Four Directions

Four Directions

Traditional Chinese medicine
The classification of foods and herbs in Chinese herbal medicine as either sinking, rising, floating or descending, which relates to how substances are said to react in the body. Each of the four directions is further classified as having either yin (downward) or yang (upward) forces; light or yang herbs are used to treat superficial or acute conditions (e.g., colds, or inflammation); heavy or yin herbs are used to treat chronic conditions.