTES
By Roger Green

“Empty the Heart of everything let the mind be at peace.” -Lao Tzu

In the introduction to ‘The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine’ (an excellent text for understanding Traditional Chinese Medicine), Dr Edward H Hume said:

To understand the older conceptions of Chinese medicine it is essential to join a picture of cosmology or philosophy of the origin of the world existing for centuries, but given form chiefly by Taoism".

The philosophical concepts are:

         1.      Tao (pronounced Dow)
         2.      Yin and Yang
         3.      The theory of the Five Elements

The Tao is an ancient Chinese science more than 6,000 years old.  Its goal is to achieve an eternal life of happiness and health.  But Taoists are practical - if you do not live forever, happy and healthy still applies.  Eternal life as stated seems to refer to being active and healthy at 100 and plus years of age.

The ancient philosophers began with the premise that change occurred in an orderly and predictable manner.  They looked at nature and saw that the seasons progressed in an orderly cycle, that the growth and development of humans took place in an organic and orderly pattern.  The ancient sages decided that change was not a random thing, but an orderly process - an evolution.

Like much of traditional Oriental thought, the Five Transformations reflected the Chinese ability to classify phenomena and at the same time remain flexible.  The theory has been used in healing, personal psychology, agriculture, feng shui, economics and politics.  It has been used to treat disease, predict the weather and divine personal fortune.  In short, it is a cosmology, an attempt to understand life and the universe.

The concept of the five elements is one of the basic descriptive frameworks in ancient Chinese thinking - five notes in music, five viscera in physiology, five constants and five virtues in sociology, five senses and five emotions in psychology. The five elements are "assembled' in Taoism for the reconstruction and unification of the human being.

The urge to order our perceptions and define the world is as old as humankind itself. From observation and contemplation, we generate symbols that reflect one experience back to us, demystifying existence by discovering and deciding how reality is organized.

In terms of health, the five elements (also referred to as the five transformations) reveal how energy moves through the body, nourishing each organ system in an orderly and methodical manner. The body can be understood as an integrated circuitry system in which chi, prana, ki, or life force, flows through the system continuously according to an orderly pattern.  Health can be described as a state in which energy flows unimpeded through the system and thus fully nourishes every organ and cell in the body.

Here are the basic concepts of each element, which will help you master the weeklong intensive with Nam Singh

Through the law of correspondence, the foods for each season benefit the organ network associated with it.

• Spring recipes assist the liver in moving and discharging qi and blood.
• Summer recipes assist the heart to circulate blood and eliminate heat.
• Fall recipes aid the lung in tightening the surface (skin) and moistening the qi.
• Winter recipes support the kidney in storing, replenishing, and concentrating essence.
• Recipes that benefit the spleen are good throughout the year, since the spleen generates qi and blood and harmonizes the interaction of all organ networks.

The Bitter flavour strengthens the heart. The heart nourishes the blood; the blood strengthens the spleen.

The Sweet flavour strengthens the spleen. The spleen nourishes the flesh; the flesh strengthens the lungs.

The Pungent flavour strengthens the lungs. The lungs nourish the skin and body hair; the skin and body hair strengthen the kidneys. Pungent flavours are not for yin deficiency in the lungs. They are dry from lack of moisture from kidney yang. Coughing blood can result. Pungent flavours are also not for blood deficiency; they disperse Qi and Blood too much.

The Salty flavour strengthens the kidneys. The kidneys nourish the bones and marrow; the bones and marrow strengthen the liver.

The Sour flavour strengthens the liver; the liver nourishes the muscles; the muscles strengthen the heart.

The Fire element: Heart

“The heart is the ruler over summer. The heart is the root of life and generates all changes in spirit.” —Traditional Chinese saying.

1. Rules the blood and blood vessels.
   
2. Stores Shen (spirit).  
   
3. Opens into the tongue. Governs speech
   
4. Manifests in the face.
   
5. Sweat is the fluid of the heart.
   
6. Ruler, Emperor, higher self       

Heart: the Fourth Healing Sound
Element: Fire
Season: Summer
Negative Emotions: Impatience, cruelty, violence, arrogance, hastiness, violence
Positive Emotions: Joy, sincerity, honour, creativity, enthusiasm, spirit, radiance, light

Learn Nam Singh’s Summer Menu
Summer is a high-energy yang period when the fire element dominates

The Earth element: Spleen

"There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground" –Rumi

1. Rules transformation and transportation.
   
2. Rules the muscles and limbs.
   
3. Governs blood.
4. Holds up the Organs.

Spleen: The Fifth Healing Sound
Element: Earth
Season: Indian Summer
Negative Emotions: Worry, sympathy, pity
Positive Emotions: Fairness, compassion, being centred, music making

RECIPE EXAMPLE
SUPPLEMENT AND HARMONISE EARTH

Spleen congestion occurs when food and fluids accumulate, causing stagnation of Qi and Moisture.  Foods that decongest Qi, promote peristalsis and eliminate Dampness are needed.

Tonify Qi and Moisture, disperse Moisture, and activate digestion

30 gms astragalus root
30 gms codonopsis root
30 gms dioscorea rhizome
30 gms lotus seeds
30 gms poria curls
12 soaked and pitted red dates
2 cm chopped fresh gingerroot
1/4 cup uncooked white rice
7-8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups finely chopped carrots
 2 cups finely chopped yams
1/2 cups finely chopped spinach leaves
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms (soaked and slivered)

Method:

1. Place the astragalus and codonopsis in muslin bag or tie them in a bundle with string.
   
2. Break the dioscorea, the remaining herbs and the rice in the stock and simmer for 1 hour.
   
3. Add the carrots, yams and mushrooms to the herbal stew and simmer for 30 minutes.
   
4. Remove the muslin bag (you may remove the codonopsis and cut it into small pieces and add it to the stew).
   
5. Add the spinach and cook another 5 minutes.  Season and serve.

The Metal element: Lungs

• The Judge, in control of jurisdiction
  
• The master of chi (taken from Heaven)
  
• Moves things down, descends chi to kidney
  
• Healthy lung = smooth breathing
  
• Unhealthy lung = interrupted breathing
  
• Moves and adjusts water canals, readjusts fluid in the body
  
• Rules skin and hair on body (i.e. not head) Skin is related to Wei chi protective energy, keeps pores closed
  
• When lungs good, body has good resistance to colds
  
• The lungs open to the nose therefore the throat is the door to the lung.
  
• Ruled by the Heaven Trigram from the I Ching
  
• Zhen qi originates in the lungs
  
• Respiration
  
• Descending and Dispersing
  
• Descending function causes inhalation
  
• Dispersing function causes exhalation
  
• Controls the release of Wei qi on to the surface of the body
  
• Moves and adjusts the water channel
  
• Sends fluid down to the kidney
  
• Disperses fluid through sweat
  
• Welcomes damp from the spleen
  
• Rules the External Body
  
• Sheen of skin and hair
  
• Regulates opening and closing of the pores
  
• Controls release of Wei qi
  
• Rules the Voice
  
• Opens at the nose

Lung: The First Healing Sound
Element: Metal
Season: Autumn-dryness
Negative Emotions: sadness, grief, sorrow
Positive Emotions: righteousness, surrender, emptiness, courage, letting go

Learn Nam Singh’s Autumn recipes plan

The three months of autumn are called plentiful and balancing. The qi of heaven becomes pressing, the qi of earth is resplendent.

“The lungs are the rulers over autumn. Since the lungs correspond to the large intestine, both organs are treated together. The lungs are the stronghold and the root of breath.” Autumn is the season of harvest, when the earth slowly but inexorably moves toward winter.

The Water element: Kidney

• Is the “Official who Rules through Cleverness”
  
• Stores the jing (ancestral sexual energy)
  
• Rules birth, development and reproduction
  
• Rules water / fluids in the body, i.e. water metabolism
  
• Nourishes bones and produces marrow
  
• Eliminates toxins
  
• Opens into ear
  
• Manifests in the hair on the head.
  
• Review of Bladder Functions:
  
• Receives and eliminates urine, which is produced in the kidneys

Kidney: The Second Healing Sound
Element: Water
Season: Winter
Negative Emotion: Fear
Positive Emotions: gentleness, alertness, stillness

Learn Nam Singh’s Winter Menu

As winter approaches, traditional Taoist macrobiotics focuses on calming the spirit and “nourishing the inner” yin. Winter is a time of retreat. As the qi descends, fluids thicken and activity moves towards rest. These concepts have been derived from an age-old idea that the uninhibited flow of astrological/seasonal qi through the human body is essential to human health.

Functions of the Kidneys

The kidneys represent the water element. The kidneys and bladder govern water metabolism and control the body. They rule the lower part of the body, including sexual and reproductive functions. They provide energy and warmth

The Wood element: Liver

“We are giving birth to ourselves in this period of Spring.”

• Position: “The General” and “Minister of Defense”
  
• Rules the flowing and spreading of qi, blood, emotions
  
• Smooth flow of qi through the body
  
• Controls bile secretion and production in the gallbladder
  
• Harmonizes the emotions
  
• Stores the blood
  
• Controls the tendons and muscle tone
  
• Manifests into the nails.
  
• Opens into the eyes, eyes are the orifice of the liver, eyesight is liver energy
  
• Houses the soul called the “Hun” in TCM alchemical thinking     
  
• Stores Wei qi
  
• Body’s last line of defense in the 6 divisions
  
• Psychologically manifests as stuck LV qi, often of emotional origin, anger, repression, depression, stress, melancholy, boredom, sadness, tension

Key Liver chi functions

• Rules Free-flowing of Qi.
• Stores Blood.
• Rules the Tendons.
• Opens into the Eyes.
• Manifests in the Nails.
• There are 4 main aspects of the free-flowing function of the Liver.
• Harmony of Emotions.
• Harmony of Digestion.
• Secretion of Bile.
• Harmony of Menstruation.

Liver: the Third Healing Sound
Element: Wood
Season: Spring
Negative emotions: Anger, aggression
Positive Emotions: Kindness, self-expansion, identity

Learn Nam Singh’s Spring Menu

Spring is a time when you want the blood to move.

RECIPE EXAMPLE
Love Your Liver:  Stir-Fried Cauliflower & Mustard Greens in Lemon-Sesame Sauce

The mild character of cauliflower is the perfect complement to the strong flavor of mustard greens.  High in calcium and iron, mustard greens have a sharp taste that gives us clarity of mind and focused thinking.  The creamy sesame sauce adds a rich flavor and helps us to relax. 

Stir-Fry:
light sesame oil
1 small leek, split lengthwise, rinsed well, 1-inch slices
grated zest of 1 lemon
soy sauce
1/2 head cauliflower, small florets
1 bunch mustard greens, rinsed well, sliced into bite-sized pieces

Lemon-Sesame Sauce:
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon umeboshi vinegar
1 teaspoon brown rice syrup
juice of 1 lemon

small handful black sesame seeds, lightly toasted, for garnish

Heat a small amount of oil in a deep skillet or wok.  Stir-fry leek and lemon rind, with a splash of soy sauce, for 1-2 minutes.  Add cauliflower, a splash of soy sauce and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.  Add greens, season lightly with soy sauce and stir-fry until limp and a rich, deep green.

Prepare the sauce by simply mixing ingredients together until smooth and creamy.  Just before serving, stir lemon-sesame sauce into cooked vegetables.  Serve immediately.
Makes 3-4 servings.

Each day we will have a session on Tongue Diagnosis

Chinese physicians make a distinction between the tongue material and the coating of the tongue. The normal tongue is pale, red and moist – this means there is abundant blood to the tongue by smoothly moving Qi.

Tongue Material—The Colors of the Tongue:

• Pale
  
• Redder
  
• Purple
  
• Pale purple
  
• Dark tinge

Tongue Coating—The Tongue Moss Thickness, Color, Texture & General Appearance:

• Thin moss
  
• Puddle moss
  
• Dry moss
  
• Greasy moss
  
• Pasty moss
  
• Shiny
  
• White moss
  
• Yellow moss
  
• Black or gray
  
• Shape and movement of the tongue.

Chinese Culinary Herbal Pantry

“He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skills of the physian” –Chinese proverp

You will learn how to put together a Chinese Herbal Pantry. Over a dozen herbs will be selected and studied, and used over the week intensive.

The five elemental energies provide an important basis for selecting herbs.  First of all, seasonal influences are of great importance.  It has been described how each of the elemental energies tends to dominate during particular seasons.  It is therefore customary to use herbs that tonify the elemental component of our system that is dominant during the season that is current.

Chinatown Tour: Join us on the Friday before the workshop begins for our Chinatown tour where you can listen to Nam Singh explaining first hand what herbs to buy and their medicinal effects, and how to use in making tonic dishes.

Here are some examples

• American ginseng (Panax quinque folium), Yang shen
  
• Chinese ginseng
  
• Korean ginseng
  
• Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Chou shen
• Achyranthes (achyranthes bidentata), Niu xi
• Angelica (Angelica sinensis), Dong qui
• Bai zhu (Atractylodes macrocephala), Bai zhu
  
• China-root (Poria cocos), Fu ling
  
• Chinese cornbind (Polygonum multiflorum), Shou wu
  
• Chinese foxglove (Rehmannia glutinosa), Di huang – Sook dei
  
• Chinese yam (Dioscorea opposite), Shan yao
• Cordyceps (cordyceps sinensis), dong chong xia cao
  
• Codonopsis spp., Dang shen
  
• Eucommia (Eucommia ulmoides), Du zhong
  
• Ginger (dried)(Zingiber officinale), Gon jiang
  
• Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis), Gan cao
  
• Lily bulbs (Lilium lancifolium), Bai he
  
• Milk vetch (Astragalus spp.), Huang qi
  
• Notoginseng (Panax notoginseng), San qi
  
• Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum)
• White mulberry (branches), Sang zhi
  
• Chrysanthemum (flowers)(Chrysantemum morifolium), Ju hua
  
• Longan fruit (Fuphori longan), Yun rou
  
• Lotus seed pods (Nelumbo nucifera), Lian fung
  
• Lotus seeds (Nelumbo nucifera), Lian zi
• Mandarin tangerine peel (Citrus reticulata), Chen pi
  
• Peach kernels (Prunus persica), Tao ren
  
• Pearl barley (Hordeum vulgare), Da mai

Learn Powerful Rejuvenating Herbal Teas

The Seven Types of Tonic Teas by Nam Singh

Tonic herbs nourish and invigorate the Qi (energy), the blood, the Yin structures and functions and the Yang structures and functions.  There are also herbs, which are specific organ-meridian tonics, herbs that “regulate” the Qi and herbs that “regulate” the blood.  The tonics can tone up a deficiency or can enhance the circulation of energies already abundant.

You will learn about:

• Energy Tonics
  
• Yang Tonics
  
• Blood Tonics
  
• Yin Tonics:   
  
• Organ-Meridian Tonics
  
• Herbs, which Regulate the Energy
  
• Herbs, which Regulate the Blood

Examples

American Ginseng Tea

This popular infusion boosts flagging spirits, restores concentration and revives the weary.  Students take it during exams; mahjong players drink it as games stretch into the wee hours of the morning.

Pour hot water over a few pieces of thin slices of the ginseng (the flavor is strong—a few slices go a long way).  Allow it to steep, then drink.  Alternatively, you may put a few pieces in the bottom of a thermos, add hot water and drink from there as required or desired. When drinking this frequently, add a small piece of licorice to moisten the throat, as ginseng tends to dry out the throat.

Chrysanthemum Tea

Chrysanthemum is a sweeter, milder relative of chamomile; both are members of the sunflower plant family.  Chrysanthemum flowers cleanse and cool the liver without, some Chinese herbalists say, interfering with the function of the stomach.  Hence they are suitable for people of all ages, and can be enjoyed equally and widely.

Three styles of taking the tea are popular:

Infuse the flowers as you would tea, using about a tablespoon of flowers per cup of boiling water.  Allow steeping, and then drinking either hot or at room temperature.

Flowers may be added to regular tea.  The Cantonese gook-bo refers to a combination of chrysanthemum flowers (Gook fa) with a particular red tea (Bo lei).  This is considered to be a perfectly balanced drink, as both yin and yang are represented. It is available in many Cantonese restaurants.

Add chrysanthemum and honeysuckle flowers to 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until the liquid is well flavored. Add rock sugar to taste, as the brew will be bitter.

Women’s Herb—Dong Quai 

Dong Quai warms energy, stimulates circulation in the heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, uterus, muscles and metabolism, tonifies the blood, helps keep blood sugar levels stable, high in vitamins B2, B12 and E and is a good source of iron and magnesium. The root top is the most nourishing, its inner parts help preserve internal organs.

Dong Quai is effective in treating abnormally profuse menses unless caused by a qi, or life energy deficiency; abnormally slight amenorrhea, unless caused by mucous accumulation or imbalance in the kidney; irregular or painful menses; fertility problems; hot flushes and vaginal dryness associated with menopause; cramping; and emotional upheaval caused by hormonal variations; pain.
When taken raw or in alcohol it helps to relax the uterus. As a tea it nourishes the blood. For relief of painful menstruation it is taken for 10 days preceding menstruation.

Preparing the Root:

Steam for several minutes to soften, and then slice into 10-cent pieces
Dry in a clear glass container and in a warm place away from direct sunlight
When dry (about 24 hours) place pieces in a brown glass jar and store in a cool dark place
Eat one or two slices daily.

HEALTH CONDITIONS

Osteoporosis

Women lose bone tissue three times faster than men. These problems are explained in Chinese medicine by the fact that the supply of minerals to the bones depends on the vitality of the kidney-adrenal function and its ability to produce rich yin fluids. This is a function that diminishes with age. Also, women draw on the yin moistening, cooling and nurturing elements such as calcium and the feminine hormones more than men.

Even though Western women have a high consumption of calcium through dairy products, this form of calcium taken in by animal foods is highly acid forming. The body uses calcium to help balance acids in the blood; therefore the end result is calcium depletion. In addition, a diet that has high levels of coffee, sugar, alcohol, meat, and/or nightshades (e.g. tomato, green peppers, etc.) will also deplete calcium from the bones and body.

Foods that supply minerals to the bones are high calcium foods including sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and sea vegetables.

Recipe for High Calcium Soup
By Marcea Klein, faculty Academy Healing Nutrition

Barley Sprouts and Kale Soup

Add all ingredients in stockpot. Bring to a boil, and then simmer the soup for 10 minutes.

Longevity Soup

In a large stockpot, break up the bones and fill pot with water. Bring them just below boiling, then lower heat and simmer for 18 hours (be sure to check water levels periodically) from the bones and their marrow (a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar will serve the same function as the vegetables).

Bean and Seaweed Soup

Cook beans, add stock, vegetables, and seaweed, simmer.

Weight Loss
By Marcea Klein        

Chinese herbs can be used to influence the body’s metabolism in different ways. Most people who need to lose weight would like to have their metabolism run more efficiently. There are a number of herbs that can help people in their quest for a healthier, more efficient metabolism in order to ensure that any efforts to lose weight are blessed with success.

There are three types of herbs that can assist people trying to lose weight.

The first type of herb is the type that “transforms phlegm” in Chinese medicine terminology. Some herbs in this class that may assist weight loss include citrus aurantium, immature citrus peel, and magnolia bark. Glechoma and hawthorn berry can also help by “transforming phlegm”.

They help the body to process fats more efficiently and prevent the accumulation of unhealthy fats and fluids in the body.

Herbs that can help boost metabolic function. They are herbs that increase the qi and yang energy of the body. They include ginseng, astragalus, and atractylodes. ginger, cinnamon, epimedium and eucommia bark. These herbs can also give a person an energy boost and can encourage the person to remain consistent with an exercise routine. They encourage healthy digestion and generally make a person’s metabolism run faster and more efficiently.

This group of herbs can be particularly helpful for those people whose weight tends to accumulate around the abdomen.

Detoxifying, bitter herbs are another class of herbs that can assist with weight loss. They include Chinese rhubarb, coptis and scute.  They help to reduce inflammatory, acidic conditions in the body that often trigger the cravings people have for inordinate quantities of unhealthy food.  These herbs are particularly useful in people who tend to have voracious appetites for spicy, oily, and sweet foods. They also may have a tendency towards acne or oily skin, and a slightly reddish, or ruddy complexion. Other herbs can be used to control and balance out the emotional conditions that trigger overeating. People who find themselves eating out of stress, sadness, depression, anxiety, or PMS can find that these herbs balance out their emotional life and reduce their cravings for food. These herbs include magnolia bark, bupleurum root, mint, zizyphus and biota seeds, and longan fruit.

Herbs for Women

Bai Shao Yao

Taste: Bitter, sour, cool
Channels Entered: Liver, spleen
Indications: For blood deficiency with such symptoms as menstrual dysfunction, vaginal discharge and uterine bleeding.
Action:
Nourishes the blood and regulates the menses
Calms and curbs the liver yang and alleviates pain
Softens and comforts the liver
Preserves the yin

Chuan Xiong

Taste: Acrid, warm
Channels Entered: Liver, gallbladder, pericardium
Action: Invigorates the blood and promotes the movement of qi for
Any blood stasis pattern
Dysmenorrhea
Amenorrhea
Difficult labor
Expels wind, headaches, moves the qi upward

Hong Hua

Taste: Acrid, warm
Channels Entered: Heart, liver
Action: Invigorates the blood and unblocks menstruation
Indications: For abdominal pain and blood stasis patterns with amenorrhea

Lian Zi (Lotus Seed)

Taste: Sweet, astringent, neutral
Channels Entered: Heart, kidney, spleen
Action:   
Tonifies the spleen and stops diarrhea
Tonifies the kidneys and stabilizes the essence
For deficient kidneys
Nourishes the heart and calms the spirit
Nourishes the body, promotes growth, consolidates qi and essence

Fu Ling

Taste: Sweet, bland, neutral
Channels Entered: Heart, spleen, lungs
Action: 
Promotes urination and leaches out dampness
Strengthens spleen and harmonizes the middle burner
Transforms phlegm
Quiets the heart and calms the spirit

Chinese Herbal Elixirs – Medicinal Wines

Herbal elixirs, liqueurs, cordials and aperitifs can be made at home. Their use can help strengthen an acupuncture treatment or make a dietary therapy more effective and specific.

Learn how to make Chinese Medicinal Wines, Tonic herbal remedies and The Elixirs of Longevity. Take home your own herbal tonics made especially for your body type and condition.

Discover Internal Alchemy and Medicine based on the Taoist way of taking responsibility for your own health and wellbeing.

Within Chinese Medicine, there is a long history of using medicinal wines and liqueurs something rarely taught in the west. Nam Singh grew up in a Taoist Temple in Taiwan and from an early age, he learnt the ancient formulas of these very special tonic wines (Jiu) for deep healing, rejuvenation and long life.

Many chronic conditions require the taking of medicine over a long time- so the daily taking of a nip of medicinal wine is quick, easy and enjoyable. Also these preparations can be much more effective and easier to digest than pills and powders, and are considered more potent.

BENEFITS:

• excellent for strengthening the spleen, liver and kidney's
  
• energizes the muscles, nourishes deeply the bones, spine and brain
  
• treats many gynecological problems, menstrual irregularities
  
• very good for post-stroke patients, asthma, prostrate, eye problems
  
• can be effective for treating trauma and injuries
  
• ideal tonics for keeping your immune system strong and resilient
  
• can assist in weight loss, water retention, and feelings of sluggishment

Tonic wines are easy to make at home using a large jar filled with the tonic herbs usually roots such as Dang Gui (Chinese Angelica), He Shou Wu or Ren Shen which is then covered with red, yellow or clear wine. In this workshop- you will not only learn the theory of long life and good radiant health, but also the practical applications of the herbs and wines- you will walk home with your own elixir supply!

Elixir:  a sweetened, aromatic solution of alcohol and water containing or used as a vehicle for medicinal substances.  Also an alchemic preparation believed to prolong life.

Tonic:  Medicine that invigorates or strengthens: pertaining to, maintaining, increasing or restoring the tone or health of the body or an organ.       
Nam Singh will demonstrate the traditional health examination  (Si-Jian) called the four examinations or inspections of the patient, which are looking, listening, asking and touching.

Each person will get a basic idea of their body type and condition- and what specific wines and tonic elixir recipes to use and make.

There are 7 major types of tonic remedies we will be teaching the students: Energy Tonics, Yang Tonics, Blood Tonics, Yin Tonics, Organ Meridian Tonics, Herbs which regulate the energy and herbs which regulate the blood.

Tonic wines (Jiu) were popular with the ancient Daoists and are still made in China today.  According to one legend, the sage Li Ch'ing died in 1930 at the age of 252 years.  His long life was helped by a small glass of mixed (He Shou Wu) flowery knotweed and (Ren Shen) Korean ginseng tonic wine taken each evening before bed.  Tonic wines are easy to make at home using a large jar filled with the tonic herbs usually roots such as Dang Gui (Chinese Angelica), He Shou Wu or Ren Shen which is then covered with red, yellow or clear wine

The special class of herbs, known as the Elixir Tonics, are easy to use.  Tens of millions of people in China use them regularly to maintain or build their health.  A large and rapidly growing number of Westerners have discovered these incredible herbs and are now using them with great benefit.

To apply the system, one need know only a few herbs, understand the basic principles and use common sense.  Different herbs suit different people and are used at different times and under different circumstances.

The ultimate goal of Chinese tonic herbalism is to generate “radiant health” through the regulation of energy, so that the body may be the suitable vehicle for achieving enlightenment, or “immortality” as the Taoists call it.  Not everyone uses the tonics for this lofty goal, but nonetheless, the tonics can aid in achieving any state of health desired.  According to the Taoists, “radiant health” cannot be achieved through bodily efforts alone.  It is necessary to overcome the illusion of “apartness” through direct intuitive perception of one’s unity with nature, and to live harmoniously with all beings, contentedly and peacefully.  The Chinese called this “cultivating the Way.”  Chinese tonic herbalism cannot be separated from this grand way.  Though anyone can benefit significantly from the tonics, their ultimate benefit can only be attained through their integration into a path of true physical and spiritual growth.  The Chinese developed the system of the “superior herbalism,” that is, of the tonics, as a tool to be used wisely on the spiritual path.

According to the basic principle of oneness, it is emphasized that not only must each organ function properly, but all organs must function in concert.  Timing and intensity of action and rest must be harmonious.  And the organic functioning must be directly and accurately responsive to innumerable environmental changes.  The Chinese tonic herbs are used to enhance the adaptive, regulatory powers within the human body-mind which results in “radiant health.”  The herbs are believed by the Chinese people to build the vitality of the body-mind as a whole.  Not just the energy of the flesh and muscle need vitalizing, but also the deep tissues and the mind.  And not only need the body-mind be energized, but also harmonized.  Especially important is the vitalizing of those functions that have a primary regulatory capacity, those functions that are centrally responsible for the control of our adaptive responses.  In this way, all the functions of the body-mind are integrated in the task of maintaining a harmonious relationship among themselves and with nature.

Tonic wines (Jiu) were popular with the ancient Daoists and are still made in China today.  According to one legend, the sage Li Ch’ing died in 1930 at the age of 252 years.  His long life was helped by a small glass of mixed (He Shou Wu) flowery knotweed and (Ren Shen) Korean ginseng tonic wine taken each evening before bed.  Tonic wines are easy to make at home using a large jar filled with the tonic herbs usually roots such as Dang Gui (Chinese Angelica), He Shou Wu or Ren Shen which is then covered with red, yellow or clear wine

The special class of herbs, known as the Elixir Tonics, are easy to use.  Tens of millions of people in China use them regularly to maintain or build their health.  A large and rapidly growing number of Westerners have discovered these incredible herbs and are now using them with great benefit.

To apply the system, one need know only a few herbs, understand the basic principles and use common sense.  Different herbs suit different people and are used at different times and under different circumstances.

The general procedure in making an herbal tincture (or herbal liquor) is to place the herbs alcohol and sweetener, if any, all in a glass jar or ceramic container which is then tightly sealed. This should be put in a cool, dark place.  A cupboard or closet will do. This should then be left for at least a month, three months or for years. Some herbs require a two month soaking period.  Some herbalists say to shake the mixture daily but this is not a hard and fast rule.  After the active ingredients have been extracted by the alcohol, the contents can be strained and the medicinal liquor decanted into another bottle.

A rule of thumb is that one should experience benefits from the herbs with no side-effects within a reasonable period of time.  Naturally, different herbs will exhibit their virtues in different lengths of time.  Some, line ginseng, may show noticeable results within hours of consumption; whereas an herb like Schizancdra may take some weeks before the desired results are obvious.  Most herbs, however, will show their stuff within a few days.  If the results expected to not occur, or if undesirable side-effects are detected, the particular herbal being used should be altered or replaced by another.  Guidance is helpful at the beginning, but information provided here is more than will be available in most cases and is quite sufficient if studied carefully.

Learn a Taoist Blessing Ceremony For Purifying Your Space

There is a long tradition in performing rituals of many types in all schools of Taoism. In this practical workshop you will learn an authentic blessing ceremony that has been done for thousands of years in Taoist homes.

What You Will Learn

• Ritual Bathing
• The Use of a Ritual Hand Bell
• Hand Seal and Talisman Writing
• How to Bless Water
• The Use of Incense, Paper Offerings and Food Offerings
• Envisioning and Incantations

Once you have selected a specific space, you must ensure that the energy is sufficiently pure (jing).  To be safe, everyone should perform an energetic cleansing on his or her space.

Nam Singh is a Tao priest in the Zheng-Yi sect and a priest in training in orthodox Taoism.  He is a member of the Ching Chung Taoist Association of America in San Francisco California’s Chinatown and the founder of the Celestial Canyon Taoist Association, teaching Taoist nutrition, meditation and Chinese tea culture.

What is a Daotan Hereditary Temple

Taoism is an indigenous traditional religion of China.  It is generally believed that Taoist organizations were formally established 1900 years ago by Celestial master Zhang-Dao ling during the reign (CE 126-144) of Emperor Shudi of the Eastern Han Dynasty.  However, the original sources of Taoist doctrines can be traced back to the spring and autumn period and the warring states period (770-221 BCE).  Thus, there is the common reference to the “Three Ancestors that alludes to the Yellow Emperor, Lao Zi and Celestial Master Zhang.”

For the greater part of the history of Taoism in China religious practices were inspired and maintained by family/clans (the Liu, Zhang and Li clans, to name a few).  These clans maintained daotan (hereditary temples) throughout rural and urban China as places of worship and community administration.  They consisted of private chapels (tan) for religious ritual (maintained by a team of ordained [often married] priests [both men and women]) and clan halls (tang) which served as community educational and meeting facilities.  The chapel was the spiritual center of the clan and the clan hall served as a place for activities as diverse as funerals, scheduling harvests, negotiating business, tax collecting and public literacy education.  This combination of spiritual and worldly activity co-habiting the same space reminded every clan/community member of the universality of religion and ethics in daily life.

The actual ownership and management of a daotan was divided between the head priest’s family and the clan (represented by the elders) village.  It is called hereditary for two reasons.  First, because the head priest’s ownership was passed on to his most capable child or adopted disciple - called a ‘successor’.  Secondly, it was called hereditary because it represented the continuity of life (qi) in the clan’s collective body - a conduit for the continuous benefit that is derived from the clan’s ancestors (representing Dao itself).

In all matters decisions were made by consensus using the elders’ ordinary negotiating skills and the priests’ extraordinary means (divination).  Business contracts were witnessed by priests and religious rites and education were sponsored by the clan.  Through the collective activities of the daotan the healthy circulation of community qi was maintained.

The design and maintenance of the architecture and grounds of the daotan were based on the ancient principles and details of feng shui (Chinese geomancy).  The chapels were the community heart (the spirit within the body).  The clan halls, public and open on a courtyard at the front, were like the community stomach/spleen absorbing nutrients for the community’s smooth digestion.  The building itself was a collective body (a daily visit recharged your qi battery).  Each individual parishioner was an inspired qi satellite.  Daotan networked throughout China and in the 12th century were acknowledged by the imperial government of the Song dynasty as the true historical basis for national unity, peace and prosperity.

The unique Taoist notion that what religious/spiritual about life is, is not necessarily the exercise of religion itself.  In a Taoist community the priests practiced rites and meditation as their particular tao; fishermen followed the tao of fishing, businessmen the tao of commerce, seamstresses the tao of sewing, etc.  Priests ate fish, wore tailored vestments and advised businessmen astrologically.  Businessmen made donations to the temple, bought fish and tailored clothes.  It was the community interconnectedness that gave fullness and immortality to life rather than the individual experience of personal revelation.  For the Taoist transcendence was, in a sense, acceptance not escape.

Incantation to Lü Dongbin

Lü Dongbin is the most famous of the Eight Immortals.  He is regarded as one of the Five Northern Patriarchs of Complete Perfection Taoism (one of the largest active sects in China).  The most common historical tale claims that Lü Dongbin was a mortal in the Tang Dynasty from China’s Shanxi Province.  He was a failed candidate for government service and was unaccomplished until he was 64.  At that time he met the Taoist Immortal Han Zhongli, who explained Taoism to him.  From that time he dedicated himself to Taoist cultivation and eventually became an Immortal.  Among his many disciples are Liu Haichan and Wang Chongyang.  Despite his relatively high status in the Taoist hierarchy, Lü Dongbin is almost always depicted wearing a hat that is flat and slopes downward past his forehead.  He usually carries a double-edged sword, and sometimes a shield, with which he can capture and tame all evil spirits if he is correctly invoked.  Lü often carries a flywhisk, the symbol of one who can fly at will.  His birthday is generally celebrated on the 14th day of the 4th lunar month.

Offerings to the Earth Guardian Spirit (T’u-di Kung)

Is not looked upon as a powerful or fearsome deity spirit.  He is a Celestial deity spirit, the lowest ranking official in the bureaucracy of the Celestial pantheon, and is the tutelary deity spirit of one sector of a large village or suburb; the protector of the well-being of both town and country dwellers. His name means the earth god of wealth and merit. In China, every village had a shrine to Tu Di Gong.

Virtually every temple and certainly every community has an altar dedicated to the Earth Guardian Spirit.  Legends almost always describe him as a former human, now a local spirit still possessing human attributes and aspirations.  One of the most common claims is that he was a servant who preserved his master’s money from thieves, lost his life in the process, and was deified as the Earth Guardian Spirit. Today, he is still worshiped by most Chinese, with many housing small shrines with his image, commonly located under the main altar, or below the house door.

Book Now

Fee: $1200
Save $200, if you book and pay by March 4th:  Fee: $1,000

Includes all food, wine, tuition and 100-page handbook. Sorry, no individual days are available.

It is a 5-day intensive for serious and committed students of TAO and natural healing, who are passionate about FOOD AS MEDICINE.

Payment by cash, check, credit card and paypal

5-day Intensive Training before March 4, $1,000.00
5-day Intensive Training after March 4, $1,200.00

Sponsored by www.AcademyHealingNutrition.com and www.FengShuiSeminars.com