Actions

Important Chinese herbs and herbal formulas have common actions that are expressed in different terminologies, such as clearing heat, sedating fire, or stopping wind. These actions correspond to the treatment principles and are identical in meaning. For example, a formula that can clear heat is used to treat the hot syndrome. A formula may have several common actions, such as clearing the lungs, transforming sputum, cooling the blood, and counteracting toxic effects. A practitioner of Chinese medicine can use this formula by identifying its common actions. For instance, the formula's ability to cool the blood can be used to treat nosebleed, while its ability to clear the lungs can be used to suppress cough associated with the lungs. However, it takes time to fully understand the meaning of the common actions of formulas and apply them to the treatment of diseases, as making a diagnosis requires knowledge of the theory of yin and yang as well as the Chinese organ theory. To determine the right syndrome of a nosebleed, for example, the practitioner needs to follow the standard procedures of Chinese diagnosis. This involves identifying the underlying syndrome that can cause bleeding, such as wind-cold syndrome, spleen unable to govern the blood syndrome, external injuries, large-intestine excess syndrome, or hot blood syndrome. Only when the practitioner has determined the syndrome can they apply the appropriate formula to treat the disease effectively.