• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.121-141
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• 2022

Objectives : This paper aims to examine the Yin-Yang characteristics of bland taste. Methods : Medicinals including bland taste were searched in herbology textbooks and mainly in the Bencaogangmu, of which major discourses were analyzed to examine the Yin-Yang characteristics of bland taste. Results & Conclusions : Most medicinals with bland taste were sweet-bland-cold, holding properties of cooling heat, stimulating urination and detoxification. These properties could be explained in relation to the Triple Burner's metabolism of Qi and fluids, as they stimulate perspiration and urination, improving the flow of fluids which in turn supports production of Original Qi, by working on the TB's Qi circulation system. In the bland taste discourse, it was understood that bland taste moves the Qi system and produces fluids, by first ascending then descending. Zhudanxi and the Neijing have opposing views on whether bland taste is Yin or Yang, but both saw blandness to have both Yin and Yang qualities. Characteristics of the bland taste could be better understood in relation to the Triple Burner. The phrase 'bland is attached to sweet taste[淡附于甘]' refers to the likeliness between the two tastes in that bland taste has the Central Earth qualities, integrating others and concealing itself in its blandness, its taste unspecific, mild and unstimulating thus communicating the Qi within the entire Triple Burner from Upper to Middle to Lower, as does sweet taste.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.97-114
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• 2022

Objectives : Background research on the history of Huangbo's taste being written as 'pungent' was undertaken, after which its clinical meaning was examined from the medical perspective that was behind the medicinal's taste designation. Furthermore, through various understandings on the 'pungent' taste within the process of clinical application, the meaning of 'pungent' in Korean medicinal research was re-evaluated. Methods : Description of Huangbo's taste as 'pungent' as written in medical texts were chronologically examined to determine its origin. The clinical meaning of the pungent taste of Huangbo was examined within the broad medical perspective of doctors who were behind these descriptions. Results & Conclusions : The pungent taste of Huangbo was first described by Zhang Yuansu, followed by doctors of the Yishui School such as Li Dongyuan, Wang Haogu, etc., during which such knowledge was established and contributed to recognition of Huangbo's effect as tonifying Kidney deficiency and treatment of fire within water, after reaching the Kidney. Li Dongyuan understood the meaning of Huangbo's pungent taste as eliminating Yin fire and restoring the upward direction, ultimately restoring the general 'Rising-Falling-Floating-Sinking' mechanism within the context of his inner damage treatment. On the other hand, Zhu Danxi interpreted the pungentness of Huangbo based on his understanding of the nature of fire and action towards it. It seems as Huangbo's effects were understood within a relatively narrow frame, application of its pungent taste became vague, which gave rise to criticism by later period doctors, ultimately leading to an ambiguous understanding of the pungent taste of Huangbo.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.41
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• pp.61.1-61.8
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• 2019

Background: The prognosis of recovery following microneurosurgery for injured lingual nerves varies among individual cases. This study aimed to investigate if recovery ratios of sensory and taste functions are improved by the microneurosurgery within 6 months after lingual nerve injury. Methods: We retrospectively assessed 70 patients who underwent microneurosurgery at the Wakayama Medical University Hospital for lingual nerve injuries between July 2004 and December 2016. Sensory and taste functions in lingual nerves were preoperatively evaluated using a static two-point discrimination test, an intact superficial pain/tactile sensation test, and a taste discrimination test. They were evaluated again at 12 and at 24 months postoperatively. The abundance ratio of Schwann cells in the excised traumatic neuromas was analyzed with ImageJ software following immunohistochemistry with anti S-100β antibody. Results: In early cases (microneurosurgery within 6 months after the injury), recovery ratios of sensory and taste functions were not significantly different at 24 months after microneurosurgery compared with later cases (microneurosurgery more than 6 months after the injury). Meanwhile, the ratio of patients with taste recovery within 12 months after microneurosurgery was significantly decreased in late cases compared with early cases. The abundance ratio of Schwann cells in traumatic neuroma was also significantly lower in later cases. Conclusion: Microneurosurgery more than 6 months after lingual nerve injury did not lead to decreased recovery ratio of sensory and taste functions, but it did lead to prolonged recovery of taste. This delay may be associated with a decrease in the abundance ratio of Schwann cells in traumatic neuromas.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.197-202
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• 2011

The present study demonstrates the first-ever characterization of cell types that express the vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1) in the taste buds of rat circumvallate papillae. We performed electron microscopy to identify the subcellular location. The VR1 immunoreactivity was associated with the endoplasmic reticulum, cytoplasmic vesicles, and plasma membrane of taste cells. These results demonstrate the localization of the VR1 in membranous structures of the taste cells. We used double immunofluorescence histochemistry with taste cell type-specific markers to identify the cell types that express the VR1. The VR1 was detected in all functional taste cell types (Type I, Type II, and Type III cells). Together, our data suggest that the VR1 might play different roles according to the cell types within a taste bud.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.304-327
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• 2000

This report is closely related to ${\ulcorner}$Simple question Five Qi Anouncement${\lrcorner}$ that you shouldn't take a Hot Taste excessively in case of Qi pathology because a Hot Taste runs to Qi, you shouldn't take a Salty Taste excessively in case of Blood pathology because a Salty Taste runs to Blood, you shouldn't take a Bitter Taste excessively in case of Bone pathology because a Bitter Taste runs to Bone, you shouldn't take a Sweet Taste excessively in case of muscles pathology because a Sweet Taste runs to Muscles, you shouldn't take a Sour Taste excessively in case of Sinews pathology because a Sour Taste runs to Sinews. Also the report mainly describes to relations between Five Tastes and BloodVessel-Organs of human body, to pathological change of a Five Tastes' one-sided diet or taking too much, and to various disease caused by that. And the section is called 'An Essay on Five Tastes', that Five Tastes of food and medicines could make human body either healthy or damaged so you should be careful. This report is divided into two chapter, the first chapter presents to specific diseases according to runnings of Five Tastes, the second chapter shows the pathological process how the human body would change and what kind of disease attacts human body as result of taking Five Tastes. So this section is important remarkably as a viewpoint of food and medicines.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.27-44
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• 2010

In order to setup the diet guideline of five grains, five meats, five fruits, and five vegetables for the diseases of five organs, I reviewed the their tastes by comparing "Naekyeong" with "Euhakibmun", "Dongeuibogam". 'Ma(麻)' in "Naekyeong" means not a hemp, a ramie or a jute, but a sesame(胡麻;참깨). 'Maik(麥)' in it means both a barley(大麥;보리) and a wheat(小麥;밀). 'Guak(藿)' in it means bean leaves(콩잎), leaves of a red-bean(팥잎) or brown seaweed(海藻;미역). 'Gyu(葵)' in "Euhakibmun Jangbujobun(臟腑條分)" is a miswritten word for 'Welsh onion' caused by similarity of shape of word. Food of a salty taste according to five elemental arrangement in "Naekyeong" is really salty according to "Euhakibmun" and "Dongeuibogam". But a barley(大麥) and a wheat(小麥) of sour taste are bitter, a chicken of sour taste or hot taste is sweet, nonglutinous millet of sour taste is sweet, an apricot of bitter taste is hot, a sesame seed of sweet taste is sour, a nonglutinous rice of hot taste is sweet, and a horsemeat of hot taste is bitter according to them. There are two ways to recommend the food for diseases of five organs. One way is to promote or control the Qi(氣) of five organs according to "Somun(素問)" and "Euhakibmun Jangbujobun", the other way is to build up the Yin(陰血) of five organs according to "Yungchu(靈樞) five tastes(五味)". The two different ways are not contradictory to each other, but complement on the view point of their substances(體) or actions(用).

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Oriental Medical Informatics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.64-77
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• 2012

Donguibogam, Korea's cultural heritage and traditional Oriental medicine book listed in the World Heritage three years ago, is indeed great in its importance and value. Korea's posterity has sought treatment methods through the medical book and their researches on that book have continued. However, it is rare to make the concrete analysis on the medicines for prescriptions recorded in the book. In this study, we reviewed "Ears" in the Section "Bodily Appearance" among the five chapters of Donguibogam, and analyzed the 55 types of prescriptions for ear diseases, the medical characteristics, tastes, prime classification of medical herbs, and acupunctural effects, and the dosage forms depending on prescriptions. For insect-entering ear diseases and 20 kinds of a single-medicine prescription also, the treatments are presented in the book, but we presented the texts only and excluded them in the analysis. We also excluded overlapping prescriptions and adding and reducing prescriptions of the 55 prescriptions, and thus classified the left 42 proscriptions by dosage form. As a result: 1. With respect to medical characteristics, the medicine with warm characteristics reached 9 types(40.9%), the highest rate, followed by the medicine with cold characteristics 8 types (36.4%). 2. Concerning medical tastes, the medicine with bitter taste included 12 types (54.5%), the medicine with sour taste 10 types (45.5%), and the medicine with sweet taste 7 types (31.8%). It was unusual that of the 22 medicines used for multipurpose, no medicine with the taste was found. 3. For the acupunctural effects, the medicine with acupuncture effects for spleen medirian reached 12 types in total (54.5%). On the contrary, the medicine with the effects for pericardium meridian reached only one (4.5%) among the total of 22 medicines. 4. In the dosage form of 42 prescriptions, powder medicine was 15 types (35.7%), and decoction medicine was 14 (33.3%). Powder, dedoction, and pill medicines accounted for 90.4% of the total medicine type. It was found that in particular, for ear diseases powder medicine was used more frequently than decoction medicine.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.383-397
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to report the effect of traditional Korean medical therapy such as acupuncture, electroacupuncture and herbal medicine in taste disorder patients. Methods: We surveyed 5 taste disorder patients visiting the Oral Diseases Clinic in the Kyung Hee University Oriental Medicine Hospital from January, 2014 to June, 2014. Before starting traditional Korean medical therapy such as acupuncture, electroacupuncture and herbal medicine, the subjects were evaluated on severity of discomfort using visual analogue scale (VAS), salivary flow rate (SFR), quality of life about oral health (based on the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile-14) and qi-stagnation condition (based on the 23-item qi-stagnation Questionnaire). Visual analogue scale was re-evaluated during the treatment period. Results: There was no relationship between diminished SFR and severity of discomfort. Also change or loss of taste did not influence the quality of life about oral health. However, stress which refers to qi-stagnation could be one of the reasons taste disorder occurs. After receiving traditional Korean medical therapy, all 5 patients' visual analogue scale score decreased. Conclusions: Traditional Korean medical therapy may potentially be an option for taste disorder. Further evaluations including pre-post comparison with larger number of cases will be needed in the future.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.181-185
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• 2023

We present a case report of a 52-year-old male patient who suffered head trauma in a car accident and subsequently experienced taste and smell disorders. Following the accident, the patient reported difficulty detecting salty and sour tastes and diminished olfactory perception. Neurosurgical evaluation revealed subarachnoid and subdural hemorrhages, while otolaryngology investigations revealed hyposmia-a decreased sense of smell. Upon referral to the Department of Oral Medicine, a comprehensive assessment revealed a general bilateral reduction in taste sensation, particularly ageusia for salty taste. Electric taste-detection thresholds significantly exceeded the normal ranges. Integrating our findings from neurosurgery, otolaryngology, and oral medicine resulted in a diagnosis of mixed chemosensory disorder attributed to head trauma. This case highlights the intricate interplay of alterations in taste and smell following head injury, emphasizing the significance of multidisciplinary evaluations in diagnosing mixed chemosensory disorders resulting from traumatic brain injury.

• Hanyang Medical Reviews
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.130-136
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• 2014

Animals find nutritious foods to survive, while avoiding aversive and toxic chemicals through the chemosensory faculties of olfaction and taste. The olfaction is comparatively well characterized, but the studies of taste are only recently developing since after 2000. Genetic, immunohistochemistry, and electrophysiological studies with knock-out transgenic mice opened up the taste field in mammals. Taste in insects has been only recently been studied after mammalian taste receptors were identified. Flies also discriminate the differences of sweet, salty and sour food, while being able to detect and reject potential foods contaminated with toxins or detrimental chemicals. These discriminatory abilities indicate that flies house basic taste receptors in their taste organs like humans. For the last decade, the sweet and bitter gustatory receptors in Drosophila have been characterized. In this review, we compare the taste anatomy between humans and insects. We also introduce five canonical taste sensations in Drosophila. In addition, we introduce new taste repertoires, that fruit flies can sense water and fatty acids as well as the carbonation buffer in beverage. These studies on simple model organisms will open up a new potential for scientists to further investigate these characteristics in vertebrates.