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What are Energetics?
Energetics is a term that describes the properties and qualities of something that has energy, produces energy, and/or has the ability to cause change within the body (examples: mammalian body, plant body). Energy is not something that is directly seen, but something that is felt and experienced with your senses. Energetics include hot/heating, dry/drying, cold/cooling, pungent/aromatic/dispersive, for example.​
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An energetic model is a framework that an herbalist uses to assess conditions of a person's health and illness. Herbal medicine has been practiced all around the world for thousands of years and many cultures have developed their own energetic model. Although different traditions have different perspectives and approaches, they all seek to achieve the same goal, which is to restore balance and harmony.
Traditional herbalists understood that our bodies are microcosms of the earth, and therefore, human health is a sign of environmental health and vice versa. They observed patterns in nature, how energy flowed within the ecosystem to maintain balance and harmony, and what happened when the flow is disrupted. Human health exhibits the very similar patterns and thus, patterns have been used to analyze human health.
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ENERGETICS IS THREEFOLD
​In herbalism, energetics can be used to describe three things:​​
The plant
The energetics describe the taste, feel, and properties of the plants themselves, as well as the effects that they have on the person. The effects are also called herbal actions.
The person
Or another mammal, such as a dog or a cat. These qualities are referred to as someone's constitution, or qualities that they were born with.
The imbalance
The imbalance can be an illness that the person is experiencing. The condition can be caused by diet, environmental factors, immune system dysregulation, stress, lack of sleep, and many other reasons.
EVALUATING ENERGETICS
Herbalists evaluate the energetics of a person and match them with the energetics of the plants to achieve balance.
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The person & the imbalance
The herbalist uses their preferred energetic model to determine the overall condition of the person and the imbalance.
Example, the person has weak digestion and stagnant energy.
The plant
The herbalist finds a plant(s) would be a good fit because it has the appropriate herbal actions to correct the person's imbalance. The plants' characteristics are often the opposite of the imbalance.
Example, the plant is pungent and dispersive and can break up stagnation, stimulate digestion, and distribute energy throughout the body.
The balance
When a plant is matched with the person and imbalance, the person's body shifts back into balance.
TISSUE STATES (WESTERN HERBALISM)
Tissue States is a traditional energetic model that was developed in the 1900s by Dr. Joseph M. Thurston. This energetic model was influenced by the ancient Greek humoral model, physiomedicalism, and Samuel Thompson. The Tissue States model has been modernized by Matthew Wood and the descriptions of Tissue States on this site have been adapted from Matthew Wood and Kat Maier.
Tissues are groups of cells that perform specific functions. Those tissues make up bones, skin, muscles, organs, blood vessels, and other parts of the body.​
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Tissue States refer to the conditions of those tissues. The conditions are described on three spectrums:
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Dry <---> Damp
Tense <---> Lax
Hot <---> Cold
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Moisture
Tone
Temperature
Therefore, these descriptions describe the person and the illness/imbalance within the person.​​​​
WESTERN ENERGETICS TASTES CHART
There are six distinct tastes of plants in the Tissue States energetic model. The Tastes Chart describe the energetics of the plants: how they taste, temperature, direction, and actions they have on the body.
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