Herbology is another important facet used in Chinese medicine. Herbs are used to treat patients in a similar fashion as acupuncture and Tui Na. The patient is assessed to find his own particular energy levels, and the correct herbs are prescribed in combination to help the patient. Chinese materia medica has been researched and tested for many hundreds of years to see their affects on the body. Herbs are generally prescribed in combination with other herbs to control or enhance the effects upon each other. Western pharmacology, on the other hand, isolates drugs to treat people, which give rise to many side-effects that harm the patient.

Herbs began to be classified by the flavor and the temperature. The flavor of the herbs established the Yin quality of the herb, while the temperature spoke of the Yang quality. The herbs then could be classified into their five phase correspondence based on the taste. For example, salty taste and warm temperature is seen as a wood element. The classifications ran into many issues based on taste and temperature. Many published books on herbs contradicted each other about the properties of certain herbs. These problems were finally overcome by Zhang Yuansu in the 12^th Century. He theorized that specific substances were capable of leading other substances to specific spots or organs in the body. His efforts led to new categorizations and standards of herbs that were generally accepted by all. Many later styles of categorization formed during the 18^th Century around their empirical effects like sweating, vomiting, warming, etc.

Many Western studies have attempted to discover new drugs from the vast knowledge base of Chinese medicine. Most of these efforts are in vain, because the usefulness of most Chinese herbs depends on the balancing of the herbs in combination. When you dissect the combinations you end up with individual herbs that don’t seem to give the desired effects.