Library

All sour flavors belong to Wood and enter the Liver. All bitter flavors belong to Fire and enter the Heart. All sweet flavors belong to Earth and enter the Spleen. All pungent flavors belong to Metal and enter the Lung. All salty flavors belong to Water and enter the Kidney. This is the meaning of the Five Flavors (Wu Wei).

All green colors belong to Wood and enter the Liver. All red colors belong to Fire and enter the Heart. All yellow colors belong to Earth and enter the Spleen. All white colors belong to Metal and enter the Lung. All black colors belong to Water and enter the Kidney. This is the meaning of the Five Colors (Wu Se).

All sour flavors can astringe and consolidate. All bitter flavors can purge, dry dampness, and firm Yin. All sweet flavors can tonify, harmonize, and relieve urgency/spasms. All pungent flavors can disperse, moisten dryness, and circulate horizontally throughout the body. All salty flavors can descend and soften hardness. All bland flavors can open orifices and promote diuresis/dampness leaching. This is the function of the Five Flavors.

Cold, Heat, Warmth, and Coolness are Qi (Vital Energy/Thermal Nature). Sour, Bitter, Sweet, Pungent, Salty, and Bland are Flavor (Taste). Qi belongs to Yang; Flavor belongs to Yin. (Qi is formless and ascending, thus it is Yang; Flavor has substance and descending, thus it is Yin.) Strong Qi represents Pure Yang; Thin Qi represents Yin within Yang. Strong Flavor represents Pure Yin; Thin Flavor represents Yang within Yin. Thin Qi causes excretion/release (Yang Qi ascends, so thin Qi can release from the exterior; strong Qi generates heat). Strong Flavor causes purgation/descending (Yin Flavor descends, so strong Flavor can purge from below; thin Flavor promotes free flow).

Pungent and Sweet flavors disperse and belong to Yang. Sour and Bitter flavors induce vomiting/purging and belong to Yin. (Pungent disperses, Sweet moderates, thus they vent the muscle layer; Sour consolidates, Bitter purges, thus they cause vomiting and diarrhea.) Salty flavor induces vomiting/purging and belongs to Yin. Bland flavor promotes leaching/diuresis and belongs to Yang. Light and clear qualities ascend and float and belong to Yang. Heavy and turbid qualities sink and descend and belong to Yin. Clear Yang exits through the upper orifices. (That which follows Heaven tends upward; the upper orifices are seven: ears, eyes, mouth, nose.) Turbid Yin exits through the lower orifices. (That which follows Earth tends downward; the lower orifices are two: anterior and posterior yin.) Clear Yang emanates from the interstices/cuticle. (Interstices refer to the skin surface; Yang Qi ascends and disperses into the skin, thus Clear Yang emanates there.) Turbid Yin travels to the Zang organs. (Yin Qi is received by the five Zang organs, thus Turbid Yin travels there.) Clear Yang fills the four limbs. (The four limbs are the root of all Yang, thus Clear Yang fills them.) Turbid Yin returns to the Fu organs. (The six Fu organs transform and transport food and fluids, thus Turbid Yin returns there.) This is the meaning of Yin and Yang.

Substances that are light and void float and ascend. Substances that are heavy and solid sink and descend. Thin flavors ascend and generate (resembling Spring). Thin Qi descends and harvests (resembling Autumn). Strong Qi floats and grows (resembling Summer). Strong flavors sink and store (resembling Winter). Balanced flavors transform and mature (resembling Earth). Strong Qi and thin flavors float and ascend. Strong flavors and thin Qi sink and descend. Both strong Qi and flavor can float and sink. Both thin Qi and flavor can ascend and descend. Sour and Salty flavors have no ascending property. Pungent and Sweet flavors have no descending property. Cold nature has no floating property. Hot nature has no sinking property. This is the meaning of Ascending, Descending, Floating, and Sinking. (Li Shizhen said: Ascending drugs guided by Salty-Cold sink and reach directly to the Lower Jiao; sinking drugs guided by Wine float and reach the vertex. Within one drug, there are roots that ascend and tips that descend, raw that ascends and cooked that descends. This shows that ascending and descending depend on the substance itself and also on human application. For drugs growing in soil, the part above ground ascends, and the part below ground descends. Although it is one drug, the root and tip differ; if used incorrectly, administration yields no effect.)

Substances that are light enter the Heart and Lungs superiorly. Substances that are heavy enter the Liver and Kidneys inferiorly. Hollow substances release the exterior. Solid interiors attack the interior. Branches reach the four limbs. Bark reaches the skin. The heart/core/trunk travels internally to the Zang organs. Dry substances enter the Qi level. Moist substances enter the Blood level. This is how superior/inferior and internal/external follow their respective categories.

Green color, Sour taste, and Musky odor indicate properties belonging to Wood. These enter the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian and Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian. (Liver and Gallbladder are interior-exterior paired; Gallbladder is Jia Wood, Liver is Yi Wood.) Red color, Bitter taste, and Scorched odor indicate properties belonging to Fire. These enter the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian and Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian. (Heart and Small Intestine are interior-exterior paired; Small Intestine is Bing Fire, Heart is Ding Fire.) Yellow color, Sweet taste, and Fragrant odor indicate properties belonging to Earth. These enter the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian and Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian. (Spleen and Stomach are interior-exterior paired; Stomach is Wu Earth, Spleen is Ji Earth.) White color, Pungent taste, and Fishy odor indicate properties belonging to Metal. These enter the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian and Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian. (Lung and Large Intestine are interior-exterior paired; Large Intestine is Geng Metal, Lung is Xin Metal.) Black color, Salty taste, and Putrid odor indicate properties belonging to Water. These enter the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian and Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian. (Kidney and Bladder are interior-exterior paired; Bladder is Ren Water, Kidney is Gui Water. Each Zang pairs with one Fu; all Fu are Yang, hence Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng, Ren; all Zang are Yin, hence Yi, Ding, Ji, Xin, Gui.)

Among the Twelve Meridians, only the Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian and Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian do not have a specific Zang organ governing them. Their meridians connect to the Foot Jueyin and Foot Shaoyang. Jueyin governs Blood; drugs entering Jueyin Blood level also enter the Pericardium. Shaoyang governs Qi; drugs entering Gallbladder Qi level also enter the Sanjiao. Mingmen Ministerial Fire scatters through the Gallbladder, Sanjiao, and Pericardium. Thus, drugs entering Mingmen also enter the Sanjiao. This describes the meridian distribution of various drugs. The five Zang organs correspond to the Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth), generating each other in mother-son relationships. The Classics state: Tonify the mother when deficient; purge the son when excess. It also states: The son can make the mother full. For example, Kidney is the mother of Liver, Heart is the son of Liver. Thus, drugs entering the Liver also enter the Kidney and Heart. Liver is the mother of Heart, Spleen is the son of Heart. Thus, drugs entering the Heart also enter the Liver and Spleen. Heart is the mother of Spleen, Lung is the son of Spleen. Thus, drugs entering the Spleen also enter the Heart and Lung. Spleen is the mother of Lung, Kidney is the son of Lung. Thus, drugs entering the Lung also enter the Spleen and Kidney. Lung is the mother of Kidney, Liver is the son of Kidney. Thus, drugs entering the Kidney also enter the Lung and Liver. This is the meaning of Five Element generation and mother-son correspondence.

Each drug has its own Form, Nature, Qi, and Substance. Their entry into various meridians occurs due to similar Form (e.g., Chaiqiao resembles the heart and enters the Heart; Lizhihe resembles the testis and enters the Kidney), similar Nature (e.g., Moist substances travel to Blood level, Dry substances enter Qi level; that which follows Heaven tends upward, that which follows Earth tends downward), similar Qi seeking resonance (e.g., Fragrant Qi enters Spleen, Scorched Qi enters Heart), or similar Substance (e.g., Heads enter the head, stems enter the body, branches enter limbs, bark travels in skin; e.g., Honghua and Sumu juices resemble blood and enter Blood level). This is natural logic, understood intuitively.

"Xiangxu" (Mutual Enhancement) refers to similar types that cannot be separated (e.g., Huangbai, Zhimu, Pogostemon cablin/Huo Xiang seeds [Note: text says Po Gu Zhi, likely Aucuparia/Bu Gu Zhi], and Walnut). "Shi" (Envoy) refers to my assistants. "E" (Aversion) refers to depriving my efficacy. "Wei" (Fear) refers to being controlled by another. "Fan" (Opposition) refers to incompatibility. "Sha" (Killing) refers to restraining toxicity. This is the meaning of differences and similarities.

The Liver suffers from tension/urgency; urgently eat Sweet to relax it. (The Liver is the General; its emotion is anger, its Qi is urgent. Urgency harms itself, causing suffering, so Sweet should be eaten to relax it, calming urgency; softness controls hardness.) The Liver desires dispersion; urgently eat Pungent to disperse it. Use Pungent to tonify, use Sour to purge. (Wood dislikes stagnation, so it desires Pungent dispersion. Following its nature is tonification; opposing its nature is purgation. The Liver likes dispersion and dislikes consolidation, so Pungent is tonifying and Sour is purgative.) The Heart suffers from laxity/flaccidity; urgently eat Sour to consolidate it. (The Heart houses the Spirit; its emotion is joy. Joy causes Qi to relax, leading to Heart deficiency and Spirit scattering, so Sour should be eaten to consolidate it.) The Heart desires firmness; urgently eat Salty to firm it. Use Salty to tonify, use Sweet to purge. (Excessive Heart Fire leads to restlessness; urgently eat Salty to firm it, as Salty transforms via Water and provides mutual balance. Heart desires firmness, so Salty firming is tonification; Heart suffers laxity, so Sweet relaxing is purgation.) The Spleen suffers from Dampness; urgently eat Bitter to dry it. (The Spleen transports and transforms food/fluids and controls water. Excess Dampness damages Spleen Earth, so Bitter should be eaten to dry it.) The Spleen desires relaxation; urgently eat Sweet to tonify it. (The Spleen values fullness, harmony, warmth, and richness; its nature desires relaxation, so Sweet should be eaten to relax it. The Spleen likes Sweet and dislikes Bitter, so Bitter is purgative and Sweet is tonifying.) The Lung suffers from rebellious Qi; urgently eat Bitter to drain it. (The Lung governs Qi and executes regulation. Qi pathology causes rebellion in the Lung, so Bitter should be urgently eaten to descend and drain it.) The Lung desires consolidation; urgently eat Sour to consolidate it. Use Sour to tonify, use Pungent to purge. (The Lung corresponds to Autumn Qi and governs convergence. So Sour should be eaten to consolidate. Lung Qi should gather, not disperse; thus Sour consolidation is tonification, Pungent dispersion is purgation.) The Kidney suffers from dryness; urgently eat Pungent to moisten it, generate fluids, and unblock Qi. (The Kidney is the Water Organ storing Essence. Yin diseases suffer dryness, so Pungent should be eaten to moisten it. Pungent transforms via Metal, the mother of Water. It opens interstices and brings fluids because Pungent unblocks Qi. There is true Qi in Water, reachable only by Pungent. When Qi arrives, Water arrives, thus it can moisten Kidney dryness.) The Kidney desires firmness; urgently eat Bitter to firm it. Use Bitter to tonify, use Salty to purge. (The Kidney governs closure/storage; Qi must be tight and secure, so the Kidney desires firmness. Bitter firms, so it is tonifying; Salty softens hardness, so it is purgative.) This is the meaning of Zang organ tonification and purgation.

Sour injures Sinews. (Sour travels to sinews; excess injures sinews causing spasms.) Pungent overcomes Sour. (Pungent is Metal flavor, overcoming Wood's Sour.) Bitter injures Qi. (Bitter transforms via Fire, injuring Lung Metal; Fire overcomes Metal. Also, Yang Qi is ascending, Bitter flavor is descending; Qi is suppressed by Bitter and cannot extend, so Bitter injures Qi.) Salty overcomes Bitter. (Salty is Water flavor, overcoming Fire's Bitter. Note: If Qi is injured by Bitter, Salty overcomes it, following Five Element restriction. Alternatively, assisting Metal with Pungent and draining Bitter with Sweet is also effective. Pungent/Sweet are Yang; Sour/Bitter/Salty are Yin. Yin excess is controlled by Yang; Yang excess is controlled by Yin. Appropriateness depends on flexible application.) Sweet injures Flesh. Sour overcomes Sweet. (Sour is Wood flavor, overcoming Earth's Sweet.) Pungent injairs Skin/Hair. (Pungent disperses Qi, thus injuring skin/hair.) Bitter overcomes Pungent. (Bitter is Fire flavor, overcoming Metal's Pungent.) Salty injures Blood. (Salty transforms via Water, injuring Heart Blood; Water overcomes Fire. Eating Salty causes thirst, indicating Blood injury.) Sweet overcomes Salty. (Sweet is Earth flavor, overcoming Water's Salty.) This is the meaning of Five Element restriction.

Pungent travels to Qi. Do not eat much Pungent for Qi disorders. (The Treatise on Five Flavors says: Excess causes "Dong Xin" – a hollow feeling penetrating the heart.) Salty travels to Blood. Do not eat much Salty for Blood disorders. (Blood coagulates and stops flowing with Salty; excess causes thirst.) Bitter travels to Bones. Do not eat much Bitter for Bone disorders. (Bitter is sinking and Yin; Bones belong to Kidney, also Yin. Bones receiving Bitter become heavy with excessive Yin, hard to lift; excess causes vomiting.) Sweet travels to Flesh. Do not eat much Sweet for Flesh disorders. (Sweet moderates the center but easily causes distension; excess causes mental distress/oppression.) Sour travels to Sinews. Do not eat much Sour for Sinew disorders. (Sour contracts; sinews contracting with Sour cause strangury; excess causes strangury, difficulty urinating.) These are contraindications for five disorders.

Excess Salty causes pulse stagnation/stasis and discoloration. (Water overcomes Fire, affecting Heart pulse and complexion; Heart disease forbids Salty.) Excess Bitter causes withered skin and fallen hair. (Fire overcomes Metal, affecting Lung skin/hair; Lung disease forbids Bitter.) Excess Pungent causes tight sinews and withered nails. (Metal overcomes Wood, affecting Liver sinews/nails; Liver disease forbids Pungent.) Excess Sour causes calloused flesh and peeling lips. (Wood overcomes Earth, affecting Spleen flesh/lips; Spleen disease forbids Sour.) Excess Sweet causes bone pain and hair loss. (Earth overcomes Water, affecting Kidney bones/hair; Kidney disease forbids Sweet.) This is the harm caused by the Five Flavors.

Wind invading internally is treated with Pungent-Cool, assisted by Bitter-Sweet, relaxed with Sweet, dispersed with Pungent. (Wind is Wood Qi; Metal overcomes it, so treat with Pungent-Cool. Too much Pungent may damage Qi, so assist with Bitter-Sweet; Bitter overcomes Pungent, Sweet boosts Qi. Wood nature is urgent, so Sweet relaxes it; Wind pathogen is victorious, so Pungent disperses it.) Heat invading internally is treated with Salty-Cold, assisted by Sweet-Bitter, consolidated with Sour, released with Bitter. (Heat is Fire Qi; Water overcomes it, so treat with Salty-Cold. Assist with Sweet-Bitter; Sweet overcomes Salty to prevent excess, Bitter drains to remove Heat excess. Heat abundant in channels without contraction is consolidated with Sour; Heat depressed internally without resolution is released with Bitter.) Dampness invading internally is treated with Bitter-Hot, assisted by Sour-Bland, dried with Bitter, drained with Bland. (Dampness is Earth Qi; Dryness removes it, so treat with Bitter-Hot. Sour transforms via Wood, controlling Earth, so assist with Sour-Bland. Bitter dries as it transforms via Fire; Bland drains as it opens orifices.) Fire invading internally is treated with Salty-Cold, assisted by Bitter-Pungent, consolidated with Sour, released with Bitter. (Ministerial Fire fears Fire, so treat with Salty-Cold. Bitter drains Fire, Pungent disperses Fire, so assist with them. Sour consolidation and Bitter release follow the same principle as Heat invasion.) Dryness invading internally is treated with Bitter-Warm, assisted by Sweet-Pungent, drained downward with Bitter. (Dryness is Metal Qi; Fire overcomes it, so treat with Bitter-Warm (Fire transformation). Assist with Sweet-Pungent; Wood injured by Metal, so Sweet relaxes it. Metal's proper flavor implies pathogenic excess internally, so drain downward with Bitter.) Cold invading internally is treated with Sweet-Hot, assisted by Bitter-Pungent, purged with Salty, moistened with Pungent, firmed with Bitter. (Cold is Water Qi; Earth controls Water, Heat overcomes Cold, so treat with Sweet-Hot (Earth/Fire transformation). Assistance principles follow the Treatise on Organ Qi: Kidney suffers dryness, eat Pungent to moisten; Kidney desires firmness, eat Bitter to firm; use Bitter to tonify, Salty to purge.) These are the primary treatments for the Six Excesses, each appropriate.

Drugs must be processed and roasted before weighing; do not weigh raw. Wet drugs must have weight increased initially, then weighed after drying.

Wine processing raises and lifts. Ginger processing warms and disperses. Salt processing directs to Kidney and softens hardness. Vinegar processing directs to Liver and consolidates. Child urine removes inferior properties and directs downward. Rice wash water removes dryness and harmonizes the middle. Milk moistens dryness and generates Blood. Honey is Sweet/Moderating and benefits Yuan Qi. Old wall earth borrows Earth Qi to tonify the Middle Jiao. Flour-wrapped and Yeast-processing suppress harsh properties and protect the Upper Jiao. Soaking in Black Bean and Licorice decoction detoxifies and ensures peace. Coating with Sheep Butter or Pig Fat and roasting allows Salty penetration into bones, making them brittle and easy to break. Removing the core prevents distension. Removing the heart eliminates irritability. These are the appropriate processing methods. (Bencao notes Black Beans are large black soybeans. Su Song says tight/small ones are male, better for medicine. Zong Shi says smaller ones are more potent. These refer to small large black soybeans, not the common horse feed beans. Common horse feed beans are Mung Beans [Lu Dou]. Mung beans are warm-hot, astringent-bad, the lowest quality beans, wild, cheap, common in North, fed to horses. Any bean can be horse feed, but none cheaper. Modern pharmacies using Mung beans for He Shou Wu decoction is wrong; using boiled Mung beans as Fermented Soybean Paste is ridiculous. Market doctors adding Mung bean skins to decoctions is mistaken; Black Soybean skins are usable, Mung bean skins are not. Li Shizhen confusing Mung beans with small black beans led to later errors.)

Some drugs are best aged. (Store in high, dry places, check often to prevent mold/insects.) Some are best fresh/new. Examples: Tian Nan Xing, Ban Xia, Ma Huang, Da Huang, Mu Zei, Zong Lu, Yuan Hua, Huai Hua, Jing Jie, Zhi Shi, Zhi Qiao, Ju Pi, Xiang Luan, Fo Shou Gan, Shan Zhu Yu, Wu Zhu Yu, Yan Wo, Ge Jie, Sha Tang, Bi Tu, Qiu Shi, Jin Zhi, Duan Shi, Mi, Mai, Jiu, Jiang, Cu, Cha, Jiang, Jie, Ai, Mo, Zheng Bing, Zhu Qu, Zhu Jiao. All are best aged. Either to reduce potency or eliminate fire qi. (Light fire, boil slightly, not exceeding seven days. If too long, fire qi is too heavy; even if aged long, fire qi remains. Ingestion adds fire and damages Yin. Paste decoction also requires light fire, not long boiling. Those with Yin deficiency and fire must avoid frying/cooking medicines/foods. For pill preparation, slice thinly, steam until soft, mash into pills. Using fire processing does not cure disease but generates fire, damages Yin, and exacerbates old illnesses.) Others should be fresh/new. If aged/rancid and dull, Qi and Flavor are incomplete; ineffective. Tang Geng's poem: "Rotten drugs ruin new prescriptions." This highlights the difference between new and aged drugs, emphasizing appropriate use.