中药是一个十分庞大的家族，根据近年的统计，总数约在一万余种，常用的中药也多达四五百种。因此如果按一定的标准把这些中药分门别类，那么我们学习、研究和应用起来就容易多了。根据目的与侧重点的不同，中药分类的方法有很多，最常用的分类方法主要有以下两种：
1．按药物功能分类——如解表药、泻下药、清热药、理气药、滋补药、活血化瘀药等。
2．按药用部位分类——分为植物类、动物类和矿物类，植物类中药再依药用部位分为根、根茎、茎木、皮、叶、花、果实、种子、全草等。
这些分类方法各有优缺点，究竟采用哪一种分类方法，主要取决于我们的目的和要求。比如按药物功能分类，有利于学习和研究中药的作用和用途，按药用部分分类有助于快速认识中药的自然属性和性状特征，有利于药材的鉴定。
The Chineseherbalmedicine is a huge family which containsover10,000 kinds of medicines according to the statistics in recent years.The number of the most commonly used medicines is up to over four hundred. Therefore, if we classify these Chinese medicines based on certain standards, it will be much easier for us to study, research and apply them. According to different purposes,there are manycategorizationstandards, whilethe followingtwoare the most popular ones:
1. Categorization based on different functions—such as relieving exterior syndrome, purgation, clearing heat, regulating qi, nourishing, activating blood circulation to dissipate blood stasis, etc.
2. Categorization based on medicinal parts—such as botanical medicine, animal medicine and mineral medicine. Botanical medicine is further classified based on different partsof the plantsincluding root,rhizome, stem, wood,bark, leaf, flower, fruit, seed, and wholeherb, etc.
Different classification methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. What classificationstandardwe adopt mainly depends on our purpose and requirements. For example, classification based on functions isconvenient for peopleto study the functions and usage of the medicines, while classification based on medicinal partscan helppeople to understand the natural attributes and characteristics of the medicines, anditisalsoconducive to the identification of the Chineseherbalmedicines.
转载自《读故事识本草：中药入门读本》
