title: The taste of heat: How humoral qualities act as a cultural filter for chemosensory properties guiding herbal medicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Organoleptic properties, and more specifically chemosensory cues, have been shown to guide therapeutic applications of medicinal plants. Humoral qualities, on the other hand, are widely believed to be an abstract concept, mainly applied post hoc to validate therapy. However, the nexus between humoral qualities, chemosensory properties, and medicinal plant uses has never been systematically assessed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To systematically analyse the correlations between chemosensory properties, humoral qualities, and medicinal uses of selected botanical drugs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The issue was approached experimentally via an organoleptic testing panel, consisting of Zoque healers in Chiapas, Mexico. The healers smelled and tasted 71 selected herbal drugs and subsequently commented on their humoral qualities and therapeutic uses. The resulting dataset is analysed for correlations between these variables using Bayesian statistics. Qualitative data on the characteristics and role of the hot-cold dichotomy complement the quantitative analysis, facilitating meaningful interpretation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results reproduce and extend the findings of previous studies, which established specific correlations between chemosensory cues and nosological units. The key predictors of drugs' therapeutic uses, however, are their humoral qualities, which are themselves conditioned by taste and smell. These findings appear to be valid for drug samples known to the participants as well as for unfamiliar samples. Thus, this study establishes the role of the hot-cold dichotomy as an important cultural filter connecting organoleptic properties and therapeutic uses of herbal drugs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is considerable cross-cultural consensus in Mesoamerica for the specific correlations described in this study. Given the continued pervasiveness of the hot-cold dichotomy, humoral qualities and the underlying organoleptic properties ought to be increasingly considered in the design of pharmaceutical products as well as public health strategies. Such culturally appropriate adjustments may considerably improve the perceived quality and effectiveness of healthcare.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari (CA), Italy.
authors.forename: Matthias S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Geck
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Informatics, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari (CA), Italy; Department of Statistics, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, c/Madrid, 126, 28903 Getafe, Spain.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cabras
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari (CA), Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán 04510, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alberto J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Reyes García
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124 Cagliari (CA), Italy. Electronic address: marcoleonti@netscape.net.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leonti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D020834:Ethnopharmacology; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D029001:Herbal Medicine / Q000379:methods; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000737:chemistry*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D012903:Smell; D013649:Taste
chemical_list: D028321:Plant Preparations
keywords: Health beliefs; Hot and cold; Medical anthropology; Medicinal plants; Mexico; Organoleptic properties