- Nature: A herb's nature is often described as cooling or heating, however it can also be described as moistening, relaxing and energizing. For example, the herb peppermint has a cooling energy and is used to lower the metabolism or reduce gas and bloating.
- Taste: Herbs are categorized by the following five tastes: sour, bitter, sweet or blend, spicy and salty. For example, the herbs dandelion and goldenseal are bitter and used for their drying properties in treating upper respiratory conditions.
- Affinity: This is the relation that a herb has on a particular organ network.
- Primary action: This is the effect of a particular herb, which can be described as dispel (move), astringe (restrain), purge (expel), or tonify (strengthen). In creating the herbal formula for a patient, the TCM practitioner considers the effect or outcome of the remedy, such as aiding digestion, clearing mucus, or strengthening the immune system. Applying the Eight Guiding Principles, they also consider the energy of the illness, such as hot/cold, damp/wind, or some mixture of the principles. The herbal remedy can be found in three ways:
- Tea decoction.
- Powder form solved in boiling water.
- In pill or tablet form.
Herbal remedy can also be apply topically, as a poultice or as a herbal soak for acute/chronic injuries of joints pain and/ or lack of mobility.
