Ancient Herbal Categories: Dioscorides vs. TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine)

P.S. Books that document herbs and their properties are called "materia medica."

Dioscorides: Pioneer in Western herbal medicine

Note: I’m taking an herbal certification course that is quite rigorous and I have a bunch of homework to do. Here is one of my submissions, which focuses on the different ways of categorizing herbs between Dioscorides and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). Sorry, it’s a bit dry.

Dioscorides, by the way, is also known for being one of the first physicians to document the toxicity of lead in the Roman Empire.

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Explain how the categorization of herbs under Dioscorides is both different than and similar to the categorization of herbs within the Chinese materia medica.

Herbal medicine has been practiced in different cultures for thousands of years. Dioscorides and traditional Chinese medicine have each developed a comprehensive system of categorizing herbs to aid in diagnosis and treatment. We will be exploring the differences and similarities between the herbal categorization in “De Materia Medica” by Dioscorides and the traditional Chinese materia medica.

Dioscorides and De Materia Medica

De Materia Medica is a work by Pedanius Dioscorides who is considered as the father of pharmacology. Dioscorides was a first-century physician who catalogued the properties of almost 600 plants. His groundbreaking book, De Materia Medica, was sourced from works by earlier herbalists and healers, including Hippocrates, Theophrastus, Andreas, Niger, and Crateuas.

De Materia Medica is an ancient Greek book on medicinal substances and therapeutic treatments written between 50 and 70 AD. The book is composed of five books, and it contains information on around 600 medical substances, including both plant-based and animal-based medicine. Most of De Materia Medica covers herbal medicines, with 20 percent focused on animal and mineral remedies.

Dioscorides organized the book into chapters, one for each plant. The plant monographs included the following information:

1. Plant name and alternative names

2. Drawing of the plant.

3. Where the plant was found (habitats)

4. Botanical description

5. Herbal properties or actions

6. Medicinal uses

7. Side effects

8. Dosages and amounts for treatment

9. Harvesting, preparation, and storage practices

10. How to verify the herb to avoid adulteration (counterfeits)

11. Herbal usage in animals

In Dioscorides’ herbal, every single herb and medicinal substance is presented in a remarkably comprehensive fashion. Everything from plant names to synonyms and accompanying illustrations are included, along with information detailing plant habitat and botanical descriptions. The properties, actions, and potential uses of each drug are thoroughly explored, along with any negative side effects that may be associated with its use.

The herbal even outlines detailed administration and dosage recommendations, as well as provides guidance on harvesting, preparation, and storage of herbs or drugs. Additionally, possible adulterations and how they’re detected are discussed, along with any potential veterinary uses for the herb or drug. In short, Dioscorides’ herbal provides a veritable trove of information surrounding every individual herb and drug contained within.

De Materia Medica Herbal Properties

Dioscorides is renowned for his pioneering work in categorizing the materia medica into groups of drugs based on their medicinal properties, including;

1. warming

2. mollifying and softening

3. astringent, bitter or binding

4. diuretic

5. drying

6. cooling

7. concocting

8. sharpening

9. making thin

10. dilating

11. gluing

12. sleep-inducing

13. relaxing

14. diaphoretic

15. stopping of pores

16. causing thirst

17. checking

18. cleaning

19. cleaning thoroughly or emetic

20. decocting

21. hardening

22. nourishing

These categories of action outline a holistic approach that looks synergistically at the energies present in any illness, versus just connecting specific herbs with specific disease. This groundbreaking approach revolutionized the connection between the fields of pharmacy and herbal medicine, allowing for more efficient and effective treatment options.

Additionally, the therapeutic groupings Dioscorides established provided a systematic framework for future discoveries in the field of medicine to be neatly arranged into relevant categories. By organizing the materia medica in this manner, Dioscorides also believed that the retention and acquisition of pharmaceutical knowledge could be greatly improved, simplifying the process and aiding in the advancement of medicine.

Chinese Materia Medica

The late Han dynasty (196 AD to 220 AD) saw the emergence of the first classical Chinese materia medica, a comprehensive list of 365 botanical, zoological, and mineral substances with their respective properties and effects. This marked the beginning of an era that saw the creation of subsequent materia medica during virtually every dynasty, from Liang to Qing. One of the most notable publications during this time was the Materia Medica Arranged According to Pattern (Zheng Lei Ben Cao), a 30-volume work featuring 1,558 entries and over 3,000 formulae. It served as the official pharmacopoeia of herbal medicine in China for an impressive 500 years.

Chinese Materia Medica Herbal Properties

When we analyze the organizational structure of the traditional Chinese herbal materia medica, we can see that it follows a similar organizational framework to that established by Dioscorides. The therapeutic groupings established by Dioscorides, based on various medicinal actions such as warming, softening, cooling, and nourishing, have some overlap in those described in the Chinese materia medica:

1. release the exterior

2. clear Heat¹

3. downward drain

4. drain Dampness

5. dispel Wind-Damp

6. transform Phlegm and stop cough

7. aromatic herbs that transform damp

8. relieve food stagnation

9. regulate the Qi

10. regulate the Blood

11. warm the interior and expel cold

12. tonify

13. stabilize and bind

14. calm the Spirit

15. open the orifices

16. extinguish Wind and stop tremors

17. expel parasites

18. topical applications

Thus, both Dioscorides and Chinese medicine offer herbal actions that can impact bodily systems and energies. Some are similar in action, such as “cooling” and “clear Heat” or “drying” and “drain dampness.” However, Traditional Chinese Medicine has its own more esoteric terminology and classification of diseases that differ from the more prosaic approach of Dioscorides.

Differences between Dioscorides’ and TCM Herbal Approaches

While Dioscorides and TCM share some similarites in labeling herbal properties, there are notable differences.

TCM’s Unique Categories of Action

An interesting aspect of traditional Chinese materia medica is that it includes unique categories of action not seen in other herbal medicine systems. For instance, one such category is “calm the Spirit,” also known as “Shen.” In traditional Chinese medicine, Shen pertains to a person’s overall spirit and mental faculties, and the herbs listed under this category are used to promote emotional and mental well-being.

Another distinct category is “regulate the Qi,” which refers to the supreme energy and life force that flows through the body. Chinese medicine places great emphasis on maintaining Qi flow and removing any blockages in the body, as it is believed that this is essential to maintaining good health.

It’s worth noting that these concepts of Spirit/Shen and Qi are unique to traditional Chinese medicine, and there is no equivalent to them in Dioscorides’ herbal. Additionally, traditional Chinese materia medica includes other unique categories, such as “Wind-Damp,” which pertains to conditions caused by both wind and dampness, and features herbs that expel these factors from the body.

How Herbs Are Described

Another difference between the two categorization systems is the way in which each herbal medicine is described. Dioscorides describes each herb by its locality, appearance, and anatomy before going into detail about its medicinal properties. In contrast, the Chinese materia medica initially describes each herb by its flavor, nature, and channel of affinity before going into further detail about its use in Chinese medicine. The aim is to provide a more systematic and holistic overview of the herb’s properties.

Herbs in Combination

One of the important aspects of the Chinese materia medica is its emphasis on using herbs in combination. Chinese medicine emphasizes the use of herbal formulas, which are specific combinations of herbs tailored to the needs of an individual patient. The combinations are based on the concept of “synergism,” which means that the effect of the herbs combined is greater than the effect of each herb separately. Dioscorides, on the other hand, has a more simplistic approach as he primarily categorized herbs by their properties and only describes around 250 herbal combinations in his book.

Understanding the differences and similarities between these two systems can aid in the appreciation of how the properties of herbal remedies are viewed and used differently in various cultures. It is also essential to note that categorizing herbs are simply tools, and it is essential to view each herb from a holistic perspective and to use the knowledge and experience of traditional medicine to achieve optimal health and healing.

1. Some writers capitalize TCM concept such as “Heat” and “Blood” to distinguish them from our typical ideas of heat and blood.