Methods of Herb Classifications

Eight Therapeutic Methods

Herbs are grouped by their actions and the eight therapeutic methods are to promote:
Sweating (Han4)
Induce vomiting (Tu4)
Purge (Xia4)
Harmonize (He2)
Warm (Wen1)
Clear (Qing1)
Tonify (Bu3)
Reduce (Xiao1)

Therapeutic Actions of Herbs

Another means of grouping information about herbs is to identify which channels an herb enters.
This is an attempt to describe the main therapeutic actions of a substance in relation to the pathological changes in particular channels and organs.

Most text classify herbs based on the therapeutic function of each substance. The following terms are used to describe the effects various herbs have on Qi, Blood, Shen (spirit), Yin, Yang, body fluids or pathogens:

1. Disperse 2. Astringe 3. Tonify 4. Sedate 5. Warm

6. Cool 7. Moisten 8. Dry 9. Eliminate Toxin 10. Move

<Top>

Guiding Herbs

Certain Herbs has the “guiding” or “leading” (Yin3) property to “guide” or “lead” other herbal constituents of a prescription into a particular channel or Organ.

This means that the inclusion of a substance in a prescription will focus the effects of the prescription on a certain channel and its related Organ.

The concept of direction refers to the dynamic or developmental movement of the disease and to the directional affinity of the herbs.

There are disorders that move upwards (such as cough and voniting), downwards (diarrhea, dysentery, prolapse of rectum), inward (transformation from a common cold to pneumonia) and outward (spontaneous or night perspiration). Herbs used for treatment of these conditions are to redirect or balance the qi.

Examples:

• Flowers or rapidly-growing plants tend to carry lighter, or upward-moving qi.
• Substances found deeper in the earth, such as roots or minerals, often possess heavier, or downward-bearing energy.

<Top>

Directional Tendency of Herbs

Each herbs has a functional tendency to either rise, fall, float, or sink and that this tendency is indicative of the types of clinical situations in which it can be effectively used.

Herbs that rise and float primarily move upward and outward, promoting sweating, dispersing cold, expelling wind, and raising the yang.

Herbs that fall and sink primarily move downward and inward, redirecting rebellious qi, calming wheezing, preventing abnormal loss of fluids, and anchoring ascendant yang.

Descending herbs move qi downward; sinking herbs keep the empty yang from floating upward; ascending herbs move the qi upward; floating herbs keep the Organs from collapsing.

<Top>

Techniques for Combining Herbs

Medicinal substances are combined:
• To increase or promote therapeutic effectiveness.
• To minimize toxicity or side effects.
• To accommodate complex clinical situations and to alter the actions of the substances.

At present, most prescriptions contain between six and twelve substances.

<Top>

The Effects of combining Herbs

Seven features of herbal combination

There are seven features used to describe the effect of combining two herbs.

1. Mutual accentuation (Xiang1 Xu1) - The combination of two herbs with similar functions to accentuate their therapeutic actions.
2. Mutual enhancement (Xiang1 Shi3) - The combination of two or more herbs with different actions in which one of the herbs enhances the effect of the other in a specific clinical situation.
3. Mutual counteraction (Xian1 Wei4) - A combination in which one herb's toxicity or side effects are reduced or eliminated by another herb.
4. Mutual suppression (Xiang1 Sha1) - This is the converse of mutual counteration that one herb also reduces the undesirable side effects of another.
5. Mutual antagonism (Xiang1 Wu4) - The ability of two herbs to minimize or neutralize each other's positive effects.
6. Mutual incompatibility (Xiang1 Fan3) - This occurs when the combination of two herbs gives rise to side effects or toxicity caused by neither herbs when used alone.
7. Single effect (Dan1 Xing2) - The use of a single herb to treat a patient.

The Principles of Combining Medicinal Substances

Traditionally the principles of combining medicinal substances were expressed in terms of feudal hierarchy:

The chief or king (jun1) - The principal ingredient that provides the main therapeutic thrust of the prescription.
The deputies or ministers (chen2) - Enhance or assist the therapeutic actions of the chiefs.
The assistants (zuo3) - provide one or more of the following functions:
• Treat accompanying symptoms
• Moderate the harshness or toxicity of the primary substances
• Assist the chief and the deputies in accomplishing their main objectives
• Provide assistance from another therapeutic direction (such as the addition of cooling substances to warming prescriptions, or vice versa)
The envoys (shi3) - Guide the other herbs to a specific channel or Organ, or Exert a harmonizing effect, i.e. Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis).

There is no rule that all these principles be used in composing every prescription. There are many simple prescription that contain only a chief and deputies, and there are prescriptions in which one substance possesses more than one action.

<Top>

Cautions and Contraindications

Chinese herbs are in general very safe and easy to use. Aside from questions of toxicity, there are 3 major types of contraindications or prohibitions in using these herbs.

1. Prohibited combinations

• Nineteen antagonisms (Shi2 Jiu3 Fan3)
• The eighteen incompatibilities (Shi2 Ba1 fan3), so-called because they are composed of 3 sets with a total of 18 incompatible substances.

2. Prohibitions during pregnancy

Some herbs can cause problems for the fetus or even lead to miscarriage. These are contraindicated during pregnancy, and they should be prescribed with the utmost caution and only for carefully selected patients.

Examples:

• Herbs that are toxic or extremely harsh:
Ba Dou (Semen Croton Tiglii), Da Ji (Radix Euphorbiae seu Knoxiae), E Zhu (Rhizoma Curcumae), She Xiang (Secretio Moschus).

• Herbs that invigorate the blood and dispel stasis:
Tao Ren (Semen Persicae), Hong Hua (Flos Carthami Tinctorii)

• Herbs that are intensely hot:
Fu Zi (Radix lateralis Aconiti Carmichaeli Praeparata), Gan Jiang (Rhizoma Zingiberis Ofiicinalis)

3. Dietary Incompatibility

Foods, according to tradition, should specifically be avoided by patients taking certain medicinal substances. However, there are differences in opinion with respect to how strictly one must adhere to these prohibitions.

Some of the less specific prohibitions are, for example, patients should avoid raw, cold, greasy, or other relatively hard-to-digest foods when taking herbs. These can upset the digestive tract and disturb the effects of the herbs.

The other prohibitions are related to specific symptoms or diseases. For example, traditionally in China, patients with fever were taught to avoid greasy foods or oils of any type.

<Top>

* For more dietary information, please go to the Tao of Dieting.

<Top>