Types of TCM Herbs

Diaphoretic or Exterior Syndrome Relieving Chinese Medicine

Diaphoretic or exterior syndrome relieving Chinese Medicine is defined as any Chinese Medicine that has the ability to disperse or expel pathogens from the superficial surfaces and also, relieve the exterior syndrome.

This kind of Chinese Medicine is characterized by their pungent flavor, which is sometimes accompanied by sweet and bitter flavors. They are generally attributed to the lung and bladder meridians and functions by promoting various degree of perspiration and disperse pathogenic factors from the superficies. This group is mainly divided into two groups, namely the diaphoretics with pungent-warm property and those with pungent-cool property. Some members of this category also possess the ability to induce diuresis to reduce edema, relive cough and dyspnea, let out skin eruptions, dispel wind and dampness to relieve pain and eliminate sores.

Heat Clearing Chinese Medicine

Heat clearing Chinese medicine is defined by as any herb that functions mainly to clear away any interior heat.

This group of herbs is characterized by its cold or cool nature and is attributed to the meridians of the lung, heart, liver, spleen, kidney as well as those of the stomach and large intestine. The functions of heat-clearing can be further divided into five sub-groups, namely heat clearing and fire purging, heat clearing and dampness drying , heat clearing and toxic materials eliminating, heat clearing and blood cooling as well as deficient heat clearing. The actions of these herbs are useful for treating various internal heat syndromes without exterior pathogenic factors and/or stagnation marked by febrile diseases.

Cathartics

Cathartics are defined as any Chinese Medicine that is capable of inducing diarrhea or lubricating the large intestine to aid bowel movements and relieve constipation.

This group of herbs is mostly bitter and cold in nature, with a minority being sweet and neutral. There are also members which are pungent-warm or even pungent-hot in nature. The herbs in this category are mainly attributed to the stomach and large intestine meridians. Members vary in degree of toxicity. These herbs can be further grouped into three types – Purgatives, moistening purgatives and drastic purgatives, function to promote bowel movement, clear away pathogenic heat and purge water retention respectively. The syndromes that these herbs serve to treat include constipation, various interior food stagnation or water retention.

Food retention relieving Chinese Medicine

Food retention relieving Chinese Medicine is defined as the Chinese medicines that can promote digestion and relieve dyspepsia, restore transportation and transformation function of the spleen and stomach as their dormant functions and also treat other indigestion syndromes related to food retention.

These Chinese Medicines are mostly bland in flavor and neutral in nature. They are attributed to the spleen and stomach meridians. Their functions include promoting digestion and relieving food accumulation and stagnation, increasing appetite and harmonize the spleen and stomach.

They are generally used for syndromes characterized by symptoms such as epigastric and abdominal fullness, belching, nausea and vomiting.

Parasite-dispelling Chinese Medicine

Parasite-dispelling Chinese Medicines are defined as the Chinese Medicines that kills and reduce the population of parasites in the human body.

The flavors of these Chinese medicines are mainly sweet, bitter and pungent while their nature can be either cool or warm. Majority of this group is toxics. They are all attributed to the spleen, stomach and large intestine meridians. Their main function is to kill or immobilize the parasites in the body, especially in the digestive tract.

This group of Chinese Medicines is mainly used for the treatment to eliminate the parasites present in the body as well as the malnutrition in children which can be observed in some countries.

Qi-regulating Chinese Medicine

Qi-regulating Chinese medicine is defined as the Chinese medicines that regulate qi-activity, disperse qi stagnation and facilitate qi flor or treat syndromes resulting from abnormal rising of qi.

This group of Chinese medicines is mainly pungent , and sometimes bitter in flavor. They are mostly warm in nature, with a minority which are cold or cool in nature. They are attributed to the meridians of the spleen, stomach and liver. These Chinese medicines mostly target the qi-fen and can be divided into two subgroups-the qi-circulating group and the qi-reversing group. The functions of these Chinese medicines include regulating qi-, strengthening the spleen , promote qi circulation, reverse rebellious rising of qi, soothe the lover and cracking qi stagnation and disperse mass.

The syndromes targeted by this group of Chinese medicines are not limited to the obstruction of pulmonary qi failure of dispersion of liver and imbalance of function between the spleen and the stomach.

Interior Warming Chinese Medicine

Interior warming Chinese Medicine is defined as the Chinese medicines that can warm up the interior and dispel cold to treat internal conditions.

These Chinese medicines are mainly pungent and sweet in flavor and warm or hot in nature. They are attributed to the heart, kidney, spleen and small intestine meridians. The functions of these Chinese medicines include warming the interior and dispelling the interior coldness, and to reinforce the internal yang to counter syndromes which are caused by yang depletion and rescuer these patients from collapse. Some Chinese medicines can also perform other functions such as warming channels and relieving pain.

This group of Chinese medicines is generally targeted at treating various interior cold syndromes such as cold and pain in the epigastric and abdominal areas.

Chinese Medicine for promoting diuresis and resolving dampness

Chinese medicine for promoting diuresis and resolving dampness is defined as the Chinese medicines that serve to promote the flow of water and relief of edema, induce diuresis for treating straguria, and remove dampness as well as treating jaundice.

These Chinese medicines are mostly sweet and bland in flavor and cool or cool in nature. They are attributed mainly to the kidney bladder and spleen. The main function of these Chinese medicines is to promote diuresis and resolve dampness in the body. They can also clear away interior damp-heat and other functions as mentioned above.

This group of Chinese medicines is useful in the treatment of various syndromes that are caused by dampness such as dysuria edema, stranguria, jaundice and Bi-syndrome that are caused by dampness.

Anti-rheumatic Chinese Medicine

Anti-rheumatic Chinese medicine is defined as any Chinese medicine that can remove pathogenic wind-damp and alleviate Bi-syndrome and relieve pain.

These herbs are pungent and bitter in flavor, and mostly warm or neutral, with exceptions of some that are cold or cool in nature. They are attributed to the liver, spleen and kidney meridians. They function to remove pathogenic wind-damp from various parts of our body, relax and activate tendons, alleviate Bi-syndrome and relieve pain as well as invigorate the liver and kidney and strengthening tendons and bones. Some members can also be used to treat external injuries such as injury from fall.

The syndromes targeted include wind-damp Bi- syndrome as well as syndromes that are characterized pain in tendon and bones, stiffness of tendons and muscles.

Dampness-resolving Chinese Medicine

Dampness-resolving Chinese medicine is defined as any Chinese medicine that is capable of circulating the qi, dissolve and dry dampness and improve the transformation and transportation functions of the spleen.

Medicines in this category are pungent-warm and attributed to the spleen and stomach meridians. They function to invigorate the spleen and dry dampness. Some members of this category are also able to clear away summer heat.

This group of Chinese medicines is mainly used to treat dampness induced obstruction of activities in the middle energizer which are characterized by epigastric and abdominal distention and fullness, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite etc.

Hemostatic Chinese Medicine

Hemostatic Chinese medicines are defined as Chinese medicines that function mainly to stop various bleeding internally or externally.

These Chinese medicines are mostly bitter and astringent in flavor and cold in nature, with a minority being warm in nature. They are attributed to the heart and liver meridians. All members of this category have the function of stopping bleeding and are further categorized into the following fours subgroups: cooling blood and stopping bleeding, stopping bleeding through astringent its property, removing obstructions to stop bleeding and warming channels to stop bleeding.

Chinese medicines in this category are used in the treatment of various bleeding syndromes, defined by the body part that bleeding occurs, e.g. hemoptysis, haematemesis and hematuria.

Chinese Medicine for invigorating blood and removing blood stasis

Chinese medicines for invigorating blood and removing blood stasis are defined as Chinese medicines that act to facilitate blood flow and remove blood stasis.

These Chinese medicines are mostly pungent and bitter in flavor and warm and neutral in nature. They are attributed to the lover and heart meridians as well as the xue (blood) fen. Their main functions are to invigorate the blood, promote its flow and to remove blood stasis. Through their main functions, they are able to achieve other effects such as relieving swelling and pain and regulating menstrual flow.

This group fo Chinese medicines mainly serves to treat several related syndromes and symptoms such as unsmooth blood flow, internal or external lumps, ecchymosis on the skin and tongue and blood stasis.

Phlegm-resolving, Anti-tussive and Anit-asthmatic Chinese Medicine

Phlegm-resolving Chinese medicines are defined as the Chinese medicines that aid in the dissolving and excretion of phlegm from the lung and mainly targets phlegm syndromes, while concurrently having the ability to arrest cough and stop asthma.

Similarly, anti-tussive and anti-asthmatic Chinese medicines serve to relieve cough and asthma but they also concurrently have the ability to dissolve phlegm.

Therefore, phlegm-resolving, Anti-tussive and Anti-asthmatic Chinese medicine is a group of Chinese medicines which functions-phlegm-resolving, anti-tussive and anti-asthmatic- are related to one another and which targeted symptoms usually occur together.

This group of Chinese medicines is mainly pungent and bitter or sweet and salty in flavor. Some are warm in nature while others are cool in nature. They are attributed to the spleen and lung meridians. Their functions involve warming and dissolving cold phlegm, clearing away heat and resolving phlegm as well as arresting cough and relieving asthma.

Tranquilizers

Tranquilizers are defined as any Chinese medicines that can calm the mind and treat mental disorders.

This category mainly contains such Chinese medicines as minerals and plant seeds. Mineral kind of Chinese medicines are heavy and lowering in property and mainly acts to tranquilize the mind. Plant seeds, on the other hand, are moistening and tonifying in property and acts mainly to nourish the heart and calm the mind. They are attributed to the heart meridian.

This group of Chinese medicines is usually used in the treatments for syndromes such as palpitation, insomnia with frequent occurrence of dreams, infantile convulsion, epilepsy and mania.

Chinese medicine for calming the liver to stop endogenous wind

Chinese medicine for calming the liver to stop endogenous wind is defined as Chinese medicines that calms the liver and suppress the hyperactive yang or calm the liver-wind.

These Chinese medicines are mostly animal and mineral medicines such as shells and insects. They are mostly salty and bitter in flavor and cold or cool in nature. They are attributed to the liver meridian. Their functions include calming the liver to suppress hyperactive yang, calm the liver-wind and stop seizure as well as to tranquilize the mind.

This group can be further divided into the liver-calming and hyperactive yang – suppressing group and the liver-wind calming group. They are usually used for the treatment of dizziness due to liver-yang rising, and convulsion and epilepsy due to the liver- wind stirring within the body.

Restoratives

Restoratives are defined as the Chinese medicines that replenish qi, blood, nourish yin and yang, improve the functions of the internal organs and raise body immunity and relieve various kinds of symptoms of weakness. They are also known as the restoratives for reinforcing asthenia or simply, tonics.

These Chinese medicines are mainly sweet in flavor, sometimes with a tinge of pungent, sour and salty flavor. They can be further divided into four categories for replenishment of qi, blood, yin and yang. They are attributed to the meridians of heart, lungs, liver spleen and kidney, with each group being attributed more specifically to certain meridians.

This group of Chinese medicines is mainly used for treatment of various deficiency syndromes such as yang deficiency and yin deficiency syndromes

Astringent Chinese Medicines

Astringent Chinese medicines are defined as the Chinese medicines to induce astringency and arrest discharge.

These Chinese medicines are mostly sour and astringent in flavor and warm or neutral in nature. They are attributed to the meridians of the lungs, spleen, kidney and large intestine.
They have several functions including stopping excessive perspiration and relieving diarrhea and are mainly used for treatment of abnormal leakage of body substances due to weakness and unconsolidation of healthy essence manifestations.

Emetic Chinese medicine

Emetic Chinese medicines are Chinese medicines that act to induce vomiting in the attempt to get rid of pathogens or parasites from within the body.

These Chinese medicines are mostly sour and bitter in flavor and cold or cool in nature. Most of them are toxic and they function to induce the vomiting of toxic substances, stagnated food and phlegm.

They are usually used in the treatment of conditions such as food stagnation due to consumption of slightly toxic substances and obstruction in the chest and throat due to presence of phlegm.​