Herbal Medicine Classification and Properties 2000.6.21

Herbal Medicine Classification and Properties 2000.6.21

There is a clear correlation between the classification of herbal medicines and their properties. Umbelliferae plants such as qianghuo, fangfeng, shechuangzi, baizhi, gaoben, gualou, chaihu, qianhu, danggui, chuanxiong, etc., have the functions of dispelling wind and releasing the exterior, removing dampness and relieving pain, and are all pungent and warm in nature. Asteraceae plants such as dandelion, houttuynia, artemisia, wild chrysanthemum, aster, coltsfoot, burdock, chrysanthemum, xanthium, herba sieboldii, leucanthemum, atractylodes, atractylodes, large thistle, yinchen, etc., mostly have the function of clearing heat and detoxifying, and are all pungent and cool in nature; among them, atractylodes and atractylodes are sweet and warm, with the function of strengthening the spleen and removing dampness, which is an exception. Liliaceae plants such as yuzhu, huangjing, zhimu, beimu, shancigu, baiwei, lily, tufuling, ophiopogon, tiandong, etc., all have the function of nourishing yin and generating fluids, except for beimu and shancigu, whose softening and dispersing effects do not align with the above-mentioned herbs. Labiatae plants such as purple quartz, xia ku cao, huangqin, mint, ho xiang, salvia, motherwort, zelan, etc., all have the function of clearing heat and draining fire. Polygonaceae plants such as rhubarb, earth rhubarb, he shou wu, biantong, etc., all have the function of clearing heat and draining fire. Ranunculaceae plants such as huanglian, fupian, weilingxian, wutou, danpi, baishao, chishao, etc., have vastly different properties, indicating that the current classification of this family is inadequate and may fail to capture their intrinsic characteristics. Leguminosae plants such as huangqi, kushen, shandougen, chixiaodou, bai bian dou, gancao, gusui bu, huluba, etc., all have the functions of tonifying qi, strengthening yang, and removing dampness. Rosaceae plants such as taoren, xingren, shanzha, rose, papaya, citron, fo shou, etc., all have the functions of activating blood circulation to remove stasis and removing dampness to unblock meridians.