Rehmannia Dean Thomas - Raw Chi: Balancing the Raw Food Diet with Chinese Herbs

Electronic Edition: ISBN 978-1-58394-857-6

Copyright 2014 by Rehmannia Dean Thomas. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout written permission of the publisher. For information contact Evolver Editions c/o North Atlantic Books.

Published by Evolver Editions, an imprint of North Atlantic Books
P.O. Box 12327
Berkeley, California 94712

Cover art Marilyn Barbone/Shutterstock.com
Cover design by Brad Greene and Michael Robinson
Interior design by Brad Greene

All illustrations by Pablo Milberg and Rehmannia Dean Thomas except wrist pulse points illustration by Rehmannia Dean Thomas and splenic artery illustration in public domain. All photos by Rehmannia Dean Thomas.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The following information is intended for general information purposes only. Individuals should always see their health care provider before administering any suggestions made in this book. Any application of the material set forth in the following pages is at the readers discretion and is his or her sole responsibility.

Raw Chi: Balancing the Raw Food Diet with Chinese Herbs is sponsored by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational corporation whose goals are to develop an educational and cross-cultural perspective linking various scientific, social, and artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and healing; and to publish and distribute literature on the relationship of mind, body, and nature.

North Atlantic Books publications are available through most bookstores. For further information, visit our website at www.northatlanticbooks.com or call 800-733-3000.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:

Thomas, Rehmannia Dean, 1957
Raw chi : balancing the raw food diet with Chinese herbs / by Rehmannia Dean Thomas; foreword by Janabai Amsden.
pages cm
Summary: Discusses chi in both men and women and presents Chinese herbs and tea recipes to supplement and balance diets high in raw foodsProvided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-58394-858-3
1. Raw food dietRecipes. 2. Qi gongHealth aspects. 3. HerbsTherapeutic use. 4. TeaTherapeutic use. I. Title.
RM237.5.T48 2014
613.265dc23

eBook ISBN: 978-1-58394-857-6
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-58394-858-3

v3.1

To my mother Joyce Adele Thomas and
my father Harold Edmond Thomas,
who help me write from the other side

The breath of life moves through a deathless valley

Of mysterious motherhood

Which conceives and bears the universal seed ,

The seeming of a world never to end ,

Breath for men to draw from as they will;

And the more they take of it the more remains .

Lao Tzu, The Way of Life According to Lao Tzu , 6

Translation by Witter Bynner

Great Taoist masters of ancient times developed the concepts I will discuss in this book. I consider myself merely a good interpreter of their philosophy. I am grateful that I was somehow chosen to spread this great wisdom to Western minds and that I am coming along with this information at what appears to be a perfect time to grasp the concepts at their depths. Shen Nong, Li Shizhen, Lao Tzu, and countless other wisdom seekers over many ages sought to understand life and its root mechanisims. Slowly but surely, they refined their empirical observations into a profound health lineage called the Gate of Life into which I have been initiated.

I am blessed to have received an eight-year apprenticeship under the renowned master herbalist Ron Teeguarden. He and his wife Yanlin, as well as his staff of knowledgeable doctors of traditional Chinese medicine whom I worked with side by side for nearly a decade, will always remain dear to my heart.

My ex-wife, Sharon Leong, initiated me into Eastern thinking when we went to China in 1985, where coincidentally, we visited many herb farms in Northeastern China (I did not then know Chinese herbology would become my profession). I remember how the people there revered the herbs, almost religiously, and now I know why. I am grateful for their subtle guidance and inspiration.

My new love of fifteen years, Michelle Wong, has further enlightened me on Eastern thinking and taught me how to use Microsoft Word to write my thoughts.

Many thanks to my awesome editor Terry Wolverton, whom I met through divine happenstance. Without her guidance I may never have produced any finished writing.

My parents are gone from this plane, but I do hope they can see this book. Id like them to know something good came of the renegade kid they couldnt keep in Kentucky. And I have two cool brothers, Barry and Dave. I hope they know I love them.

Is tea raw? That question did it. For a while, I had been an enthusiastic raw foodist as well as a follower of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). But when a client of mine at Euphoria Loves Rawvolution asked about the large mason jar of herbal tea I was drinking, my thinking on these subjects began to solidify into something like a philosophy. I explained that tea is not raw. My client was genuinely surprised that I would drink a product that wasnt raw. I, in turn, was shocked that anyones concept of healthy living would discard the ancient and worldwide healing tradition of herbal tea.

Raw food is the gift of Gaia, our Mother Earth, to humankind and all animals, great and small, through all time. The incredible healing power that raw food has on the human body is clear. Going raw cured me of a digestive disorder, made me lean and strong, granted me better sleep, provided me with new mental clarity, and afforded me an easy sense of peace. But not all raw foodists adhere to an all-or-nothing diet. For at least two thousand years, Chinese doctors have tested and perfected the art and science of TCM. In metaphoric terms, raw food is the hammer in healing, while Chinese medicine is the scalpel. In addition to the obvious benefits of loading your body with enzymes and nutrients in their original state, under the wise direction of TCM, you can also achieve a true and sustainable balance of health.

This seemed like a good theory to me, but I didnt have the knowledge of or experience with Chinese medicine to test my ideas. The practitioners I had met until then stuck to the raw food is too cold for the body line of thought.

Then one day, by complete surprise, the answer to my question materialized before me. I was visiting the Krishna Temple on Rose Avenue in Venice. When I arrived, my host stood on the sidewalk in deep discussion with another man. I introduced myself and learned that this man was Rehmannia, a Chinese herbalist who ran a weekly elixir bar at the Temple Lounge. Part cowboy and part medicine man, Rehmannia had a blend of casual yet practiced herbal wisdom.

Upon discussing the merits of raw food combined with Chinese medicine, we became instant kindred spirits. Excited to realize that we both agreed there could be a natural confluence between raw food and TCM, Rehmannia explained to me the concept of the middle jiao and the triple warmer. He had designed an herbal formula for raw foodists to consume with meals. This formula would break the cycle of dampness and light the internal fires needed to boost kidney chi. My herbal prophet had arrived!