Guest guest Posted May 30, 2002 Report Share Posted May 30, 2002 In Comparisons and characteristics of Chinese Herbal Medicines (churchill-livingstone 2002), the author states, " originally, the taste of herbs were defined directly from their perception in the mouth ....... it was also found that a specific taste caused a specific reaction in the body, and [thus] .... study of the taste of herbs changed.....some tastes are ascribed to herbs not according to their perception in the mouth, but to their action in the body..... the five tastes of herbs no longer simply describe the taste properties of herbs but ... are used to analyze and study herbs. " Thus, this book by yifan yang, which is entirely devoted to explaining herbs with extensive reference to flavors, etc. begins by essentially saying these attributions serve mainly as didactic and analytical tools, not as actual properties of many of the herbs. Having said that, I think his teaching style is highly effective for practical memorization (as opposed to examination memorization) and have begun to adapt it for my students. The reception has been very positive. Chinese Herbs " Great spirits have always been violently opposed by mediocre minds " -- Albert Einstein Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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