Qi Dynamics in Medicine: Herbal and Food Energetics (Qi and Flavor 氣味)

Herbal and food energetics in East Asian Medicine are understood by the concept of flavors, 味 wèi, and thermal nature, 氣 qì, which correspond to the fundamental energetic movement patterns discussed in the previous articles. Since herbal medicine plays a more prominent role, let's start with herbs first. The same principles apply to food and there are some specific notes on how all of this relates to nutritional therapy at the end of the article.

Qi and Flavor of Herbs 氣味

When it comes to talking about the medicinal properties of herbs and food, "qi 氣" specifically refers to thermal nature, which is simply how hot or cold a given substance causes the physical body to feel upon ingestion. Based on this experiential understanding, herbs and foods were categorized on a spectrum from hot to cold as hot (熱 rè), warm (溫wēn), cold (寒 hán), cool (凉 liáng), and neutral (平 píng). The experience of herbs with these qualities is straightforward—hot herbs impart a sensation of heat, which causes qi to rise and speeds up internal activity, and cold herbs produce a sensation of cold, which causes qi to sink and slows down internal activity. The thermal characteristics are easier to discern, as detecting the thermal qualities of energy requires less interoceptive sensitivity, than the more subtle energetic movements related to the flavor.

Flavors 味 do not always refer to what the taste buds interpret, but more importantly reference specific energetic movement patterns that occur upon ingesting a given substance. Understanding medicinals in this way, helps to integrate the understanding within the larger ancient theoretical framework based on understanding qi. That said, within the various early writings on herbalism in China, there were differences in correspondences. And, in addition, some correspondences were based on the movement patterns of qi as sensation, which corresponds to the fundamental theory based on qi, and some were based on how those movement patterns were observed to affect the physical body over time.

For example, in Sùwèn 22 below we can see that acrid, sour, and sweet are associated with how the herbs can be felt to affect qi (e.g. the qi can be felt to scatter, gather, or slow down). The effects of "hardening and softening" for bitter and salty are associated with the physical effects produced by the substances when taken on a regular basis, or in excess. In other words, the qi of bitter herbs, which produces the felt sensation of descending, causes the tissues and material matter in the body to harden. The qi of salty herbs, which produces the felt sensation of dissonance with respect to the qi (for lack of a better term to describe this sensation, but people that can feel it, will get it), results in a softening, or a breaking down of the tissues and material substances of the body. Similarly, sour gathers qi, which over time causes an accumulation of qi. Suwen 22 is one example of many within the Nèijīng that shows how ideas morphed over time and were often derived from an amalgamation of different perspectives.

Each of the flavors has an associated action, as defined in Nèijīng Sùwèn 22 and 74:

辛散，酸收，甘緩，苦堅，鹹耎…

Acrid scatters, sour gathers, sweet slows, bitter hardens, [and] salty softens… Sùwèn 22

淡味滲泄為陽

Bland flavor permeates downward to drain, as it is yang. Sùwèn 74

As illustrated above, the information provided in the Nèijīng can be terse, which served a utilitarian purpose for the time as writing supplies were expensive and limited; however, it also left a lot of room for interpretation. For example, in the case of the description for bland herbs, one could misinterpret the yang categorization as describing the thermal nature. However, with the experience of sampling bland herbs, one can recognize that bland herbs do not have the movement pattern associated with yang qi (rising and expansion), nor do they impart a felt sensation of heat. However, when sampling many bland herbs, what one will notice is that when the herbs are decocted they produce a light-colored liquid. From this we can then understand what the passage means by the yang nature of bland herbs—that bland herbs are yang because they are light, rather than dense, and therefore easily percolate through the body, which is something that one can directly experience to confirm. Herbs that produce thick decoctions and comparatively yin, as they are more dense. Good interoceptive abilities allows for people to feel these things. This is just one example of how reading the texts based on intellectual understanding alone, without having direct experience, or an experienced teacher by your side to explain things, can increase the likelihood of misinterpretation. The list below summarizes how each flavor corresponds to the movement patterns associated with each of the seasons based on embodied experience, which may not align with other written correspondences for herbal flavors:

Acrid increases the movement of qi and moves qi outward. It creates a felt sensation of the qi floating up toward the exterior.

• The expansive outward movement of acrid herbs corresponds to the movement pattern of fire-summer.
  

Sweet herbs move qi toward the center and slows the movement of qi, thereby moderating the actions of other herbs.

• The movement toward the center and moderating action correlates to the yang aspect of earth, of moderation or restraint
  

Bitter moves qi down, and pulls water out through urination in the process. This is how bitter herbs dry. On the extreme end, a hardening of tissues, especially the connective tissues and mucous membranes of the body, which require moisture and lubrication for their physiological function, can result. This an also happen with the overuse of aromatic herbs, which similarly dry the tissues.

• The downward movement of qi corresponds to metal-autumn.
  

Sour has two aspects. One aspect of sour moves qi inward and gather tissues, causing tension, similar to the kind of sour taste associated with a “Sour Patch Kid” candy. The second kind of sour is that of acids, such as vinegar, which cause qi to rise (as anyone with acid reflux can attest). Lemons are an example of a food that has both aspects of sour in one substance.

• The movement of qi toward the interior and the associated tension (a “congealing”) correlates to water-winter.

• The rising qi of acids correlate to spring. One can see how knowing these differences in practice is useful.
  

Salty is associated with breaking things down, or dissolution, in the ancient texts and this is the way that salty "softens." In winter, things break down, decompose and fall down to the ground. Matter decomposes and dissolves into its fundamental components. Similar to salty herbs, strongly acrid herbs also break down material substance, however, acrid herbs move things outward as they are broken down, whereas salty herbs break things down and then move them internally and down. This is why acrid and salty are the two flavors most associated with treating blood stasis, an excess accumulation of substance in the blood vessels, creating impediments to the movement of blood.

• The decomposition of material substance and internal movement of qi corresponds to water-winter.
  

Bland herbs move qi down and out through urination, without generating perceptible movement in the digestive tract, channels or blood vessels. Thus, they are said to “permeate” (滲).

• This lack of active directional movement is correlated to the yin aspect of earth as stillness and passivity.
  

To sum up, the correlations of the qi and flavor of herbs based on the energetic movement patterns associated with each of the seasons are illustrated below.

A concluding remark on "flavor" in Chinese nutritional therapy

Important to note here is that the energetic "flavors" of specific foods, as used in Chinese nutritional guidance should similarly apply to how the food affects the qi, not necessarily the flavors that we have associated with the same names based on taste bud interpretation. At least this is necessary in order for the nutritional therapy to work in alignment with the foundational theoretical framework. Otherwise, the results may not be effective in treating a diagnosed pattern.

Unfortunately, in many of the modern books on Chinese nutritional therapy and the energetics of food, people have assigned foods to certain categories based on taste-bud flavor and not qi-movement "flavor." And this is not limited to being a modern day anomaly. There are passages in the older texts that show evidence of faulty correlation practices early on----some of these faulty correlations have just been parrotted along over time without anyone questioning things, so they still remain today. Some are even board exam questions (ahem).

For example, a specific food may have been assigned a flavor or function based solely on its color, rather than how the food affects the qi. For example, black beans are said to "nourish the Kidney," because black beans are well, black. Based on this, black beans should gather qi, as the color black corresponds to winter, but this is an erroneous correlation. Black beans do little to affect the qi as with most beans. Except, of course if you are choosing to translate "qi" as "gas," then you may have a valid point. But, seeing that we've been talking about qi as it relates to movement patterns and not gas, you can save your patients any undue flirtation with flatulence by recommending that they increase their consumption of black beans. This is just one example of many, of how using your own well-honed interoceptive abilities can be useful to clarify how things really work in a way that is clinically relevant, rather than just repeating the same information.

Citation

Juniper, Evren. “Qi Dynamics in Medicine: Herbal Energetics (Qi and Flavor 氣味).” Universal Qi, 2022, https://www.universalqi.org/post/herbal-energetics.

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