When it comes to drinking Chinese herbal medicine, most people immediately associate it with a bitter taste and wrinkle their brows. As the saying goes, "Good medicine tastes bitter," and in many people's minds, Chinese medicine is synonymous with bitterness. However, in reality, Chinese medicine encompasses five tastes: pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, and sweet. Herbs with different tastes also have distinct therapeutic effects.Today, experts from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacy Department at Beijing Friendship Hospital will guide us in understanding the "sour" taste in Chinese herbs.
The "Sour" Taste in Chinese Herbs As a fundamental taste, sourness is primarily perceived through taste or smell when stimulated by acidic components. For instance, biting into a lemon makes your tongue feel sour, while smelling vinegar makes your nose detect a sour sensation.Many substances contain acidic components, mostly derived from plants such as rice vinegar, pickles, green plums, black plums, hawthorn, and lemons. The sour taste arises primarily because acidic components dissociate hydrogen ions, stimulating the taste nerves in the mouth and nose. Sourness has functions such as neutralizing calcium, removing fishy odors, cutting greasiness, enhancing freshness, and boosting aroma.
The sour taste in Chinese herbal medicine originates from the primitive sour sensation experienced in daily life, yet its significance transcends everyday perception. As one of the "Five Flavors" within the "Four Energies and Five Flavors" classification of Chinese herbs, its essence extends beyond the basic sour sensation. It is primarily defined by its clinically demonstrated function of "astringent and consolidating" effects.
How Does the "Sour" Function Work? Sour-tasting herbs possess astringent and constricting properties. How do they exert these effects? We can observe that after consuming sour flavors, the immediate reaction is often pursed lips and furrowed brows—this is the most basic understanding of "acidic astringency" derived from everyday observation.Of course, through continuous clinical observation, the understanding of "acidic astringency" has gradually solidified, and its underlying principles have been refined.
When sour-tasting herbs enter the body, they stimulate gastrointestinal contractions and enhance peristalsis, thereby promoting digestive function. Simultaneously, they cause the anal sphincter (the exit of the intestines) to contract, effectively treating chronic diarrhea and loose stools.Furthermore, sour-tasting herbs constrict the urethral sphincter to treat urinary incontinence; they constrict the seminal ducts to address nocturnal emissions and spermatorrhea; and they constrict the mucous glands of the trachea and bronchi, rapidly reducing phlegm to treat chronic cough due to lung deficiency.Sour-tasting herbs constrict sweat glands to treat excessive sweating due to physical weakness. They contract vascular smooth muscle to halt capillary bleeding, achieving hemostatic effects. By constricting the vaginal and uterine glandular openings in women, they reduce vaginal discharge, thereby achieving the effect of drying dampness and stopping leukorrhea.
These demonstrate the astringent and hemostatic properties of sour-tasting herbs. Examples include: - Schisandra chinensis (金樱子) and Schisandra chinensis (五味子) consolidate the exterior to stop sweating and astringe essence to prevent seminal emission; - Terminalia chebula (诃子) and Rhus chinensis gall (五倍子) astringe the intestines to stop diarrhea; - Prunus mume (乌梅) and Papaver somniferum husk (罂粟壳) consolidate the lungs to stop coughing; - Cornus officinalis (山茱萸) astringes essence to prevent seminal emission, etc.