Application value of pungent herbs in treatment of “Xiaoke syndrome” and thinking of modern research on five-flavor theory of Chinese materia medica / 中草药

“Pungent flavor” is one content of the Chinese medicine five-flavor theory, and generally speaking, pungent herbs have the functions of “dispersing”, “moving qi” as well as “activating blood”, which possessed a larger proportion of clinical applications in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The relationship of pungent herbs with the treatment of Xiaoke syndrome was discussed based on TCM efficacy of pungent herbs and the understanding of Xiaoke syndrome in TCM theory in this article. The therapeutic significance and value of pungent herbs were summarized. Furthermore, some thoughts based on the current trend and direction of the Chinese medicine five-flavor theory were investigated to provide references for peer study.