Bak Fu Pai Herbal Origins

A complete kung fu system instructs martial arts training and promotes health through physical conditioning, qigong and herbs. Every student of kung fu must be on an herbal regimen, as should anyone who desires strong and enduring health. The Bak Fu Pai herbal formulas are “remedies for the common people” which come from the Shaolin era and the Doo Family. Our herbal prescriptions date back nearly three thousand years. Most of the formulas come from three places: The Southern Shaolin Temple, The Daoist Temple in O’Mei and the Doo family. The Doo family is a lineage of doctors and healers renowned for their 150 generations of healing knowledge. During the Tang dynasty, beginning around 618 AD, the Doo ancestors served as physicians to the Royal Court.

It is historically documented that the Southern Shaolin Temple in Fukien was the most advanced temple for kung fu. The northern temple was well treated as it was closer to the northern border and was under control early on by the invading Manchurians at the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. The Southern Temple in Fukien was a hot bed of training and organized resistance for the reestablishment of control by ethnic Chinese Han. The Southern provinces were prominently revolutionist dominated areas, which gave way to much conflict and warfare. It is commonly known, but not disclosed that the Triad, a revolutionist underground that originally sought to restore the Ming and overthrow foreign rulers, stemmed from this region.

It was during this tumultuous era that the Shaolin Temples were burned and destroyed. Five advanced monks managed to escape the burning of the Southern Temple. Fung Do Duk, who later founded Bak Fu Pai, held the highest rank among the five and was personally responsible for salvaging the herbal recipes. Bak Fu Pai and Bak Mei Pai, another discipline developed directly by one of the 5 ancestors, are the only two inheritors of the original formulas into the late 20th century. Bak Fu Pai is the only remaining system to hold all the formulas into the present generation.

People have done their best to imitate the formulas with or without the incomplete knowledge handed down from of any number of lower ranking brothers that survived from various temples. However, the 5 ancestors are the only few who had complete herbal knowledge developed and perfected over a thousand years within the temples. Because of the preciousness of the original dit da famulas, the herbal knowledge and associated qigong are preserved by only the most advanced practitioners of Bak Fu Pai.

In the preparation of herbal formulas, it is critical that each ingredient be prepared properly and combined precisely according to recipe. This process is time consuming. Quite often, corners are cut or the preparer lacks sufficient information regarding accurate herbal formulation. Therefore, quality is lost. The idea that any potent herb can be randomly mixed with other herbs is flawed yet widely practiced. Most herbs must be combined in very specific ways in order to be effective. A very large percentage of herbal products on the market today are sub par as they are not in correct form, and certainly most have not been properly combined. The formulas prepared by practitioners of Bak Fu Pai conform strictly to the original Shaolin and Doo Family prescriptions.

Many herbs have contraindications, much like medicines. An example is sugar to ginseng. These are necessary details to be aware of when taking any herbal supplement. Herbs can be served in tinctures, teas, soups, or extracts. Raw herbs may also be consumed, but only certain kinds are beneficial in this manner. Diet is another significant piece of the picture. Eating a balanced meal in terms of leung and yeet (hot and cold) is important. Part of the herbal knowledge encompassed in the Bak Fu Pai system concerns the proper administration of formula, qigong, herbs and diet to achieve the maximum benefit.