ABSTRACT
The five-flavor theory of Chinese materia medica (CMM) is the core content of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which characterizes the characteristic property of CMM components and is used for clinical guidance. However, it is still unclear how the five flavors are used to characterize the many groups of ingredients, the criteria for dividing the five flavors of herbs, and the scientific issues of the five flavors and the five internal organs. This paper analyzes and summarizes the historical evolution and research status of five-flavor theory of CMM. The supramolecular “imprint template” theory is used to analyze the five flavors of CMM: human and CMM are biological supramolecular bodies, and traditional Chinese medicine is used as a natural supramolecular “imprint template” aggregation. After the human body, it is inevitable to find self-recognition, self-organization, self-assembly and self-replication of the supramolecular body of the human organ that coincides with its own “imprint template”, so as to produce specific effects, and macroscopically show the five flavors of CMM with meridian tropism in five internal organs. Therefore, through the qualitative and quantitative study of the characteristics and action of the supramolecular “imprinting template” of various components of five flavors of CMM in vivo and in vitro and its network pharmacology, “Chinese herbal medicine group-taste bud supramolecular pore structure-meridian visceral cavity” correlation research method was established. From the macroscopic and microscopic aspects, the five flavors of CMM are studied. The combination of supramolecular chemistry theory and traditional Chinese medicine will certainly promote the development of TCM and realize the modernization of TCM.
ABSTRACT
Medicinal theory of Chinese materia medica (CMM) is an important part of theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). “Five flavors” as one of the core contents of medicinal theory, its effect on ensuring the accuracy of rational clinical drug use can’t be ignored. However, compared with “four natures”, the correlation between the properties and its clinical function among the five flavors is relatively loose, which is mainly derived from the mixture of the real tastes of herbs and their deductive properties of five flavors derived from their clinical function. Based on this, taking the “spice flavor”, one of the five flavors, as the research object to summarize the generation and construction process of its medicinal theory as well as the progress of modern research and so on, by which to clarify the origin of spicy flavor and the traditional understanding of medicinal theory of CMM, with a view to provide new research ideas and patterns for the modern research of the medicinal properties of CMM.
ABSTRACT
Astringency, one of the true taste of Chinese materia medica (CMM), generally exists in traditional Chinese medicinal materials and China patent medicines. However, due to the profound influence of traditional five flavors theory, it is lacking of depth understanding in Chinese pharmacy discipline. In this paper, authors initially generalized the meanings of astringency in herbal literatures, figured out the universality of astringency, interpreted the forming principle and factors deeply, summarized the spreading rules along the preparation process chain, summed up the masking methods, and discussed the suitable masking methods for the buccal tablets of CMM, so as to deepen the understanding, promote the development of suitable masking technology and applicable accessories.