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The Quantitative Ideas and Methods in Assessment of Four Properties of Chinese Medicinal Herbs

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Abstract

The purpose of this review is to summarize and reflect on the current status and problems of the research on the properties of Chinese medicinal herbs. Hot, warm, cold, and cool are the four properties/natures of Chinese medicinal herbs. They are defined based on the interaction between the herbs with human body. How to quantitatively assess the therapeutic effect of Chinese medicinal herbs based on the theoretical system of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) remains to be a challenge. Previous studies on the topic from several perspectives have been presented. Results and problems were discussed. New ideas based on the technology of biophoton radiation detection are proposed. With the development of biophoton detection technology, detection and characterization of human biophoton emission has led to its potential applications in TCM. The possibility of using the biophoton analysis system to study the interaction of Chinese medicinal herbs with human body and to quantitatively determine the effect of the Chinese medicinal herbal is entirely consistent with the holistic concept of TCM theory. The statistical entropy of electromagnetic radiations from the biological systems can characterize the four properties of Chinese medicinal herbs, and the spectrum can characterize the meridian tropism of it. Therefore, we hypothesize that by the use of biophoton analysis system, the four properties and meridian tropism of Chinese medicinal herbs can be quantitatively expressed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by International S&T Cooperation Program of China (ISTCP) (2014DFA30380), Natural Nature Science Foundation of China (81173208) and Shandong Provincial Chinese medicine science and technology development plan, China (2013-215).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China

    Jialei Fu

  2. Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 18877 Jing-shi Road, Jinan, 250062, Shandong, China

    Jialei Fu, Jingxiang Pang, Xiaolei Zhao & Jinxiang Han

  3. Shandong Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China

    Jialei Fu

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  1. Jialei Fu
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  2. Jingxiang Pang
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Correspondence to Jinxiang Han.

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Fu, J., Pang, J., Zhao, X. et al. The Quantitative Ideas and Methods in Assessment of Four Properties of Chinese Medicinal Herbs. Cell Biochem Biophys 71, 1307–1312 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-014-0349-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-014-0349-y

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