3. Las sociedades de capital
3.11. Órganos de las sociedades de capital
3.11.1. Junta general
In the Orient there is a traditional phrase with a profound meaning: DEN KA no
HO TO I).
DEN (fc): passing down, succeeding from generation to generation, KA home or family,
no (<n)\ of, HO (:£): treasure, TO (ZJ): sword.
Literally this can be translated as "a treasure sword which has been passed down from generation to generation within the family." This sword is usually kept in the most hidden place of the house, as a very sacred treasure. It is rarely used, perhaps once or twice in a lifetime. Only in very grave situations is this sword taken out and used. The sword is very sharp and of excellent quality. If it would be used thoughtlessly, it would create chaos. Therefore it is kept hidden in a sacred place.
In Oriental medicine, herbal and mineral medicine is approached with the same caution and respect. Generally, in case of skin diseases, heart diseases, or even cancer, herbs or minerals are not needed for healing. Only a dietary approach, along with a redirection of the way of life, are sufficient. But there are some very serious situations where we may need to use herbs or minerals, such as in terminal cases, or when digestive power is lacking. Recently however, people have forgotten the spirit of this phrase and are abusing the herbal and mineral remedies. This is causing confusion and difficulties. Therefore we would like to introduce the prin- ciples of Oriental medication.
Many years of study are required to completely learn Oriental herbal medicine.
But once you have studied yin and yang, the orientation is clear and the study is simplified.
Basic Principles in Using Medication --- --- 1. We choose materials which work very effectively and that have no side effects
at all. In Oriental medicine, three types of medication are distinguished:
a) Upper grade medication or JO- YAKU (JO means "upper grade,"
YAKU means "medication"): this medication works very effectively and has no side effects.
b) Middle grade medication or CHV-YAKU (CHU means "middle"):
this medication occasionally creates side effects, depending on the person or on the situation.
C) Lower grade medication or GE- YAKU (GE means "low grade"):
this medication effects the symptoms, but produces side effects.
111
As a basic principle, we should try to obtain Jo- Yaku whenever herbal medication is needed.
2. We choose materials (herbs, grasses, minerals, animals) which are easy to obtain, and taken from our own environment. This is an economical and ecological principle.
3. In order to use herbal and mineral medications, we should have a clear under- standing of yin and yang.
4. We should use only the minimum necessary amount of medicine, and take it the fewest possible times. This applies even to Jd-Yaku, which doesn't produce side effects.
5. Actually, anything can become medicine, if one understands the underlying principle of yin and yang.
Types of Materials Used: By the following examples you can see that anything can be used as a medicine, provided we apply an understanding of yin and yang.
These are only a few examples out of thousands.
1. Plants --- 401. Morning Glory (Ipomoea Purpurea): Mix 3 grams of the seeds and leaves,
boil this and drink as a tea.
This can be used:
• as a purgative (strong laxative),
• to reduce watery swelling of legs or abdomen,
• for gout, rheumatism, or arthritis.
If you crush the raw leaves of morning glory, squeeze out their juice and rub it on the skin, it neutralizes the poison of insect bites.
402. Plantain (Plantago lanceolata): This plant grows almost everywhere. Dry the plant in the shade rather than in direct sunlight. Boil 10-20 grams of the dried plant into a tea, and drink this.
This has a very wide effectiveness:
• asthma, whooping cough,
• kidney diseases,
• bedwetting,
• headache,
• heart disease,
• constipation,
• neurosis,
• to promote vitality,
• hemorrhoids,
• eye diseases in general,
112
• women's diseases in general, including abdominal pain after delivery,
• toothache.
403. Cranesbill (Geranium maculatum): (Also called wild geranium or crowfoot);
Harvest this plant in July or August, when the flower blooms. Dry the whole plant in the shade. Boil 10-20 grams of this dried plant into a tea.
This is useful:
• to stop diarrhea or to release constipation, as it normalizes the condition of the intestines,
• for other intestinal or stomach troubles,
• for colds and headaches,
• for bladder infection,
• for testicle infection, especially when caused by gonorrhea,
• for uterine infection and vaginal discharge,
• to increase general vitality.
404. Persimmon: The raw persimmon is good for;
• heart troubles caused by beriberi,
• prevention of hardening of the arteries,
• relieving headaches caused by alcohol.
Dried persimmon is good to neutralize the toxins of fish or seafood. The calix of persimmon is good to stop coughing and also to stop hiccoughs. Chop it finely and boil it into a tea.
405. Ginseng: This is a kind of wild carrot, growing deep in the mountains. Real ginseng is very expensive and difficult to obtain. Most of the available ginseng has been cultivated.
When dried, it becomes very yang. A small volume can be brewed into a tea.
This tea can be used to make us yang. But be careful: if you take too much, a strong constriction can occur in the body. Heart and blood vessels can become constricted, breathing becomes difficult and the whole body may become cold.
We may have the impression that many Oriental people use ginseng often.
Actually, 99 percent of the Oriental people never use ginseng in their whole lives.
Only a small percentage of people use it when they became sick, after it is pre- scribed by the doctor, and then only for a short period of time, and to treat specific problems.
In macrobiotics, we use ginseng in mu tea: in this tea ginseng has been well- balanced with other herbs, so this is not dangerous, even if we take mu tea every day.
2. Animals
In the macrobiotic approach it is very rare to use animal qualities, although various animals can be used as medicine. Some of the following, sometimes strange, examples will show you how and for what purpose various animals were used in traditional Oriental medicine.
113
406. Clam: The meat of clams can be baked in the oven into a black powder.
This has been recommended for:
• sexual vitality,
• tonsillitis, throat infections and diphtheria,
• stimulating breast milk production.
407. Lobster Shell: Bake the shell and crush it into a black powder. Take y2- 1 teaspoon together with a little water, once or twice per day.
This has been recommended in case of:
• measles,
• swollen breasts, breast tumor,
• any other tumor.
408. Squid: The squid does not have a vertebrae, but it has a soft transparent bone. This bone can be baked and crushed into a black powder.
This powder has been recommended for:
• bleeding from the uterus,
• vaginal discharge,
• any pains in the area of the uterus, vagina, penis, or testicles,
• "running" ear infections,
• night blindness.
409. Earthworm: Dried earthworms can be boiled into a tea.
This has been used in case of:
• high fevers, especially in the cases of colds and malaria,
• eye infections,
• deafness.
Also to induce urination.
410. Cockroach: Traditional Oriental doctors used cockroaches as follows. They removed the wings and legs of several cockroaches, roasted the bodies, and crushed them into a powder.
From a yin-yang point of view, the cockroach is extremely yang: a proof of this is that it can even live through the fall-out of an atomic explosion (very yin).
If we bake the cockroach, it becomes even more yang.
It was used in case of:
• colds and influenza,
• bedwetting caused by yin,
• headaches caused by yin.
411. Green Frog: The small green frog, which Orientals call the "rain frog" has been used in several ways for medicinal purposes:
a) The surface of the body of this frog is covered with a sticky liquid. This liquid, applied on our skin, can heal frostburns.
b) When this frog is dried, three or four of them can be boiled into a tea. This tea was found to be effective in treating gonorrhea and asthma.
114
412. Snake Skin: The skin shed by the snake during its growth can be baked and made into a powder. A half gram of this powder per day can be eaten, or boiled into a tea.
This was used for:
• all skin diseases,
• making the skin very smooth and beautiful (warts and moles can disappear, and even beauty spots become lighter),
• for hemorrhoids,
• for eye diseases.
413. Mole: Traditional Oriental doctors used moles in the following way: after catching and killing it, they baked it black and crushed it into a powder. Five to ten grams of this powder can be used per day.
It was used in case of:
• fever,
• whooping cough,
• heart disease,
• coldness of hands and/or feet,
• bedwetting,
• uterus troubles,
• gonorrhea,
• hemorrhoids,
• chronic sexual organ troubles.
414. Human Hair: Bake hair in a pan into a black powder. Take 1 teaspoon (about 3 grams) of this powder with some tea or warm water.
This has been recommended for:
• bleeding from the uterus,
• bleeding after the delivery,
• blood in the stool or in the urine,
• nosebleeding,
•jaundice,
• gonorrhea,
•controlling temper tantrums of a small child.
This remedy is even more efficient if we use male hair to treat a female, or female hair to treat a male! If we apply yin-yang thinking to this statement, it makes sense. We explained this in Chapter 2.
115
416. Pearl: From natural pearls we cut off small pieces with a razor blade, in order to obtain 0.3-1.0 grams of powder. This is taken with a little water or tea.
This has been used for:
• purifying the blood from animal fat or especially greasy foods,
• for kidney diseases: this medicine can work for kidney diseases because of the first effect.
Combination of Ingredients: In Oriental medicine there were occasions when a single item (herb, animal, mineral) was used as a medicine. Some symptoms required the combination of several ingredients, and others needed a complex mixture to produce the desired effect. The herbal doctor's understanding and judgment was needed to recommend and prepare these remedies.
However, there was a general principle:
KUN - SHIN - SA - SHI (lord-minister-assistant-servant)
If we want to make a yin medicine, the primary ingredient is of course yin.
But yin alone will not work well: we need to add a smaller volume of yang in order to help this yin work. You can experience this: For example, when you eat watermelon, you can enjoy its sweet fresh taste more by adding a little salt, which is yang. Using yin alone is inferior to using yin combined with a smail volume of yang. Furthermore, we can add to this combination a smaller volume of yin, and an even smaller volume of yang. As a whole this will work'as a yin medicine.
Those proportions can be changed very flexibly. Of course, the same reasoning can be used to make an effective yang medication.
What to combine and in what ratio all depended upon the herbal doctor's judgment and condition.