Editing Traditional Chinese medicine (section)

===Traditional categorization===
The traditional categorizations and classifications that can still be found today are:
* The classification according to the [[Chinese herbology#Four Natures|Four Natures]] ({{zh|labels=no|c=四气|p=sì qì}}): hot, warm, cool, or cold (or, neutral in terms of temperature)<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> and hot and warm herbs are used to treat [[#Eight principles of diagnosis|cold]] diseases, while cool and cold herbs are used to treat heat diseases.<ref name="Ergil 2009" />
* The classification according to the [[Chinese herbology#Five Flavors|Five Flavors]], ({{zh|labels=no|c=五味 |p=wǔ wèi}}, sometimes also translated as Five Tastes): acrid, sweet, bitter, sour, and salty.<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> Substances may also have more than one flavor, or none (i.e., a "bland" flavor).<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> Each of the Five Flavors corresponds to one of zàng organs, which in turn corresponds to one of the [[#Five Phases theory|Five Phases]].<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> A flavor implies certain properties and therapeutic actions of a substance; e.g., saltiness drains downward and softens hard masses, while sweetness is supplementing, harmonizing, and moistening.<ref name="Ergil 2009" />
* The classification according to the meridian – more precisely, the zàng-fu organ including its associated meridian – which can be expected to be primarily affected by a given compound.<ref name="Ergil 2009" />
* The categorization according to the specific function mainly include: exterior-releasing<ref name="Xu 2002" /> or exterior-resolving,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> heat-clearing,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /><ref name="Xu 2002" /> downward-draining,<ref name="Xu 2002" /> or precipitating<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> wind-damp-dispelling,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /><ref name="Xu 2002" /> dampness-transforming,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /><ref name="Xu 2002" /> promoting the movement of water and percolating dampness<ref name="Xu 2002" /> or dampness-percolating,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> interior-warming,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /><ref name="Xu 2002" /> qi-regulating<ref name="Xu 2002" /> or qi-rectifying,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> dispersing food accumulation<ref name="Xu 2002" /> or food-dispersing,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> worm-expelling,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /><ref name="Xu 2002" /> stopping bleeding<ref name="Xu 2002" /> or blood-[[wikt:stanching|stanching]],<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> quickening the Blood and dispelling [[stasis (medicine)|stasis]]<ref name="Xu 2002" /> or blood-quickening,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> transforming phlegm, stopping coughing and calming wheezing<ref name="Xu 2002" /> or phlegm-transforming and cough- and panting-suppressing,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> Spirit-quieting,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /><ref name="Xu 2002" /> calming the liver and expelling wind<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> or liver-calming and wind-extinguishing<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> orifice-opening<ref name="Ergil 2009" /><ref name="Xu 2002" /> supplementing<ref name="Ergil 2009" /><ref name="Xu 2002" /> which includes qi-supplementing, blood-nourishing, yin-enriching, and yang-fortifying,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> astriction-promoting<ref name="Xu 2002" /> or securing and astringing,<ref name="Ergil 2009" /> vomiting-inducing,<ref name="Xu 2002" /> and substances for external application.<ref name="Ergil 2009" /><ref name="Xu 2002">Xu, L. & Wang, W. (2002) [https://books.google.com/books?id=36dhuXGm3OgC&q=traditional+chinese+medicine+herb&pg=PA1 "Chinese materia medica: combinations and applications"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215092023/https://books.google.com/books?id=36dhuXGm3OgC&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q=traditional%20chinese%20medicine%20herb |date=15 December 2022 }} Donica Publishing Ltd. 1st edition. {{ISBN|978-1-901149-02-9}}</ref>