Diamond Mind - tas-2014.s3. · PDF filePower of the Brain ... Deep Breathing, Zen, Qigong and...

DIAMOND MIND

Supporting and Enhancing the Power of the Brain and Mind with Adaptogenic Herbs

By Ron Teeguarden [Dan-O Sun Sha] Master Herbalist 2014

Our Brain

• How lucky are we! The human brain is the most complicated and sophisticated instrument in the known Universe. And you have one!

• Unfortunately, humans take care of their cars, house plants and clothes better than they take care of their brains.

• The brain ages due to a wide range of factors -- see Attaining and Maintaining Radiant Health as We Age Presentation, also in this package.

• We can do many things to help keep the brain clean, strong, flexible, physiologically youthful, and stunningly creative.

• The human mind is designed by Nature to respond to the environment and to control the physical body. It is designed to feel and to reason. It is designed to create. It is also designed to evolve within one’s lifetime.

• Humans have learned a great deal about how to cultivate the mind.

• In Asia, over the past several thousand years, many techniques have been developed by great masters for training the mind to become a cosmic, intellectual and creative powerhouse.

• Many of these techniques have been documented and can be practiced by students of these techniques.

• The techniques are designed to sharpen focus, improve concentration and mental endurance, to provide the power and will to use guided imagery to drive energy to centers and along pathways throughout the body and out into the environment and universe.

• The techniques also provide methods of mastering lower emotions and passions, and locking into higher states of consciousness and awareness.

• The various yogas and meditation techniques have much to offer us in the modern world.

• All of these techniques strengthen, protect and purify the brain. But none of them of “brains only.” It takes the physical body to house, nourish and manipulate the brain.

The body influences the Mind

The Mind influences the Body

Breath and the Brain

• Deep breathing is a universal practice among those who wish to take full advantage of the brain’s immense (almost unlimited) power.

• Breathing provides several critical factors to the brain: – Oxygen – Blood – Nutrients

• Breathing also supports cleansing of toxins from the brain

• Breathing aids in the control of the mind • Breathing aids in the control of the organs by the brain

Breath and the Brain Deep Breathing, Zen, Qigong and Yoga • These techniques harmonize Body and Mind, in their many aspects, and

further harmonize the human being with the environment, Gaia and cosmos.

• They all feature breathing. Through the Breath we can master Body, Mind and emotions, and we can unite with Heaven and Earth

• You have oxygen molecules from Buddha, Jesus and Lao Zi within you right now!

• Many people today are engaged in practices to slow down aging and maintain a youthful body, and in particular a youthful brain.

• In addition, many people are aware of the degenerative neurological conditions that arise in a large proportion of the elderly. Since people now hope, and even expect, to become elderly, they are interested in ways to maintain brain health and associated cognitive power.

• The brain is the control center of our body, and maintaining its health would help to maintain both cognitive and motor functions throughout our life span.

• Therefore, keeping our brains “young” is great importance. • Brain health directly effects quality of life.

The Body-Mind extended

The Body as we perceive it • Many humans perceive our species as being “superior” to all other species

because of our huge brain and ability to produce complex things and communicate very skillfully, thus building vast civilizations.

• We tend to consider other organisms as alien or dirty. But this is not the real story.

BUT

• Life on earth started no less than 3.5 billion years ago, most likely with components from outer space.

• Humans have only formed societies for several thousand years – not even a blip on the cosmic clock.

• Though the human body is miraculously constructed, so are the bodies of all the other living creatures.

• Yet we see each creature as something separate, each in its own shell and in it’s own bubble.


• Humans typically perceive ourselves as separate organisms, separated from the outer environment. The skin forms the apparent boundary. We believe that we connect to the environment through our sense organs and through activity.

The Mind extended

• The very concept of “Mind and Body harmony” itself is a bit simplistic

• Humans discuss it because we are aware of a distinction.

• In a sense our Mind feels like “us” and our body feels like a kind of possession

• There are many, many “Mind-Body” relationships

• It’s just as important to have a Kidney and Heart connection, a Lung and Spleen connection, a Liver and Spleen connection and so on.

• There are in fact tens of thousands of complex interactions occurring at all times in our body and in our vicinity that influence our life, both inside us and outside us.

Einstein Explored the Gaia Theory

Recognizing Gaia is recognizing the Way that life really exists on Earth. Gaia is the One Life, the unified life of all seemingly individual lives on this planet (and perhaps beyond). All life is connected. We are each a cell in the life of Gaia.


“8 Intelligences”

• Mathematical/Logical

• Spatial/Visual

• Verbal/ Linguistic

• Musical

• Bodily/Kinesthetics

• Interpersonal

• Intrapersonal

• Naturalistic

How the Mind influences the Body


The 3 Treasures

• Jing - Body

•Qi - Body and Mind

• Shen – Mind

•But don’t be confused – they all are ONE

How the Mind influences the Body When the Mind controls Body

• The Chinese masters, especially the Taoist and Zen masters, have been interested in mind power for thousands of years.

• The arts of Taoist yoga, meditation and tonic herbalism are built around the concept that the Mind can be made so strong that it can actually overcome all obstacles. Remember the goal is “Health beyond danger”

• The Chinese art of radiant health deals with strengthening the Body-Mind. There is a principle which states that:

Yi leads Qi, Qi leads Blood • The Mind is the master of our creative visualization, our creative

visualizing guides our energy, and our energy leads our blood.

How the Mind influences the Body • The Taoist believes that by cultivating the mind through all the means

possible, including meditation, concentration exercises and with the help of tonic herbs and physical exercises that require the mind, it is ultimately possible to use the mind to control the flow of Qi in the body.

• Taoist meditation works by focusing one’s attention on an area of the body.

• Then with creative visualization, the mind pictures the Qi in that area expanding or moving. If the mind can concentrate successfully, that area becomes awakened and the Qi does in fact expand or move.

• The Daoist moves the Qi to various places in the body, consciously and with intention. Where Qi flows, blood will become activated. If the blood is full of life force (and tonic herbs), it will nourish our Body and Mind to produce Radiant Health.

How the Mind influences the Body Train your Mind to control your Body

• Hold your finger up and focus on it. You will notice that within a second you can feel your finger, where before you were not. If you continue to focus on your finger, your finger will begin to throb with increased blood flow.

• Later, tonight or the next time you have cold feet, send the Qi and blood to your feet. They will warm up.

• Later you can do this with your energy centers such as the Dantian, Chakras, Third Eye, Thousand Peddled Lotus Center at the top of the head, or in the center within the sexual organs.

Guiding Qi with Your Yi

Maintaining Brain Health

• Maintaining brain health, that is, keeping it in a young physiological condition, is an important task for those seeking healthy longevity.

• Researchers are now certain that many functions in the body influence the brain. Maintaining general health is absolutely associated with maintaining a healthy brain.

• Based on this, a holistic approach in an anti-aging regimen is necessary. Hear are a few ways to help your brain stay young:

1. Maintaining healthy emotions and a good attitude in life keep the brain healthy

2. Exercise, for example, has a profound influence on the condition of the brain – it keeps it younger and more flexible.

3. Tonic herbs also have profound effects on the health and function of the brain.

THE BALANCED EMOTIONS

SHEN • Recognizing that the Body affects the Mind and vice versa, the ancient

Asian people saw no real distinction between these two aspects of a person.

• A person must be perceived of and treated as a whole and, further, as a whole in relation to his or her environment.

• Shen, the Spirit, controls the emotions. If Shen is weak, or distracted by physical and emotional imbalances, we can lose our balance.

• We can become addicted to our emotion(s). When one emotion is emphasized and clung to, the emotional and physical states become imbalanced, and Shen has ceased to rule.

• The imbalanced emotional state controls the person instead, and the whole sequence of emotional change is thrown out of rhythm.

• The related meridians and the physical conditions are affected, for the Mind and Body are very closely inter-related. One necessarily affects the other.

Modern Connections of Body, Mind and Emotion

Negative Attitude and the Body-Mind

• Anger and hostility lead to heart attacks and stroke

• Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have discovered, that otherwise healthy people who are prone to anger, hostility and mild to moderate depressive symptoms produce higher levels of a substance that promotes cardiovascular disease and stroke.

• The substance, C-reactive protein (CRP), which is produced by the liver in response to inflammation and anger, promotes and predicts cardiovascular disease and stroke in relatively healthy people.


Positive Attitude and the Body-Mind

• Experiencing positive emotions such as pleasure leads to a perception of the body being in a positive state.

• While an individual experiences positive emotions, activities of the central nervous system and cardiovascular system interrelate, and the brain generally perceives the body to be in a positive state.

• The Harvard School of Public Health researchers said men who were the most physically active at the start of the study cut their risk of developing Parkinson's disease by 50 percent, compared with male study participants who were the least physically active.


Exercise and the Mind • A Boston study suggests men who exercised regularly and

vigorously early in their adult life might have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

• Among women in the study, strenuous activity during early adult years was also linked to a lower risk of Parkinson's

• A study conducted by University of Pittsburgh Medical Center found that exercise prevents degeneration of nerve cells that are normally impaired or destroyed by Parkinson's in an animal model of the disease.


Exercise and the Mind • just 20 minutes of activity each day can prevent memory deterioration.

• Studies have shown that regular physical activity can lead to a lasting improvement in memory function.

• People over the age of 50 can pro-actively prevent memory deterioration by joining in simple and easy exercises each day.

• Walking 6 to 9 Miles a Week Helps Save Memory

• The brain's gray matter doesn't seem to shrink with this amount of exercise

• Just by walking regularly, and so maintaining a little bit of moderate physical activity, you can reduce your likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease and can spare brain tissue." (University of Pittsburgh study)


• However, the researchers stressed that the relationship between walking and gray matter volume appears to apply only to people who regularly walk relatively long distances that equal about six to nine miles a week.

• Walking more than the six to nine mile range, however, did not have cognitive benefit, the study found.

Higher forms of exercise

• In the East, masters developed forms of exercise that take into account the energy centers, energy channels, the Three Treasures (Jing, Qi and Shen), emotional balance, and longevity.

• Qigong, Taoist yoga (Neigong), Taiji (Tai Chi), all the various forms of Yoga developed in India, etc. are conscious forms of exercise.

• I strongly recommend that you master one or more of these arts.


Kidney and the Mind

• In China, it is believed that the Kidney energy (Jing) supports the power of the

brain. The Heart energy supports emotional mastery.

• In older adults, mental abilities seem decline as kidney function drops

• “Chronic kidney disease is associated with cognitive impairment." (Kaiser Permanente/the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.)

• Maintaining the health of the kidneys and the Kidney functions as described in Chinese philosophy help maintain a youthful, clear brain into deep old age.

Normal and pathological

aging of the brain • The brain is the most vital organ in our body. It controls all the involuntary

functions such as breathing and heart beat. It also plays a key role in memory, cognition and emotion.

• Aging has a great impact on brain functions. Aged people generally have decreased memory, including short term recall, long-term memory, recognition memory and speed of processing.

• Although aging is always associated with decline in physiological functions, it is not necessary associated with diseases.

Cultivating a Healthy Brain

• Aging can be divided into normal and pathological. • Normal aging of the brain is a result of natural maturational

process. During the process, there are gradual changes in cognitive functions. Some scientists think that these cognitive changes may be inevitable, and human will eventually experience deterioration in memory even they are not diagnosed with dementia .

• Pathological aging of the brain is always associated with non-normative factors such as diseases and brain trauma . The causes of aging-associated brain diseases are certainly linked with numerous factors such as lifestyle and genetics variation. If we can modify these factors, perhaps we can prevent these diseases and hence aging. In this review, we focus on the pathological aging process taking place in the brain only.

Tonic Herbs and the Brain

• It is the goal to maintain a youthful brain that does not deteriorate, degenerate or become diseased.

• It is also the goal to develop a tremendous mind. • The ultimate state of mind is called, in Buddhism and Taoism,

“Diamond Mind.” • When one has achieved Diamond Mind, the emotions are

controlled by Shen, awareness is profound, reason is universal, memory in nearly infinite, and love is felt consciously as a guiding force of life.

• The great masters of the East have used Tonic Herbs to help strengthen both the body and mind. None of the tonic herbs only strengthen the mind or body, because the mind and body are ONE. However, certain herbs certainly have noticeable and profound benefits for mental power as they nurture and protect the brain itself.

• Here are some of the Mind Tonic Herbs used for thousands of years to tonify, protect and enhance the mind: – Ginseng – Tibetan Rhodiola – Astragalus – Polygonatum – Gingko – Gynostemma – Schizandra – Reishi

American Ginseng Root American Ginseng, especially that from Canada and

upstate New York state (Catskill Mountains) is a major general tonic that tonifies Yin, generates fluids, strengthens the lungs, clears the chest, builds qi, fortifies immunity and overcomes weakness. High quality American Ginseng is a powerful quick and long lasting adaptogenic herb that helps overcome stress. Helps maintain healthy metabolism. Wild American Ginseng is a potent brain tonic. The best American Ginseng is wild sourced. Cultivated can be good if sourced from cold regions.

American Ginseng Root

Astragalus Root

Astragalus root is the gentle giant of Qi tonics. It causes energy to ascend (counteracts gravity), builds the immune system (dual-direction), and overcomes weakness of all kinds. It is great herb for children. It is also superb for the elderly. It builds blood, is anti-aging, and protects the body at every level. It strengthens muscle, improves muscle function, and is superb athletes tonic. As a powerful adaptogen, it mitigates stress. It strengthens the mind.

Astragalus Root

Eleuthero Root (Siberian Ginseng)

Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosis) is a major Qi tonic, adaptogenic, stimulant, blood tonic, improves oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, cardiovascular tonic. Immune modulating (balancing, regulating). It is one of the most tested adaptogenic herbs in the world and has been clinically proven to improve physical and mental performance when a person is under stress, even extreme stress. It is mentally invigorating.


Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosis) is a major Qi tonic, adaptogenic, stimulant, blood tonic, improves oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, cardiovascular tonic. Immune modulating (balancing, regulating). It is one of the most tested adaptogenic herbs in the world and has been clinically proven to improve physical and mental performance when a person is under stress, even extreme stress.

Wild Ginseng Root Wild Asian Ginseng is the most important Qi tonic and adaptogenic herb in the Asian herbal system, and arguably in the world. Wild Ginseng strengthens qi, slows aging, restores energy in the debilitated and injured, builds immunity and fosters wisdom. Traditionally, Wild Ginseng is considered to be neutral in terms of its energy temperature – it is NOT considered an overly hot herb and is considered safe for most people. Wild ginseng is a premier Shen tonic, promoting spiritual growth. It is the “King of Herbs.”

Fresh Wild Asian Ginseng Root

Dried Wild Manchurian Ginseng Root

This dried wild ginseng root was collected from a high altitude forest in Changbai Mountain, the only Di Tao source of wild Chinese ginseng. Korea also has Di Tao wild ginseng, but it is not generally available on the world market because of high domestic demand. The long head (rhizome), pearl dots, gnarly structure and striations are the hallmarks of wild ginseng. This root is about 30 years old

Collecting a Wild Manchurian Ginseng Root

Cultivated Red Ginseng Root Cultivated Red Ginseng is an important Qi tonic and adaptogenic herb. It is an extremely powerful collector of Qi from the Earth. Di Tao Red Ginseng has been cultivated in the high mountains of Changbai Mountain (Manchuria) or Korea. It strengthens Qi, slows aging, restores energy in the debilitated, builds immunity, fosters wisdom. Traditionally, Red Cultivated Ginseng is considered to be a warm herb. Most people have no problem consuming it, especially when combined with some yin herbs like jujube date, goji and so on. Red Ginseng is a powerful immune boosting herb. Dragon Herbs offers organically grown cultivated Chinese Ginseng.

Cultivated red ginseng roots, organically grown for eight years in Changbai Mountain. This is superior grade, highly precious cultivated ginseng

Cultivated Red Ginseng Root

My Ginseng Buddy, Close Up

Goji Berries

These Goji berries, from the remote Heaven Mountains of

Central Asia, are still juicy, very sweet and great snacking.

Heaven Mountain Goji Berries on the Vine

Goji Berries

These Goji berries, from the remote Heaven Mountains of

Central Asia, are still juicy, very sweet and great snacking.

Heaven Mountain Goji Berries

Gynostemma Leaf Gynostemma Leaf is adaptogenic, builds Qi, nourishes Yin, is a general anti-inflammatory (may be used indefinitely as an anti-inflammaging dietary supplement). It is antiaging and promotes longevity. It has powerful immune modulating actions at all levels of the immune system. It protects DNA and prolongs DNA life. The gypenosides significantly curtail excessive nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB) activity, thus reducing degenerative disease.

Gynostemma Leaf Gynostemma is one of the most important tonic herbs in the world. According to Japanese research, the longest lived people in the world consume gynostemma daily. Gynostemma is thus thought to be “protective.”

Gynostemma helps protect the brain from oxidation due to free radicals.

Dragon Herbs Gynostemma plantation on Great Immortal Peak, China. Spring fed and organically grown

Gynostemma Leaf

Dragon Herbs Gynostemma drying naturally

Reishi Mushroom Reishi is a potent immune modulator and a super Shen tonic that enhances wisdom. It is arguably the greatest herb in the world. It is an awesome Shen tonic, brain tonic, and liver tonic. In Asia, only the fruiting body is used, not the mycelial mass. The wild variety has more Shen activity, while the cultivated (Duanwood) variety has more immunological activity. Either way, this is the ultimate herb on earth.

Duanwood Reishi Mushroom Organically grown for Dragon Herbs

Duanwood Reishi

On a grand painting in a main hall of the White Cloud Taoist Temple in China, the “Immortal” holds a wild Reishi mushroom

Magu, the Goddess of Youthfulness, holds a wild Reishi mushroom aloft as a symbol of her secret and her power

Schizandra Fruit Schizandra (Five Tastes Herb) is the quintessence of tonic herbs. These berries tonify all three Treasures (Jing, Qi and Shen), regulate all five Elemental Energies, enter all twelve meridians, and all eight extraordinary channels. It is astringent, and it detoxifies the liver, clears the lungs, tonifies the sexual functions, and it strengthens and calms the mind. It improves memory. It is a major adaptogenic, and is therefore helpful for those who have stress in their lives. It is used for Yin deficiency. Di Tao for Schizandra is the northeast of China, and especially Changbai Mountain. There is a Southern variety, but it is very inferior.

Schizandra Fruit Still on the vine, but off the tree

Yanlin and Ron Teeguarden, Changbai Mountain, Manchuria, 1994

Dried Schizandra Fruit

Schizandra Fruit must be dried or it spoils quickly. It must be soaked in alcohol before using or extracting.

Notoginseng Root (Himalayan Ginseng)

Notoginseng is a powerful blood tonic and improves blood flow. For many centuries it was considered so valuable that it traded for its weight in gold. It was known as “the Herb for the Preservation of Life.” It protects the brain.

Notoginseng Root (Himalayan Ginseng) I’m on a mountainside at 11,000 feet elevation in Bhutan, actually on the King of Bhutan’s land (with permission, of course), where Notoginseng grows abundantly. I’m holding the stem of one of these roots.

Rhodiola Root (Himalayan Rhodiola sacra)

Himalayan Rhodiola is an adaptogenic Qi tonic. It is detoxifying, antiaging, improves oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, and enhances wisdom. It increases oxygen supply to the brain and heart, even under low oxygen conditions. It has powerful anti-stress actions. Rhodiola sacra comes from the Himalayas, especially Tibet and Bhutan. Rhodiola rosea comes from Russia. In Asia, Himalayan Rhodiola has been considered the best. It is a primary ingredient in most Asian brain tonic formulations. It is the dominant ingredient in Diamond Mind Drops and in Tibetan Magic Elixir.

Himalayan Rhodiola sacra

Lion’s Mane Mushroom

Lion’s Mane mushroom protects the brain, restores the brain, and is useful for post traumatic stress syndrome. It is also very popular with monks in Asia as a brain tonic - it increases the brain’s power.

Lion’s Mane Mushroom

Walnut

The wild walnut of northeastern China is a major tonic herb. All walnuts have the same properties. The walnut meat tonifies the kidney and lung, lubricates the intestines, and is widely used as an antiaging herb, to strengthen male potency, to strengthen the brain, and to strengthen the legs. Black walnuts native to Chinese mountains are used as Taoist food. The walnut skin is slightly toxic so is removed by soaking and brushing.

Walnut

Quality

Every herb described in this presentation comes to market in a range of qualities. Some of the factors that determine quality are: • Di Tao • Precise environment • Seed stock • Growing and cultivating skills • Herb selection at collection • On-site processing • Down-stream processing (extraction technology and skill, temperature

control, solvents (water, alcohol, oil, etc.), oil traps, excipients, etc.) • Freshness

Dragon Herbs only uses the most premium grade herbs to make its products. Herbs grow in their own best region. The authentic source is known as Di Tao. All Dragon Herbs ingredients are Di Tao.

Diamond Mind Drops

• Diamond Mind Drops contains several of these tonic herbs, designed to facilitate focus, concentration, clarity of mind, memory and creativity.

• The herbs used to make Diamond Mind Drops are either wild from their authentic source (Di Tao), or wildcrafted in their authentic source. They are all pure and without chemicals. They are the best in the world.

• Diamond Mind Drops is extracted by the most advanced extraction technology in the world. It contains about 25% alcohol, both residually from the extraction process and for preservation and assimilation purposes.

• Take it every day if you like, for the rest of your life. There are no negative side effects and the herbs are very safe. All the herbs in this formulation have been used for over 2,000 years.

Tibetan Magic Elixir

• Tibetan Magic is a premade elixir that contains many of the most powerful anti-aging, brain tonifying tonic herbs.

• Use ¼ to ½ pounch each time, straight or mixed with tea (preferably Spring Dragon Longevity Tea – provided in the package).

Spring Dragon Longevity Tea

• Spring Dragon Longevity Tea is a super-infused longevity tea made with 6 of the most important tonic herbs in the world.

• The base tea is made from fresh, organic Gynostemma leaves grown semi-wildly in pristine Great Immortal Peak.

• Spring Dragon Longevity Tea is meant to be taken as a daily tea, throughout one’s lifetime. It has natural anti-inflammatory activity that may slow down inflammaging. It is very, very good for the brain.

• It is bi-directional, so it may be consumed in the morning, during the day, or even at bedtime.

Zhuang Zi

Zhuang Zi was an enlightened genius who lived 2000 years ago. He was Lao Zi’s playful disciple. He was a real joker. And he could really tell a story. He understood relationships (Yin and Yan) very well, and especially the relationship between the Mind and the Body.

“The Need to Win”

When an archer is shooting for nothing

He has all his skill.

If he shoots for a brass buckle

He is already nervous.

If he shoots for a prize of gold

He goes blind.

Or sees two targets –

He is out of his mind!

His skill has not changed. But the prize

Divides him. He cares.

He thinks more of winning

Than of shooting –

And the need to win

Drains him of power.

Be the Light

Ron Teeguarden, Dan-O Sun Sha, 2014

Diamond Mind - tas-2014.s3. · PDF filePower of the Brain ... Deep Breathing, Zen, Qigong and...

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