1. Chinese Herbology I
Historical Background of Chinese Herbal Medicine and Introduction to Nomenclature of Herbs

2. A Little Bit of Theory
Yin Yang, Five Elements, Zang-Fu, and Channel Theory

3. Yin and Yang
Fundamental theory and conceptual framework of Oriental Medicine.
Every object or phenomenon in the universe consists of two aspects that are in opposition and simultaneously interdependent. 

4. Yin and Yang
The concept of yin and yang is also applicable to the human body; for example, the upper part of the body and the back are assigned to yang, while the lower part of the body are believed to have the yin character. Yin and yang characterization also extends to the various body functions, and – more importantly – to disease symptoms (e.g., cold and heat sensations are assumed to be yin and yang symptoms, respectively). Thus, yin and yang of the body are seen as phenomena whose lack (or overabundance) comes with characteristic symptom combinations:
Yin vacuity (also termed "vacuity-heat"): heat sensations, possible night sweats, insomnia, dry pharynx, dry mouth, dark urine, a red tongue with scant fur, and a "fine" and rapid pulse.
Yang vacuity ("vacuity-cold"): aversion to cold, cold limbs, bright white complexion, long voidings of clear urine, diarrhea, pale and enlarged tongue, and a slightly weak, slow and fine pulse.
TCM also identifies drugs believed to treat these specific symptom combinations, i.e., to reinforce yin and yang.

5. Yin and Yang Phenomenon Yin Yang Celestial bodies moon sun Gender
female
male
Location
inside
outside
Temperature
cold
hot
Direction
downward
upward
Degree of humidity
damp/moist
dry

6. Five Elements
Five Tastes
Bitter
Sweet
Pungent
Salty
Sour

7. Five Elements
Five Phases (五行, pinyin: wǔ xíng), sometimes also translated as the "Five Elements" theory, presumes that all phenomena of the universe and nature can be broken down into five elemental qualities – represented by wood (木,pinyin: mù), fire (火pinyin: huǒ), earth (土, pinyin: tǔ), metal (金, pinyin: jīn), and water (水, pinyin: shuǐ).
Strict rules are identified to apply to the relationships between the Five Phases in terms of sequence, of acting on each other, of counteraction, etc. All these aspects of Five Phases theory constitute the basis of the zàng-fǔ concept, and thus have great influence regarding the TCM model of the body. Five Phase theory is also applied in diagnosis and therapy

8. between eyes, lower part bridge of nose between eyes, middle part
Phenomenon
Wood
Fire
Earth
Metal
Water
Direction
east
south
center
west
north
Color
green/blue
red
yellow
white
black
Climate
wind
heat
damp
dryness
cold
Taste
sour
bitter
sweet
acrid
salty
Zang Organ
Liver
Heart
Spleen
Lung
Kidney
Fu Organ
Gallbladder
Small Intestine
Stomach
Large Intestine
Bladder
Sense organ
eye
tongue
mouth
nose
ears
Facial part
above bridge of nose
between eyes, lower part
bridge of nose
between eyes, middle part
cheeks (below cheekbone)
Eye part
iris
inner/outer corner of the eye
upper and lower lid
sclera
pupil

9. Zang-Fu (Internal Organs)
Element
Five Zang (Yin Organs)
Six Fu (Yang Organs)
Fire
Heart
Small Intestine and
Triple Burner (San Jiao)
Earth
Spleen
Stomach
Metal
Lung
Large Intestine
Water
Kidney
Bladder
Wood
Liver
Gallbladder
The five Yin organs store Essence and Qi and do not excrete; they can be full but cannot be filled. The six Yang organs transform and digest but do not store; they can be filled, yet are not full.
Su Wen, Chapter 11

10. Vital Substances
Vital substances, including Qi and Blood, are the treasures of the human body
They are the material basis for the functional activities of the organs and channels
They are the physiological products of the functional activities of the organs and channels
Jing, Qi, Shen

11. Channel Theory
Connect exterior and interior of the body, linking tissues and organs
Pathways in which Qi and Blood circulate

12. Model of the body
TCM "holds that the body's vital energy (chi or qi) circulates through channels, called meridians, that have branches connected to bodily organs and functions." Its view of the human body is only marginally concerned with anatomical structures, but focuses primarily on the body's functions (such as digestion, breathing, temperature maintenance, etc.)
These functions are aggregated and then associated with a primary functional entity – for instance, nourishment of the tissues and maintenance of their moisture are seen as connected functions, and the entity postulated to be responsible for these functions is xuě (blood)

13. Model of the body
Zang-Fu: The zàng-fǔ (simplified Chinese: 脏 腑; traditional Chinese: 臟腑) constitute the center piece of TCM's systematization of bodily functions. Bearing the names of organs, they are, however, only secondarily tied to (rudimentary) anatomical assumptions (the fǔ a little more, the zàng much less). As they are primarily defined by their functions, they are not equivalent to the anatomical organs–to highlight this fact, their names are usually capitalized.
The term zàng (臟) refers to the five entities considered to be yin in nature–Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, Kidney–, while fǔ (腑) refers to the six yang organs–Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Gallbladder, Urinary Bladder, Stomach and Sānjiaō.

14. Model of the body
Jing-Luo: The meridians (经络, pinyin: jīng-luò) are believed to be channels running from the zàng-fǔ in the interior (里, pinyin: lǐ) of the body to the limbs and joints ("the surface" [表, pinyin: biaǒ]), transporting qi and xuĕ.[62][63] TCM identifies 12 "regular" and 8 "extraordinary" meridians;[36] the Chinese terms being 十二经脉 (pinyin: shí-èr jīngmài, lit. "the Twelve Vessels") and 奇经八脉 (pinyin: qí jīng bā mài) respectively. There's also a number of less customary channels branching from the "regular" meridians.

15. Concept of disease
In general, disease is perceived as a disharmony (or imbalance) in the functions or interactions of yin, yang, qi, xuĕ, zàng-fǔ, meridians etc. and/or of the interaction between the human body and the environment. Therapy is based on which "pattern of disharmony" can be identified. Thus, "pattern discrimination" is the most important step in TCM diagnosis. It is also known to be the most difficult aspect of practicing TCM.

16. A Little Bit of History
Three Legendary Rulers

17. Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
Mythological rulers of ancient China preceding the Xia Dynasty (circa 2852 – 2205 BCE)
The Three Sovereigns (Fu Xi, Nü Wa, and Shen Nong) introduced important aspects of Chinese culture, including agriculture, fishing, herbal medicine, writing, the drinking of tea
The Five Emperors were morally perfect sage-kings
The most important was Huang Di (The Yellow Emperor), the ancestor of Chinese culture and the Chinese people
(Sān huáng wǔ dì)
(Fu Xi heaven, Nü Wa earth, and Shen Nong human)

18. Fu Xi
Fu Xi taught his subjects to cook, to fish with nets, and to hunt with weapons made of iron. He instituted marriage and offered the first open air sacrifices to heaven. Traditionally, Fu Xi is considered the originator of the Yi Jing. He is said to have discovered the trigrams (ba gua) in markings on the back of a mythical dragon-horse (sometimes said to be a turtle) that emerged from the river Luo.

19. Shen Nong
Shen Nong, the “Divine Husbandman”, is considered the father of Chinese agriculture. He taught his people how to cultivate grain as food, so as to avoid killing animals.
Venerated as the father of Chinese medicine, Shen Nong is said to have tasted hundreds of herbs to test their medicinal value, and is attributed with the authorship of Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, the earliest extant Chinese pharmacopoeia.

20. Huang Di
Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, was a legendary Chinese ruler whose reign lasted 100 years (2697–2597 BCE). His long reign was said to be a golden age, and he was a benevolent and wise ruler, introducing systems of government, law, music, and art to China.
He is credited with inventing numerous useful items, including the wheel, armor and weapons, ships, writing, the compass, and coined money.
HuangDi is attributed with the authorship of the Huang Di Nei Jing, the fundamental text of traditional Chinese medicine theory.

21. Development of the Materia Medica
2400 Years in Four Slides

22. Huang Di Nei Jing Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic)
Foundation text of traditional Chinese medicine
Attributed to Huang Di but true authorship is unknown
Compiled in the late Warring States period ( BCE)
Provides medical theory and information about the tastes and properties, but only mentions 12 herbal prescriptions (28 substances)

23. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Husbandman’s Classic of the Materia Medica)
Oldest authoritative text of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) extant today
Numerous authors (with attribution to Shen Nong)
Eastern (Later) Han dynasty ( CE)
Detailed description of 365 medicinal substances from plants, animals, and minerals
Thermal property, taste, toxicity, dosage, medicinal actions

24. Ben Cao Gang Mu Ben Cao Gang Mu (Grand Materia Medica)
Author, Li Shi-Zhen, spent over 27 years compiling this text
1578 CE (Ming Dynasty)
One of the most important texts of CHM and the best known materia medica
Detailed descriptions and illustrations of 1,892 medicinals and 11,000 formulas

25. Pharmacopeia of the People’s Republic of China
Compiled by the Pharmacopoeia Commission of the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China
Official compendium of drugs, including Traditional Chinese and Western medicines. Gives information on the standards of purity, description, test, dosage, precaution, storage, and the strength for each drug.
2005 edition includes 580 single herbal substances
Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China 2010
(English ed.)

26. Pharmaceutical and Chinese Terminology
Nomenclature of Herbs
Pharmaceutical and Chinese Terminology

27. Textbook Names of Identification
Chinese Characters: 菊花
Pinyin Name: jú huā
Pharmaceutical Name: Chrysanthemi Flos
Standard Species: Chrysanthemum morifolium ramat
English: Chrysanthemum flower

28. Some Botanical Terms… Bulbus: Bulb Cornu: Horn Cortex: Bark
Flos: Flower
Folium: Leaf
Fructus: Fruit
Herba: Aerial or above ground parts of the plant
Pericarpium: Peel or rind
Radix: Root
Ramulus: Small branch or twig
Rhizoma: Rhizome or a creeping horizontal stem
Semen: Seed

29. …and Some Pinyin Terms Plant Part Botanical Term Pinyin Term
Small branch, twig
Ramulus
Zhi
Flower
Flos
Hua
Leaf
Folium Ye
Root
Radix or Rhizoma
Gen
Skin or bark
Cortex Pi
Seed
Semen
Ren or Zi
Herb (above ground)
Herba
Cao
Fruit or melon
Fructus
Guo or Gua
Stalk or vine
Caulis
Teng

30. ZHI (Small branch, twig)
Sang Zhi
Gui Zhi

31. HUA (Flower)
Hong Hua
Jin Yin Hua

32. YE (Leaf)
Ai Ye
Zi Su Ye

33. GEN (Root)
Ge Gen
Ban Lan Gen

34. PI (Skin or Bark)
Chen Pi
Sang Bai Pi

35. ZI or REN (Seed)
Xing Ren
Bai Jie Zi

36. GUO (Fruit)
Luo Han Guo
Cao Guo

37. TENG
Ren Dong Teng
Ji Xue Teng
Substitution

38. Colors Color Pinyin Red Hong Yellow Huang Blue-green Qing Gold Jin
Silver
Yin
White
Bai
Black
Hei
Green Lu
Purple Zi

39. What Color Am I?