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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese herbology | 2/5 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_herbology | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T09:18:01.077830+00:00 | kb-cron |
Typically, one batch of medicinals is prepared as a decoction of about 9 to 18 substances. Some of these are considered as main herbs, some as ancillary herbs; within the ancillary herbs, up to three categories can be distinguished. Some ingredients are added to cancel out toxicity or side-effects of the main ingredients; on top of that, some medicinals require the use of other substances as catalysts.
=== Chinese patent medicine ===
Chinese patent medicine (中成藥; 中成药; zhōngchéng yào) is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. They are standardized herbal formulas. From ancient times, pills were formed by combining several herbs and other ingredients, which were dried and ground into a powder. They were then mixed with a binder and formed into pills by hand. The binder was traditionally honey. Modern teapills, however, are extracted in stainless steel extractors to create either a water decoction or water-alcohol decoction, depending on the herbs used. They are extracted at a low temperature (below 100 °C (212 °F)) to preserve essential ingredients. The extracted liquid is then further condensed, and some raw herb powder from one of the herbal ingredients is mixed in to form a herbal dough. This dough is then machine cut into tiny pieces, a small amount of excipients are added for a smooth and consistent exterior, and they are spun into pills. These medicines are not patented in the traditional sense of the word. No one has exclusive rights to the formula. Instead, "patent" refers to the standardization of the formula. In China, all Chinese patent medicines of the same name will have the same proportions of ingredients, and manufactured in accordance with the PRC Pharmacopoeia, which is mandated by law. However, in western countries there may be variations in the proportions of ingredients in patent medicines of the same name, and even different ingredients altogether. Several producers of Chinese herbal medicines are pursuing FDA clinical trials to market their products as drugs in U.S. and European markets.
=== Chinese herbal extracts === Chinese herbal extracts are herbal decoctions that have been condensed into a granular or powdered form. Herbal extracts, similar to patent medicines, are easier and more convenient for patients to take. The industry extraction standard is 5:1, meaning for every five pounds of raw materials, one pound of herbal extract is derived.
== Categorization == There are several different methods to classify traditional Chinese medicinals:
The Four Natures (四氣; 四气; sìqì) The Five Flavors (五味; wǔwèi) The meridians (經絡; 经络; jīngluò) The specific function.
=== Four Natures === The Four Natures are: hot (熱; 热), warm (溫; 温), cool (涼), cold (寒) or neutral (平). Hot and warm herbs are used to treat cold diseases, while cool and cold herbs are used to treat hot diseases.
=== Five Flavors ===
The Five Flavors, sometimes also translated as Five Tastes, are: acrid/pungent (辛), sweet (甘), bitter (苦), sour (酸), and salty (鹹; 咸). Substances may also have more than one flavor, or none (i.e., a bland (淡) flavor). Each of the Five Flavors corresponds to one of the zàng organs, which in turn corresponds to one of the Five Phases: A flavor implies certain properties and presumed therapeutic "actions" of a substance: saltiness "drains downward and softens hard masses"; sweetness is "supplementing, harmonizing, and moistening"; pungent substances are thought to induce sweat and act on qi and blood; sourness tends to be astringent (澀; 涩) in nature; bitterness "drains heat, purges the bowels, and eliminates dampness".
=== Specific function === These categories mainly include:
exterior-releasing or exterior-resolving heat-clearing downward-draining or precipitating wind-damp-dispelling dampness-transforming promoting the movement of water and percolating dampness or dampness-percolating interior-warming qi-regulating or qi-rectifying dispersing food accumulation or food-dispersing worm-expelling stopping bleeding or blood-stanching quickening the Blood and dispelling stasis or blood-quickening or blood-moving. transforming phlegm, stopping coughing and calming wheezing or phlegm-transforming and cough- and panting-suppressing Spirit-quieting or Shen-calming. calming the Liver and expelling wind or liver-calming and wind-extinguishing orifice-opening supplementing or tonifying: this includes qi-supplementing, blood-nourishing, yin-enriching, and yang-fortifying astriction-promoting or securing and astringing vomiting-inducing substances for external application
== Nomenclature == Many herbs earn their names from their unique physical appearance. Examples of such names include Niu Xi (Radix cyathulae seu achyranthis), 'cow's knees,' which has big joints that might look like cow knees; Bai Mu Er (Fructificatio tremellae fuciformis), 'white wood ear', which is white and resembles an ear; Gou Ji (Rhizoma cibotii), 'dog spine,' which resembles the spine of a dog.
=== Color === Color is not only a valuable means of identifying herbs, but in many cases also provides information about the therapeutic attributes of the herb. For example, yellow herbs are referred to as huang (yellow) or jin (gold). Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri) means 'yellow fir", and Jin Yin Hua (Flos Lonicerae) has the label 'golden silver flower."
=== Smell and taste === Unique flavors define specific names for some substances. Gan means 'sweet,' so Gan Cao (Radix glycyrrhizae) is 'sweet herb,' an adequate description for the licorice root. Ku means 'bitter', thus Ku Shen (Sophorae flavescentis) translates as 'bitter herb.'
=== Geographic location === The locations or provinces in which herbs are grown often figure into herb names. For example, Bei Sha Shen (Radix glehniae) is grown and harvested in northern China, whereas Nan Sha Shen (Radix adenophorae) originated in southern China. And the Chinese words for north and south are respectively bei and nan. Chuan Bei Mu (Bulbus fritillariae cirrhosae) and Chuan Niu Xi (Radix cyathulae) are both found in Sichuan province, as the character chuan indicates in their names.
=== Function === Some herbs, like Fang Feng (Radix Saposhnikoviae), literally 'prevent wind,' preventing or treating wind-related illnesses. Xu Duan (Radix Dipsaci), literally 'restore the broken,' treating torn soft tissues and broken bones.