Chinese Herbal Medicine
Medicinal plants have been used in China for centuries. The first plants discovered were used primarily for digestive problems. With time and the discovery of the properties of other plants, were used for the treatment of pathologies increasingly diverse.
Each plant has a number of properties, including its energy, its flavor, its movement and meridians to which it relates.
Energy. The four types of energy are: cold, fresh, warm and hot. In general, plants and fresh cold treat fever, thirst, sore throat and disease “hot” as inflammatory. Temperate or warm herbs will treat cold feeling in the legs, cold pain and cold diseases.
Taste. The five flavors of the dishes are: Spicy, sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
Spicy herbs are commonly used to induce perspiration and promote circulation of blood and Qi. They are often used for surface disorders.
Sweet plants have three main functions: to stimulate the deficiency, harmonizing other herbs or reduce toxicity, relieve pain and slow the progression of acute diseases. Herbs acid also has three functions: contracting, obstruct and solidify. They help stop perspiration, stop diarrhea, seminal emission or stop leucorrhoea.
Savory herbs soften hardness, lubricate intestines and promote emptying. Used for constipation, kidney stones, gout, etc.. Bitter herbs induce bowel movements, reduce fevers and hot sensations, redirect the Qi imbalance, dry off the moisture and heat. They can also nourish the kidneys and are used to treat damp diseases.
Movement. After an herb has been absorbed by a patient can move in four directions: upward toward the head down towards the legs inward toward the internal organs and outward, toward the body surface. Plants with upward motion are used for symptoms of “falling”, as the prolapse. The downward movement of plants are used to bring down rising trend symptoms such as vomiting or coughing. The outward movement of plants used to induce perspiration and treat superficial symptoms that you are moving inside the body. Plants induce inward movement bowel movements and promote digestion.
Meridians. Each meridian corresponds to a herb or more. For example, the Jie Geng corresponds to the meridian of the lungs and can be used for asthma and coughs.
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