Chinese herbology

People in China have used plants for a long time. They use roots and leaves to stay well. Some people also use parts from animals. Some people even use minerals from the ground.

A long time ago, a man named Shennong tasted many plants. He wanted to see if they could help. Today, people still use these old ways to help the body. It is a very old way to care for people.

Chinese herbology is a very old way to treat people. Most treatments use plants like roots and leaves. But they also use parts from animals and minerals from the ground. Some things used can even be poisonous.

A legendary man named Shennong is said to have started this. He lived a long time ago. He tasted hundreds of plants to see how they worked. One old book grouped these items into three kinds. The first kind was "Superior." These were safe to use for a long time. The second kind was "Medium." These could be a little bit toxic. The third kind was "Inferior." These were for specific illnesses and could be more dangerous.

People make medicine in different ways. One way is a decoction. This is a liquid made by boiling herbs in water.

They also make patent medicine. These are pills made from dried powders. In the past, people used honey to hold the pills together. Now, machines make tiny pills that are easy to take.

Chinese herbology is a deep system of healing. It is the main part of traditional Chinese medicine. Most people think it only uses plants. However, it also uses parts from animals and minerals. Some substances used are even poisonous. In Chinese, these are called yào, which means "poison-medicine." This is similar to how the Greek word for medicine works.

How does this medicine work? One common way is a decoction. This is a liquid made by boiling herbs in water.

A single batch usually has 9 to 18 different substances. Some are main herbs that do the heavy work. Others are ancillary herbs that help the main ones. Some ingredients are even added to cancel out side effects.

This practice has a very long history. A legendary figure named Shénnóng is said to be the founder. He lived around 2800 BCE. He is said to have tasted hundreds of herbs himself. The Běn Cǎo Jīng is an important book linked to him. It groups 365 substances into three groups. "Superior" herbs are safe for long-term health. "Medium" herbs have mild toxicity. "Inferior" herbs are for specific illnesses and can be more toxic.

Many important books were written over the centuries. Zhang Zhongjing wrote a famous text near 220 CE. He organized medicine around symptom patterns. Later, Li Shizhen wrote the Compendium of Materia Medica during the Ming dynasty. This book is still used for reference today. There are about 13,000 medicinals used in China. Ancient literature even records over 100,000 different recipes.

Scientists use different ways to group these medicines. One way is the Five Flavors. These include sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and pungent. Each flavor is linked to a specific organ. Another way is the Four Natures. These are hot, warm, cool, cold, or neutral. Herbs that are hot might treat cold diseases.

People also name herbs by how they look. For example, "cow's knees" has joints that look like a cow's knee. "White wood ear" looks like a white ear.

Chinese herbology is the foundational theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy. It serves as the primary method of treatment within traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). While the name suggests only plants are used, the practice is much broader. It incorporates animal, human, and mineral products. Some of these substances are actually poisonous. In Chinese, these are called yào, which translates to "poison-medicine." This etymology is similar to the way the word medicine is used in Greek.

To understand how these medicines are prepared, one must look at the decoction. A decoction is a liquid prepared by boiling a batch of medicinals in water. Most prescriptions consist of 9 to 18 different substances. In the People's Republic of China, 99% of prescriptions contain between 6 and 20 herbs. Within a single recipe, herbs are assigned specific roles. There are main herbs that perform the primary work. There are also ancillary herbs, which can be divided into three categories: Chen, Zun, and Chi. Some ingredients act as catalysts, while others are added specifically to cancel out the toxicity or side effects of the main ingredients.

Modern technology has also created standardized versions of these treatments. Chinese patent medicine refers to standardized herbal formulas. In the past, practitioners formed pills by mixing dried, ground herbs with a binder like honey. Today, many are made as teapills. These are created using stainless steel extractors to make a water or water-alcohol decoction. The extraction happens at low temperatures, below 60 degrees Celsius, to preserve essential ingredients. The liquid is then condensed and mixed with herb powder to form a dough. This dough is machine-cut and spun into pills. In China, all patent medicines of the same name must use the same proportions of ingredients.

The history of this practice spans thousands of years. Legend credits a figure named Shénnóng, the "Divine Farmer," as the founder. He reportedly lived around 2800 BCE and tasted hundreds of herbs to test them. The Běn Cǎo Jīng is an important classic attributed to him. It classifies 365 substances into three distinct tiers. "Superior" herbs are safe for long-term use to maintain health. "Medium" herbs have therapeutic action but may have mild toxicity depending on the dose. "Inferior" herbs are used for specific illnesses and have a higher potential for toxicity.

Over time, scholars developed more organized medical texts. Near the end of the Han dynasty, around 196 to 220 CE, Zhang Zhongjing compiled the Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders and Miscellaneous Illnesses. This was the first text to organize principles around symptom patterns. Later, during the Ming dynasty, Li Shizhen compiled the Compendium of Materia Medica. This massive work is still used for reference today. The scale of the practice is enormous, with roughly 13,000 medicinals used in China and over 100,000 recorded recipes.

Practitioners use several systems to categorize these substances. One system is the Four Natures, which includes hot, warm, cool, cold, and neutral. For example, hot and warm herbs are used to treat cold diseases. Another system is the Five Flavors: acrid, sweet, bitter, sour, and salty. These flavors correspond to specific organs and the Five Phases.

Each flavor implies a specific action. Saltiness is thought to soften hard masses, while sweetness is used for moisturizing. Bitterness is used to drain heat and purge the bowels. Sourness acts as an astringent, and pungent substances are thought to induce sweat.

Naming conventions in Chinese herbology often reflect the physical world. Many herbs are named for their appearance. "Cow's knees" refers to a plant with large joints. "White wood ear" describes a plant that looks like an ear. Others are named by color, such as "yellow fir." Even the taste is used in naming, such as the "sweet herb," which is licorice root. While many of these traditions are ancient, modern research continues to investigate their efficacy. Some studies have raised concerns about specific herbs, such as Aristolochia, which is thought to cause cancer. Currently, some producers are conducting FDA clinical trials to bring these products to Western markets.