The Facts on Chinese Herbal Formulas

Chinese Herbology has been around for many years. It goes back to the Qin and
Han Dynasty (3rd century B.C. to 3rd Century A.D. ) in China where the earliest 
Chinese herbal prescription was found. Of course, herbal remedies were probably used in as part of Chinese natural medicine many years before then.

In Traditonal Chinese Medicine (TCM) we use formulas instead of single herbs. Chinese
formulas are complicated because herbs are combined to affect each others action
and must be carefully balanced. It’s not a simple process as one herb is added to another.to achieve the proper blend for the desired effect on the body. Chinese Formulas can come in pills, powder or raw herbs (dried).

The development of Chinese Formulas Theory is based on taste and temperature
characteristics, channel entering, action of the herb and the combination used for the desired effect.

Five tastes

The five taste characteristics are acrid-disperse, sweet-tonifie, moisten and harmonize
bitter- drain, dry, sauer-astringent and salty-soften.

Temperature

Temperature characteristics are Hot, Cold, Warm, Cool, Slight Cool, Slight Warm and neutral.
Hot diseases or disharmony must be cooled and warm diseases must be cooled.

Channel

Herbs can enter a specific channel or more than one channel within the body and certain herbs enter or are associated with specific channels or organs. For instance, some herbs are
more guided to the lower, middle or upper body and other herbs are guided to a particular organ such as the stomach or spleen. 

Action of herbs

The action of herbs are characterized by the relationship between the action and channel. For instance: sour enters Liver, acrid enters Lungs, bitterness enters Heart, salt enters Kidney, sweet enters Spleen.

All of these factors both illustrate why combining a formula is complicated and also why and how they are combined. And like acupuncture, this aspect of Chinese medicine is based on directing the body’s energy to heal itself and its benefits have been felt for thousands of years.