WESTERN CLASSIFICATION of the MATERIA MEDICA
2A. APERIENT MEDICINES
Opening Medicines, Deobstruent
Materia Medica in Arabic & Persian, Shirazy, 1793
Aperient and Opening medicines relax and open the mouth of the vessels and organs to open obstructions. They are generally carminative and/or laxative, and therefore encourage bowel movement, and relax the parts to open obstructions, and this represents the effects they have on the greater system.
It will be noted that some of these medicines Move Qi, some Move Blood, some clear Damp or Heat and Damp.
