title: [Recognition of flavor in non-medical literatures of pre-Qin dynasty].
abstract: By systemically sorting of non-medical literatures of pre-Qin dynasty such as the Thirteen Confucian Classics, etc, this article made an analysis on the meaning and content of flavor in that period with the Genesis and Epistemology, and pointed out that there were two meanings of the flavor: the first is the flavor or taste obtained by tasting, and the other is the five-elements flavor, a abstract flavor. The former flavor should be originated early than the later one. Besides, the article made a brief view on the functions of flavors in the health keeping and medicine.
authors.affiliation: China Institute of Chinese Material Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Ruixian
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000266:history*; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008513:Medicine in Literature; D013649:Taste
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal