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The Five Elements form the cosmic order, while the medical philosophy permeates the aromatic principles.

The earliest and most authoritative systematic exposition of the Five Elements can be found in the “Book of Documents · Hong Fan”, which is one of the core theories in ancient Chinese philosophy regarding the composition and operation of the world. It refers to the five basic attributes of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, along with their represented functions, energies, and interrelationships (with the core being mutual generation and mutual restraint). It is a system model that describes the universal connections and dynamic equilibrium of all things in the universe.