White Tiger Hall 白虎觀

味酸皆屬金，五味[子]為之主，枳實為木，豉為火，芍藥為土，薯蕷為水。 All sour belongs to metal, for it is governed by Wuweizi; Zhishi is wood, [Dan Dou] Chi is fire,  Shaoyao is earth , and Shuyu [Shanyao] is water. Shaoyao is peony root (Radix Paeoniae), but in modern Chinese Herbalism there is no generic peony root as such – we differentiate between Baishao (白芍) or White Peony (Radix Paeoniae Alba) and Chishao (赤芍) or Red Peony (Radix Paeoniae Rubra). Both herbs in modern TCM theory are said to effect the Blood, with Baishao having a more nourishing quality and Chishao are more moving and cooling quality, respectively. Classical Chinese herbal texts, including the Tang Ye Jing, Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, and the Shang Han Lun, do not differentiate between Baishao and Chishao - they just refer to “Shaoyao”. There is often debate over whether a given formula should use Baishao or Chishao. Generally most contemporary practitioners use Chi Shao if there is more excess – such as Blood Stasis or swelling - and Bai Sha

味酸皆屬金，五味[子]為之主，枳實為木，豉為火，芍藥為土，薯蕷為水。 All sour belongs to metal, for it is governed by Wuweizi; Zhishi is wood, [Dan Dou ]Chi is fire , Shaoyao is earth, and Shuyu [Shanyao] is water. Dandouchi (淡豆豉) is fermented black soybean (Semen Sojae Preparata). It is not the most commonly prescribed herb in classical herbalism (although it does feature prominently in several of Zhang Zhongjing’s formulas, which we will explore shortly) - to the point that it does not have an entry in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing. One of the earliest mentions of dandouchi in a Chinese materia medica is the Ming Yi Bie Lu (名醫別錄), an herbal text attributed to the Daoist alchemist Tao Hongjing. Recall that Tao is also the purported author of the Fu Xing Jue Wu Zang Yong Yao Fa Yao (輔行訣臟腑用藥法要), the previously lost manuscript that contains the only passages we have of the Tang Ye Jing. Here is what the Ming Yi Bie Lu has to say about Dandouchi: 豉: 味苦，寒，無毒。主傷寒，頭痛，寒熱，瘴氣，惡毒，煩躁，滿悶，虛勞，喘吸，兩腳疼冷，又殺六畜胎子諸毒。 [Dan Dou] C

味酸皆屬金，五味[子]為之主，枳實為木，豉為火，芍藥為土，薯蕷為水。 All sour belongs to metal, for it is governed by Wuweizi; Zhishi is wood, [Dan Dou ]Chi is fire, Shaoyao is earth, and Shuyu [Shanyao] is water. Zhishi is the unripe fruit of the bitter orange (Fructus aurantii immaturus). It’s placement here as the Wood of Metal might seem a bit puzzling at first. It's  bitter orange, after all, not sour orange! So why is it being classified as belonging to Metal? Sometimes classical herbalists see a Chinese herb differently from more modern practitioners, and when we encounter a discrepancy between how an herb is classified in TCM and how the Tang Ye Jing classifies herbs, it can be instructive to look at older texts, like the  Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (神農本草經): 枳實 味苦寒。主治大風在皮膚中如麻豆苦癢，除寒熱熱結，止利。長肌肉，利五臟，益氣輕身。生川澤。 Zhishi: Its flavor is bitter and cold. It governs treating great wind within the skin causing severe itching as if caused by hemp seeds, removes cold and heat hot knotting and stops diarrhea.

This article is Part Three of the Introduction to Exploring the Tang Ye Jing . If you haven't already, check out Part One  and Part Two . What does it mean to say that a particular flavor “tonifies” an organ? In general, I find it most helpful to understand “tonification” as optimizing the function of a given organ. From a classical perspective, the functions of the Five Zang Organs are described in terms of space, or direction, and time, or season. They are correlated with the a given direction or season because in some fundamental way, the functioning of the organ system is in resonance with these phenomena. The Five “Phases” or Movements are functional descriptions of physiological processes, and so to say that a flavor tonifies an organ according to the Five Phases is to say that it also resonates with these associations in particular way. Let's make this more concrete. In the Su Wen, the seasons are each associated with a specific movement; These associations are menti