The theory of five flavors serves as a core component of medicinal property system in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The “flavor-effect” association is closely linked with the functional substances through the medicinal properties such as “pungent dispersion and sour astringency”, thereby providing a critical bridge for screening, mechanistic interpretation, and modern research on effective components. This paper systematically outlines the developmental trajectory of five-flavor theory and constructs a “taste-component-meridian tropism-effect” research framework. By analyzing characteristic components of five flavors and their multi-target regulatory effects on visceral functions, it reveals the molecular basis underlying the traditional efficacy of TCM. Furthermore, a flavor theory-guided strategy for studying effective components is proposed, integrating interdisciplinary technologies such as electronic tongue/nose bionic sensing, chromatography-mass spectrometry, network pharmacology, and artificial intelligence to establish a systematic pathway from material analysis to mechanistic verification. This framework deeply integrates traditional TCM theory with modern scientific techniques, strengthening the guiding role of five-flavor theory in discovering effective components and enhancing scientific rigor and reproducibility of mechanistic explanations for TCM actions. It aims to deeply reveal the scientific connotations and integrated action rules of the effective components in TCM, expand the research ideas of effective components, and contribute to the modernization research of TCM.

five flavor theory of traditional Chinese medicine  /  property flavor and meridian tropism  /  effective components  /  taste receptors  /  modernization of traditional Chinese medicine