Introduction to Chinese Herbal Medicine

Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) use herbs derived from plant, animal, and mineral substances. Plant derived herbs are the most common, such as ginseng and ginger. Minerals and animal parts such as oyster shells, deer antlers and bear gall bladder are also used in China.

Herbs have four basic qualities and properties: nature, taste, affinity, and primary action.
An herb's nature is described as cooling or heating, moistening, relaxing or energizing. The herb's taste is categorized by five tastes. These are sour, bitter, sweet, bland, spicy, and salty.  Affinity is the connection the herb has to a particular organ network. Primary action refers to the effect of an herb to move, restrain, expel or strengthen.