CARB-TCMPA TCM Herbalist key terms

In Chinese medicine, the vital substance and functional activity that animates all living processes; described as both matter and motion, it warms, transforms, holds, and defends the body.

A framework describing paired, complementary aspects of phenomena: Yin as cool, moist, still, and inward; Yang as warm, dry, active, and outward. Health reflects their relative balance and mutual dependence.

The organ system of Chinese medicine: five Zang (yin) organs that store essence and spirit, six Fu (yang) organs that process and transmit, plus the extraordinary organs; each is a functional network rather than isolated anatomy.

A diagnostic grid classifying a pattern as interior or exterior, cold or heat, deficiency or excess, and yin or yang, used to summarize findings gathered from all four examinations.

Inspection of tongue body color, shape, moisture, and coating to assess the condition of Qi, blood, fluids, and organ systems; findings are read alongside the rest of the examination.

Palpation of the radial artery at three positions and three depths on each wrist to assess qualities such as rate, width, and force, interpreted as signs of internal patterns.

Wind, cold, summerheat, dampness, dryness, and fire: six environmental influences that can invade the body and cause disease when excessive or when defensive Qi is weak.

The thermal property of a herb, described as cold, cool, warm, or hot, with neutral as a further category, indicating its effect on the body's temperature and guiding pattern-based selection.

The taste categories of herbs, namely pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, with bland and astringent treated as extensions, each linked to actions such as dispersing, tonifying, or draining.

The tendency of a herb to act on particular channels and their associated organs, used to direct a formula toward the anatomical and functional site of the pattern.

Traditional preparation of raw herbs by frying, honey-frying, steaming, or charcoal-roasting so as to alter potency, reduce toxicity, change the herb's direction, or improve storage and digestibility.

Verification that a crude drug is the correct species and plant part, using macroscopic, microscopic, organoleptic, and chemical methods, in order to prevent substitution and adulteration.

The four functions within a formula: the chief treats the main pattern, the deputy supports it, the assistant moderates it or addresses secondary signs, and the envoy harmonizes the formula and directs its action.

A formula recorded in canonical texts such as the Shang Han Lun, with established composition, proportions, and preparation, serving as a template to be adapted to the individual patient.

Adjusting a base formula by adding, removing, or re-dosing individual herbs so that the prescription matches the patient's specific pattern, constitution, or coexisting conditions.

A water-based preparation made by simmering herbs, often with specified soaking and cooking times, then straining; highly adaptable but dependent on correct technique and patient adherence.

A manufactured, standardized herbal product in pill, capsule, granule, or tincture form with a fixed formula and labeled indications; convenient and consistent, but less individually tailored than a decoction.

The process of interpreting signs and symptoms to identify a coherent diagnostic pattern that names the location, nature, and strength of the imbalance, guiding both treatment and prognosis.

A concise statement of therapeutic direction derived from the pattern, such as warming the middle or clearing heat, which precedes and constrains the selection of herbs and formulas.

Branch refers to the presenting manifestation and root to the underlying cause; treatment may address either first, depending on urgency, prognosis, and the patient's reserves of strength.

Treating the same biomedical disease by different methods because patients present different Chinese medicine patterns; the corollary is that one method may serve several diseases sharing a pattern.

A classical list of eighteen herb pairs traditionally held to be mutually incompatible, producing adverse effects when combined, and used as a safety screen when composing formulas.

A classical list of nineteen mutual antagonisms in which one herb reduces or distorts another's effect, or increases its toxicity, consulted to avoid ineffective or unsafe pairings.

Herbs or formulas avoided or used cautiously during pregnancy because they may stimulate the uterus, injure fetal Qi, or prove toxic; traditionally divided into forbidden and cautionary categories.

Alteration of the effect or blood level of a pharmaceutical by a concurrently taken herb, through changes in metabolism, absorption, or organ function, or through additive pharmacological action.

Kidney damage caused by aristolochic acid, found in certain Aristolochia species; the compound is nephrotoxic and carcinogenic, so such herbs are banned or restricted in many jurisdictions.

How the body handles a substance over time, covering absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion; it explains dosing intervals and why liver or kidney impairment changes drug levels.

The proportion of an administered dose that reaches the systemic circulation unchanged; it is influenced by route, formulation, food, and first-pass metabolism in the gut wall and liver.

A family of liver enzymes that metabolize many drugs and some herb constituents; inhibiting or inducing specific isoforms can raise or lower drug levels and produce clinically important interactions.

Blood tests such as ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin that indicate hepatocellular injury or cholestasis; used to screen and monitor patients taking potentially hepatotoxic herbs.

An unintended, harmful response to a medicine used properly, distinguished from overdose or error, and classified by mechanism and severity to guide reporting and causality assessment.

A patient's voluntary agreement to treatment after receiving understandable information about the proposed approach, its benefits, risks, and alternatives, and the right to refuse.

A structured clinical record organized as Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan; it documents the patient's report, examination findings, pattern diagnosis, and treatment decisions in a consistent format.

Individually identifiable health data that must be safeguarded and disclosed only with patient authorization or as the law requires; improper release carries legal and professional consequences.

Documenting and notifying the appropriate authority or manufacturer when a patient experiences harm possibly linked to a herb, product, or treatment, thereby supporting public safety surveillance.

Directing a patient to another practitioner or physician when the condition exceeds one's competence, legal scope, or resources, with timely communication and continued coordination of care.

The legally defined range of activities, techniques, and conditions a licensed practitioner may treat, set by statute and regulation and bounded by training, competence, and supervision requirements.

Legal authorization to practice a health profession, granted by a state or provincial board after meeting education, examination, and background requirements, and subject to renewal and discipline.

The level of skill and care that a reasonably competent practitioner in similar circumstances would provide; falling below it can support a claim of negligence.

A breach of the duty to provide competent care that causes harm; four elements generally must be shown: a duty of care, a breach, causation, and resulting damages.