Most exterior-releasing herbs are acrid in flavor and disseminating in property. They are used to treat the exterior syndrome, such as chills, fever, headache, general muscle aches, anhidrosis, and floating pulse. In addition, some of the herbs are used for edema, cough and dyspnea, measles, rubella, pain due to wind-dampness and sores at the early stage, concomitantly with the exterior syndrome. Modern research reveals that they act to some extent to induce sweat, relieve fever and pain, destroy bacteria and viruses, and increase excretion of urine. Some of the herbs have additional effect, such as lowering blood pressure and improving blood circulation of the heart and brain.

Most herbs are mostly cold or cool in property and bitter in flavor. They act to clear fire, eliminate dampness, cool blood, resolve toxicity, and clear heat in a deficiency condition, and are used to treat those who have exuberant interior heat, though the exterior-syndrome is relieved, and the inferior heat syndrome without accumulation, such as externally contracted fever, marked by high fever with thirst, dysentery due to damp-heat, maculae due to warm pathogen, carbuncles, swelling, and fever from deficiency. The pharmacological researches indicate that these herbs serve as antipathogens and antipyretics, and some serve as antitumor and sedative agents.

The action of these herbs is decending, so they act to relieve constipation by purgation, clear heat and fire, and deplete fluids to cure edema. They are used to the excess syndrome, characterized by constipation, indigested food in the stomach and intestines, interior heat, dropsy and fluid retention. The pharmacological study reveals that they stimulate the membrane intestinal mucosa to increase peristalsis and induce diarrhea. Besides, most of the herbs act to promote bile flow, destroy bacteria, counteract inflammation and strengthen the immune function.

These herbs are often acrid, and bitter in flavor and warm or cool in property, working to dispel wind-dampness from the muscles, meridians, sinews and joints. Some of them can expel cold, soothe tendons and unblock collaterals, kill pain, promot blood circulation, reinforce the liver and kidney, strengthen the bones and muscles. They are usually used to treat dysfunction and swelling of joints, contracture of muscles due to wind-dampness.Some of them are good for weakness and aching pain of the lower back and knees, flaccidity of the lower limbs. Modern pharmacological study reveals that they have the action of antiinflammation, and sedation, usually for rheumarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, sciatica, periarthritis of shoulder, hyperosteogeny and injuries from knock and falls.

Acrid, aromatic, warm and dry, these herbs promote and activate qi flow, to relieve stagnation of the qi of the spleen and stomach qi due to dampness.In addition, some of herbs can relieve summer-heat, induce resuscitation, and prevent malaria. Modern pharmacological study reveals that these herbs stimulate olfactory and taste sensation, so that they promote gastric secretion, activate movement of the intestinal canal to whet appetite and promote digestion.

These herbs are sweet or tasteless, acting to induce excreting of urine to relieve edema and down going, treat stranguria, and remove jaundice.They are mainly used to treat dysuria, edema, diarrhea, stranguria, morbid leucorrhea and jaundice. Modern pharmacological study reveals that they act to some extent to induce excretion of urine, promote bile flow and lower blood pressure.Some of them are effective to hyperglycosemia and hyperlipemia, and disorders of immune function.

These herbs are acrid and warm or hot in property, working to warm the interior and expel cold, warm merdians and kill pain, indicated for the interior cold syndrome. Some of the herbs can stimulate and restore yang, used to treat the deficiency and cold syndrome, and the yang exhaustion syndrome. Mordern pharmacological study reveals that these herbs have the action of sedation, analgesia, stomach invigoration, cold-expelling, antithrombosis, prevention of ulceration and diarrhea, anticoagulation, and antiplatelet aggregation, etc. to some extent.Some act to strengthen the heart function, counteract shock and convulsion, regulate the enterogastric movement and promote biliation. Their indications are chronic gastritis, chronic enteritis, hernia and shock.

These herbs are acrid, bitter, and aromatic in flavor.They facilitate the proper working of qi, directing qi downward, remove stagnation of qi, and eliminate accumulation.They are mainly used to treat stagnation of spleen and stomach qi, leading to distending pain in the stomach and abdomen, belching and casting up gastric acid, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. They are also used to treat hypochondriac distension and pain, depression and hernia pain, mammary distending pain, and irregular menstruation due to stagmation of liver qi and stuffiness and pain in the chest, cough and dypnea due to staganation of lung qi Modern pharmacological study reveals that most of them can inhibit or stimulate the smooth muscles of the stomach and intestines, promote secretion of alimentary juice, or normalize the gallbladder function. Some of them can regulate uterine smooth muscles, stimulate cardiac muscles, increase coronary blood flow, raise or lower blood pressure and destroy bacteria and viruses. Their indications are gastritis, enteritis, alimentary canal ulcer, gallstone, cholecystitis and chronic bronchitis.

These herbs are sweet in flavour and neutral in property, working to promote digestion, relieve stagnation, invigorate the spleen and whet appetite, and harmonize the middle. They are used to treat fullness of the spleen and stomach due to indigestion, belching and casting up gastric acid, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and disorder of passing. Modern pharmacological study reveals that they are digestants, and some of them can lower blood fat, promote coronary circulation and counteract bacteria

These herbs enter the Spleen, Stomach and Large Intestine Meridians.Some are poisoning, acting to kill or paralyze the parasites in the human body, especially those in the intestinal tract.Some of them can move qi, expel retained food, moisten the intestines, and alleviate itching, so they are used to remove retained food and stagnation of qi, malnutrition in children, constipation, scabies and tinea. Modern pharmacological study reveals that these herbs can paralyze the parasites and can kill them. Some are able to destroy fungi, viruses and tumour.Some act to increase gastrointestinsal peristalsis, set down heart rate, expand vassels, and lower blood pressure.

Hemostatic herbs are used for hemoptysis, epistaxis, hemafacia, hematuria, metrorrhagia, purpura, and traumatic hemorrhage. Modern pharmacological study reveals that these herbs have wide indications. They can promote formation of blood coagulation factor and their activity, inhitbit the antithrombin activity, increase the amount of platelet and their function, shrink regional vessels or regulate their function, intensify the resistance to capillaries, lower vasopermeability, promote formation of fibrinogen or fibrin. Some with wide physical or chemical factors, the key mechanism is to promote blood coagulation and inhibit fibrolysis.Some of them can counteract inflammation, destroy pathogenic microorganism, kill pain and regulate cardiovascular function.

In general, herbs that calm the mind enter the Heart and the Liver Meridians, mainly working to treat restlessness, palpitation, insomnia and dream-disturbed sleep, convulsive epilepsy and mania. Modern pharmacological study reveals that they can inhibit the central nervous system, with action of sedation, hypnosis and anticonvulsion.Some of them can dispel phlegm, stop coughing, destroy bacteria, improve the cornary circulation, and promote the immune function.

Most of the herbs are acrid, bitter in flavor, and warm in property.They enter the Heart and Liver Meridians, working to treat all kinds of blood stasis.Modern pharmacological study reveals that they are used to regulate blood circulation, promote recovery of illness.They are also used as anticoagulants, preventing from thrombosis and formation of arterial sclerotic plaques, improve the metabolic function, promote tissue repairment, heal wounds and fracture. They can improve capillary permeability, relieve inflammatory reaction, promote subsidence and absorption of inflammation, regulate the immune function, destroy bateriar and eliminate inflammation.

Modern pharmacological study reveals that these herbs can eliminate phlegm, stop coughing, relieve asthma, destroy bacteria and viruses, counteract inflammation, and induce excretion of urine. Some of them can calm the mind, kill pain, improve blood circulation, and regulate the immune function.

These herbs enter the Liver Meridian.They also effect to regulate liver yang, relieve convulsion and calm the mind.Modern pharmacological study reveals that they are sedatives, anticonvulsion agents, inhibiting experimental epilepsy and decrease the autonomic action of experimental animals.Some of them can subside fever and kill pain.

These herbs effect of strengthen qi, blood, yin, yang, usually used for deficiency of qi, blood, yin and yang. Modern pharmacology study reveals that they can improve the immune function, lipid metabolism lower high blood lipid, regulate the endocrine function.They can also delay aging, resist oxidation, enhance myocardial contractilit, improve blood circulation and hematogenesis, resist stress, and treat tumours.

These herbs are sour in flavor, astringent, warm or neutral in property.They secure the superficies to check sweating, stabilize the lung to stop coughing, astringe the intestine to stop diarrhea and restrain blood.They are usually used for spontaneous sweating, night sweating, chronic diarrhea, chronic dysentery, prolapse of the rectum, spermatorrhea, premature ejaculation, enuresis, urinary frequency, chronic vaginal discharge and metrorrhagia.Modern pharmacological study reveals that they have effect to stop diarrhea and bleeding, dry excreting cells to reduce secretion.In addition, they also effect to destroy bacteria, eliminate inflammation and prevention from decay.