Approximately one billion people in the world utilize the principles of Chinese herbology in daily health practices. Herbs are used in Chinese herbology to promote the body’s self-healing ability. Many herbs nourish our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Herbs regulate the flow of energy in our body. This is called our yin/yang. Chinese herbology is the art of combining medicinal herbs. Chinese herbology is one of the vital treatment modalities in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The practice of Chinese herbology is individualized. The active component of a medicinal herb is extracted and mixed with several other ingredients that may antagonize the side effects of the main ingredient. Sometimes the added ingredient increases the potency of the primary ingredient. Such procedures involve knowledge and experience. This differentiates an amateur from a Chinese herbology expert. Using different parts of the medicinal plant such as the leaves, stems, flowers, and roots may also incorporate minerals and other animal products such as: seahorses, rhinoceros horns and bones of a tiger. However, the use of these endangered species led to great controversy in the black market causing herbal manufacturers and Chinese herbology doctors to discontinue the practice. Chinese herbology experts teach us that factors affecting a person’s health are his lifestyle, environment and constitution. The last factor is basically the basic nature of a person – his tendencies, preferences and tastes. In traditional medicine, one should know the patient’s constitution to determine the appropriate diet, exercise and health practices to be prescribed. Chinese herbology basically aligns the elements of nature with the qualities of man. These are the elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Formulas used in Chinese herbology are not intended to cure diseases but instead serve as food supplements designed to support these constitutions. Therefore, choosing a Chinese herbal formula in Chinese herbology is really a matter of looking at the patient’s constitutional type rather than focusing on his symptoms. It is also important to note that the terminology of the body systems in Chinese herbology do not necessarily correlate to terms used in Western medicine. Overall health is important in Chinese herbology. As the body systems are interdependent with each other, a Chinese herbology practitioner examines the entire body before attempting to restore a person’s wellbeing. Chinese herbology practitioners use different methods to classify Chinese medicinal herbs. The Four Natures Chinese herbology combines herbs according to the degree of a person’s yin and yang. Herbs are classified as cold, neutral, warm and hot. The Five Tastes The five tastes are sweet, pungent, sour, bitter and salty. Each has its own function. For example, sweet herbs harmonize the body, pungent herbs produce sweat, sour herbs are astringent, and bitter herbs dispel heat. Chinese herbology then combines the tastes according to the needs of the patient. The Meridians The Meridians are the body systems affected by the herb. For example, a Chinese herbology practitioner will give menthol to a person to purge coldness in the lungs to protect the body from colds and influenza. 

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