Types of Chinese herbal medicine

• Plant-based Medicines: These are the most common and come from various parts of plants, including roots, stems, seeds, fruits, entire herbs, flowers, and resins.
• Animal-based Medicines: These are medicinal materials derived from animals, including humans.
• Mineral-based Medicines: These refer to medicinal materials sourced from natural minerals, such as gypsum, mirabilite, cinnabar.

2. Categorize by TCM Functional Properties

• Four Qi (Four Natures): Classify herbs by their energy nature—cool, warm, cold, and hot—which helps identify the herb’s effect on body temperature and metabolism.
• Five Flavors (Five Tastes): Sort herbs by flavor—sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty. Each flavor is associated with specific properties:
• Sour: Astringent, consolidating (e.g., schisandra berry).
• Bitter: Reduces heat, drains (e.g., coptis root).
• Sweet: Nourishing, harmonizing (e.g., licorice root).
• Pungent: Moves qi and blood, releases stagnation (e.g., ginger).
• Salty: Softens, breaks down hardness (e.g., seaweed).
• Meridian Tropism: Indicate the primary organs or channels each herb targets, like the liver, kidney, or heart.

3. Sort by Functionality and Therapeutic Effects

• Group herbs based on their therapeutic effects, making it easier to locate herbs for specific needs:
• Release Exterior: Used for early-stage colds, like ephedra.
• Clear Heat: Cooling herbs to reduce internal heat, like honeysuckle.
• Expel Wind-Dampness: Herbs that relieve joint pain, like angelica.
• Drain Dampness: Diuretic herbs to manage fluid retention, like plantain seed.
• Regulate Qi: For digestive issues, like tangerine peel.
• Tonics: Nourishing herbs that strengthen qi, blood, yin, or yang (e.g., ginseng for qi, goji berry for yin).
• Calm the Spirit: Herbs that support mental wellness, like jujube seed.