Introduction to

Herbology
History and Properties

History of Herbology
• The Huang Di Nei Jing (~200 BCE) sets up the philosophical
foundations for Chinese medicine. While it does discuss the use
of tastes and properties, it does not include much information
about herbs. Only 12 prescriptions and 28 substances are
mentioned.

• The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (~100 CE) is the first text to to
focus on individual herbs. It contains 365 entries, including plants,
minerals, and animal parts.

• In the sixth century, Daoist Tao Hong-Jing reconstructed the

Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing. This text described 730 herbs, with
additional information such as methods of preparation. He divided
the herbs into three categories (upper, middle, lower).
History of Herbology
• In 1596, Li Shi-Zhen published the Ben Cao Gong Mu (Grand
Materia Medica). It took him 27 years to compile and included
1,892 medicinal substances and 11,000 herbal formulas.

• In 1977, the Jiangsu College of New Medicine published the

Zhong Yao Da Ci Dian (Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese
Medicinal Substances). It includes 5,767 entries.

• The ten-volume Zhong Hua Ben Cao (Chinese Materia

Medica), published in 2002, contains almost 9,000 entries.

• Our textbook, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Materia Medica by

Dan Bensky contains 480 principal entries.

Versus Western Herbology

• Chinese herbology emphasizes the combination of herbs
into prescriptions or formulas.

• Rather than treating symptoms or diseases, Chinese

herbs are prescribed to treat patterns of disharmony.

• Properties such as taste, temperature, and entering

channels give us an idea of what types of patterns each
herb can treat.
Temperature (the Four Qi)
“Hot diseases must be cooled; cold diseases must be warmed.”
- Huang Di Nei Jing, Chapter 74

热 rè Hot

温 wēn Warm

平 píng Neutral

凉 liáng Cool

寒 hán Cold

Slightly Cold → same as cool, or slightly less cold than cool

Slightly Warm → less hot than warm

These designations are subjective, and may vary from text to text.

The Five Tastes/Flavors

Each herb is assigned one or more tastes (味 wèi). The taste
of an herb partly determines its therapeutic action.

• Sour herbs induce astringency and prevent leakage.

• Bitter herbs clear heat and drain fire, and dry dampness.

• Sweet herbs tonify and moisten.

• Acrid/Pungent herbs disperse and move.

• Salty substances soften and purge.

The Five Flavors
Sour (酸 saūn) herbs induce astringency to prevent
or stop the abnormal leakage of qi and fluids.

• induce astringency
• stabilize and bind these all mean the same thing
• stop leakage

Examples of leakage:
• cough
• sweating
• incontinence, frequent urination, bedwetting
• chronic diarrhea
• seminal emission, vaginal discharge

Example: Suan Zao Ren (sour date seed) is sour in flavor. It induces astringency to stop sweating,
treating spontaneous sweating and night sweats.

⚠ Caution: Sour herbs are used in longstanding cases due to deficiency. If used in excess cases, they
may trap the pathogen inside the body.

The Five Flavors

Bitter (苦 kǔ) herbs have two functions:

1. Clear heat and drain fire

2. Dry dampness

• Bitter herbs tend to have a downward direction - that is, they clear heat and
drain fire downwards.

• Bitter and cold herbs treat conditions of damp-heat.

• Bitter and warm herbs treat conditions due to cold-damp.

Example: Ku Shen (sohpora root) is bitter in flavor. It treats thick, yellow, foul-smelling vaginal
discharge due to damp-heat in the lower jiao.

⚠ Caution: Since bitter herbs are drying in nature, they should be used with caution in cases
of yin deficiency.
The Five Flavors
Sweet (⽢甘 gān) herbs tonify and moisten.

Example: Gan Cao (licorice root) is sweet in flavor. It tonifies Spleen qi to treat fatigue,
shortness of breath, and loose stools.

⚠ Caution: Sweet herbs are often rich and cloying, so they may cause digestion problems or
middle-jiao stagnation.

The Five Flavors

Acrid (⾟辛 xīn) herbs move and disperse.

• Acrid herbs are used in cases of stagnation, such as qi stagnation, blood

stagnation, or cold stagnation.

• Acrid herbs also disperse outwards to dispel pathogenic factors from the
superficial levels of the body. So we can also say that acrid herbs also
promote sweating to release the exterior.

Example: Xi Xin (wild ginger) is acrid in flavor. It releases the exterior and disperses cold from
the channels to alleviate pain.

⚠ Caution: Acrid herbs are dispersing and drying. Therefore they should be used cautiously
in cases of deficiency.
The Five Flavors
Salty (咸 xián) herbs soften hardness and purge
accumulations.

• By tradition, substances that come from animals or insects are marked as

being salty in flavor.

Example: Hai Zao (seaweed) is salty in flavor. It softens hard nodules and lumps such as
goiter and scrofula.

Five Phase Correspondences

Each of the five flavor corresponds to one of the five phases:

Sour Wood Liver

Bitter Fire Heart

Sweet Earth Spleen

Acrid Metal Lung

Salty Water Kidney

Using these five-phase correspondences, we can say that each taste has an affinity for a
certain organ or channel.

For example, herbs that are salty or have been processed with salt enter the Kidney and
treat Kidney-related disorders.
Five Phase Correspondences

“
Qi Bo:
…

Now,
the five flavors enter the stomach, [whence]
each of them turns to its preferred [depot].

Hence
sour [flavor] first enters the liver;
bitter [flavor] first enters the heart;
sweet [flavor] first enters the spleen;

”
acrid [flavor] first enters the lung;
salty [flavor] first enters the kidneys.

- Ling Shu, Chapter 74

Additional Properties
• Bland herbs promote urination to drain dampness.

• Aromatic herbs open the orifices, awaken the Spleen,

and transform dampness.

• Astringent herbs stop leakage. They are similar to sour

herbs, but they may not have a sour taste.
The Five Flavors
Wood Sour Astringes Enters the Liver
(⽊木 mù) (酸 saūn) Prevents leakage of fluids or qi

Fire Bitter Clears heat Enters the Heart

(⽕火 huǒ) (苦 kǔ) Dries dampness

Earth Sweet Tonifies Enters the Spleen

(⼟土 tǔ) (⽢甘 gān) Moistens

Metal Acrid Disperses and moves Enters the Lung

(⾦金金 jīn) (⾟辛 xīn)

Water Salty Softens hardness Enters the Kidney

(⽔水 shuǐ) (咸 xián) Purges accumulation
Animal parts

Bland Promotes urination

(淡 dàn) Leaches out dampness

Astringent Stops leakage

(涩 sè)

Aromatic Revives Spleen

(⾹香 xiāng) Opens orifices

Entering Channels
• Describes the main characteristics or actions of an herb in
relation to the channels and organs.

• This concept was not present in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing.
It was first presented by Zhang Yuan-Su during the Jin-Yuan
dynasty.

• There is much disagreement between sources regarding

herbs’ entering channels.

• Some herbs are considered “Guiding Herbs” and can direct

the action of a formula to a particular part of the body.

• For example, Jie Geng is a guiding herb to the Lung.

 Chinese Name
Latin Name This herb enters the Lung
This herb is cool
in temperature, channel because it releases
the exterior and vents
meaning it can
treat heat bò hé rashes (the Lung governs
conditions. the exterior and the skin).
menthae haplocalycis herba
It enters the Liver channel
Temp: cool
Taste: acrid, aromatic because it moves Liver qi
Channels: LU, LV and brightens the eyes (the
Dosage: 3-6 grams (add last 5 minutes)
eyes are governed by the
The taste is acrid, Liver).
referring to its 1. expels wind-heat invasion
ability to disperse
wind-heat
• clears the head, brightens eyes, and benefits the throat
pathogens and 2. vents skin rash
move Liver qi.
• for early stage rash, measles
Its aromatic 3. gently moves Liver qi
property refers to
its ability to clear
the head and
brighten the eyes.

Direction
Some herbs have a directional quality - they may move upward,
downward, inward, outward, or guide other herbs to a certain
part of the body.

FOR EXAMPLE:

• Flowers have a light, ascending nature. They can treat symptoms in

the head and face, such as headache and eye problems.

• Roots and minerals have a heavy, down-bearing energy. They can

anchor ascendant yang.

• Disorders that move upwards (cough, nausea, vomiting) can be

countered by herbs that move downwards.

• Disorders that move downward (diarrhea, rectal prolapse) can be

countered by herbs that move upwards.

• An inward invasion (common cold) can be countered with herbs that

disperse outward.
Cautions/Contraindications
• With hot syndromes, hot herbs should not be used.

• With cold syndromes, cold herbs should not be used.

• With exterior conditions, sour and astringent herbs should not be

used.

• Cold herbs may damage the Spleen; they should not be used in
cases of Spleen deficiency.

• Bitter or acrid herbs may be drying; they should not be used in

cases of yin or blood deficiency.

• Certain herbs are contraindicated during pregnancy and/or

breastfeeding. These herbs may be toxic, or the may have a strong
downward action that could promote labor.

Toxicology
• Some herbs are marked “toxic” or “slightly toxic”

• This may mean the herb can cause certain uncomfortable

side effects, or it may mean the herb is deadly in larger
dosages

• The toxicity of an herb can be mitigated in several ways:

• reduce the dosage
• combine with other herbs to reduce the side effects
• prepare the herb (e.g. stir-fry with ginger juice)
• cook the herb longer than the rest of the decoction
Dosages
• 钱 qián - unit of measurement roughly equal to 3 grams

• normal dosage is 3-9 grams (or 1-3 qian)

• heavier herbs → larger dosage

e.g. minerals such as Long Gu

• lighter herbs → smaller dosage

e.g. Bo He (mint leaf)

• toxic herbs → smaller dosage

e.g. Quan Xie (scorpion)

Doctrine of Signatures
⽪皮 pí skin, peel, bark Enter the skin or the superficial layers of the body.

枝 zhī twig Enter the limbs.

藤 tèng vine Enter the channels and collaterals.

Are light and ascending.

花 huā flower Can guide other herbs to the upper body.

Heavy and descending.

⼦子 zǐ seed May contain oils that are moistening and lubricating.

Heavy and descending.

仁 rén seed, kernel May contain oils that are moistening and lubricating.

⽯石 shí stone Minerals tend to be heavy, sedating, and anchoring.

Botany and Latin Terms
• Radix - root

• Rhizome - horizontal underground

stem with lateral offshoots

• Herba - leaf

• Folium - leaf

• Flos - flower

• Fructus - fruit

• Pericarpium - peel

• Semen - seed

• Cornu - horn

• Caulis - main part of stem or body of

tree

Drug/Herb Interactions
• Use caution when the therapeutic effect of an herb
matches the effect of a drug to avoid a synergistic or
additive effect
• Sympathomimetics
• Anti-coagulants
• Diuretics

• Use caution with prescription drugs with a narrow

therapeutic index
• Warfarin (coumadin)
• Lithium
• Tricyclic antidepressants
Common Chinese - Plant Parts
根 gēn root gé gēn (peurariae radix)

叶 yè leaf sāng yè (mori folium)

枝 zhī twig ghì zhī (cinnamomi ramulus)

⼦子 zǐ seed juē míng zǐ (cassiae semen)

仁 rén seed, kernel suān zǎo rén (zizyphi spinosae semen)

花 huā flower jú huā (chrysanthemi flos)

⽪皮 pí skin, peel, bark chén pí (citri reticulatae pericarpium)

草 cǎo herb, grass gān cǎo (glycyrrhizae radix)

藤 tèng vine gōu tèng (uncariae ramulus cum uncis)

⽯石 shí stone shí gāo (gypsum fibrosum)

⾖豆 dòu bean lù dóu (phaseoli semen radiati)

Common Chinese - Colors

⻘青 qīng green or blue dà qīng yè (isatidis folium)

绿 lù green lù dóu (phaseoli semen radiati)

红 hóng red hóng huā (carthami flos)

⾚赤 chì bright red chì sháo (paeoniae radix rubra)

⻩黄 huáng yellow huáng qín (scutellaria radix)

bái zhú
⽩白 bái white
(atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma)

⿊黑 hēi black hēi zhī má (sesame semen nigrum)

⾦金金 jīn gold yù jīn (curcumae radix)

紫 zǐ purple zǐ cǎo (lithospermi radix)