Introduction to Chinese

    Herbal Medicine

    中藥學導論

    Zhang-Jin Zhang (張樟進), Professor

    School of Chinese Medicine, HKU

    BCHM3701 Contents

    ? Properties and clinical use principles

    of Chinese herbal medicine

    ? Commonly used herbs

    ? Composition principles of herb

    formulae

    ? Modern research of Chinese herbal

    medicine

    ? Q A TCM-based pharmacological

    properties of herbs

    ? Four natures (四性)

    ? Five flavors (五味)

    ? Lifting, lowering, floating, and

    sinking (升降沉浮)

    ? Meridian affinity (歸經)

    ? Toxicity (毒性) The four natures (四性)

    ? The four natures of herbs refers to “Cold (寒)”,“Cool (涼)”, “Warm (溫)” and “Hot (熱)”.

    ? These four natures are used to describe cold-

    like or hot-like treatment effects, but not

    physical properties of herbs.

    ? The four natures have opposing effects. Warm

    and hot herbs have some common properties,with stronger effects of hot herbs than warm

    herbs, and cold herbs than cool herbs. The four natures

    ? Cold herbs are used to treat hot

    diseases and warm herbs to cold

    diseases (热者寒之，寒者热之)。

    ? Coldcool herbs: for heat, hot, and fire

    syndromes (inflammatory conditions)

    ? Warmhot herbs: for cold, weak and

    deficient syndromes (such as immune-

    deficient conditions) The five flavors (五味)

    ? The five flavors are generally said: sour

    (酸), bitter (苦), sweet (甘), acrid (辛),and salty (咸), sometimes also including

    bland (淡) and puckeryastringent (涩)。

    ? While the five flavors may reflect real

    flavors of herbs tasted, they more

    represent different pharmacological

    actions of herbs.

    ? Sour, bitter, and salty belong to Yin;

    acrid, sweet and bland belong to Yang. Sour (酸)

    ? Sour herbs can astringe and arrest

    secretion and discharge (收斂, 固澀).

    ? Sour herbs can be used to treat

    sweating due to debility and

    diarrhea, e. g., Shan-Zhu-Yu (山茱萸)

    and Wu-Wei-Zi (五味子) for

    spermatorrhea and sweating.

    Bitter (苦)

    ? Eliminating actions (消):

    ? remove heat by catharsis (瀉下): Da-Huang (大黃);

    ? suppressing abnormally rising Qi (降逆): almond

    (杏仁) for cough and asthma;

    ? Disperse heat (清熱), Zhi-Zi (梔子) to sedate

    agitation due to strong heat.

    ? Drying action: dry dampness (燥濕).

    ? Warm-bitter herbs for cold-dampness (苦溫燥濕),e.g., Cang-Zhu (蒼術) for cold edema and stomach

    fullness.

    ? Cold-bitter herbs for heat-dampness (苦寒清熱),e.g., Coptis chinensis (Huang-Lian, 黃連) for

    dysentery.

    Sweet (甘)

    ? Functions:

    ? Tonic and restorative (補益)

    ? Stomach-regulating (和中)

    ? Spasm-soothing (緩急)

    ? In general, sweet herbs are used to treat

    deficiency conditions, spasm and pain, and

    harmonize other herbs and reduce toxicity,e.g., Licorice Root (甘草), malt sugar (飴糖),radix codonopsitis (Dangshen, 黨參)。

    Acrid (辛)

    ? Functions:

    ? Dispersing (發散)

    ? promoting Qi and blood circulation (行氣

    行血)

    ? Moisturized (潤養).

    ? Acrid herbs are often used for superficial

    syndrome, Qi- and blood-stagnation, e.g.,ephedrine (麻黃), Mu-Xiang (木香). Salty (咸)

    ? Functions:

    ? soften and dissolve hard masses (軟堅

    散結)

    ? Induce catharsis (瀉下).

    ? Salty herbs are often used to treat

    scrofula (瘰癧), subcutaneous nodules,abdominal masses, and constipation due

    to Heat accumulation. Lifting, lowering, floating, and

    sinking (升降沉浮) ......