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The Science of Chinese Herbal Remedies
The Chinese Science of Therapeutics is as old as Chinese civilization itself. In the primitive period of the nation's history, there reigned an emperor known as Shin Nong, which means "Divine Farmer." Because of his wonderful knowledge of Botany, he was regarded as a god. While searching for cereals and other plants that might serve as food for his people, he learned of the curative properties of certain plants, and set himself the task of naming and describing them He believed that all things on earth were included in five natural elements: Water, fire, vegetation, mineral and earth. The color predominating in the vegetation element is green. Because the liquid contained in the gall bladder and the juices secreted by the liver are greenish, he concluded that the gall bladder and liver belonged to the vegetation element. The natural color of the fire element is red. As the heart controls the circulation of the blood of the body, and as the blood is red, he said that the heart belonged to the fire element. The natural taste of the water element is salty. As the urine, which passes through the kidneys into the bladder is salty, these two organs were classified under the water element. The natural color of the earth element is yellow. As Shin Nong believed that the stomach gets its power from the spleen, and as the gastric juice of the stomach is yellow, he classified the spleen and the stomach as belonging to the earth element. As the color of the natural element in mineral is white, and as the lungs are white, he concluded that they belonged to the mineral element.
Shin Nong next classified the medicinal plants according to their relations to the five natural elements. Those that were black and had a salty taste were classified under the water element. He believed they had an influence upon the kidneys and bladder. The color in the -(1)vegetation element being green and the taste sour, herbs of greenish color and sour taste were believed to be allied to the vegetation element, to have power to contract the air in the blood, and to assist the liver and gall bladder in their functions.
The color of things belonging to the fire element is red, the taste is bitter, and the power from these things rushes through the system. Therefore, medicinal plants of a red color and bitter taste are classified under the fire element, and influence the heart and small intestines, which belong to the fire element.
The color of the earth element is yellow, its taste is sweet, and the power from it is very slow. Herbs of yellow color and sweet taste belong to the earth element. These slow down the circulation and thus cause the effects of curative remedies to remain in the vital organs. Their effects are especially marked upon the spleen and stomach because these organs belong to the earth element. In the mineral element, the color is white, the taste is hot, and the power expands. Herbs of white color and pungent taste belong to the mineral element. These cause the natural heat of the body to reach the extremeties and the skin. They influence the action of the lungs and of the large intestines, as these organs belong to the mineral element.
With the exception of some abstruse variations, this ancient classification is followed in a general way by the herbalists of today. However, each kind of herb has its peculiar properties and powers, and differs from the others of its class just as every individual differs from all other persons. A Chinese herbalist must not only understand the philosophy of relationship, but he must be familiar with each individual herb, be informed as to its effect upon the human system, and know how to unite the different herbs into the various combinations, known in English as "Herbal Remedies."
More than three thousand different species of herbs are in use. These comprise barks, roots, flowers, leaves and berries. From eight to twenty kinds are called for by each formula, the proportion varying in accordance with the needs of the individual case. The power of some herbs penetrates the upper part of the body; of others the lower. The power of some goes to the right side; of others, to the left; while of others, it goes to the skin. Therefore, there are special remedies for each vital organ that is not functioning properly. When more than one organ is deranged, there is need of more than one remedy. For more than four thousand years, the Chinese race has been -(2)cared for by this system of medicine, and its benefits have been found of great value. Though some improvements have been made since the time of Shin Nong, yet the principles laid down by him remain unchanged.