# TCM Herb Lookup API

> TCM Herb Lookup API is a paid API for AI agents from api.cn402.com, paid per call via x402, $0.016/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-13).

Looks up traditional Chinese medicinal herb properties including nature (temperature), taste, meridian tropism, and clinical uses

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://api.cn402.com/tcm/herb
- Price: $0.016/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-13
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/api-cn402-com-35181321
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_vbrn8Tsp6bkCPQJFtSXhZ

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability api-cn402-com-35181321
```

Example prompt: What are the traditional TCM properties of 当归 (dang gui) — its nature, taste, and which meridians it enters, plus its main clinical uses?

## When to prefer this

Use this endpoint when you need structured traditional Chinese medicine herb data including the classical four properties (nature, taste, meridian, action) for a specific herb. Ideal for TCM practitioner tools, herbal formula analysis, patient education apps, or AI assistants that need to answer questions about Chinese herbal medicine. Prefer over general web search when you need structured, consistent herb property data.

## Known failure modes

- Herb not found in database — returns error or empty result for obscure or non-standard herb names
- Ambiguous herb name — multiple herbs may share a common name, requiring disambiguation
- Invalid input format — herb name not recognized in either Chinese characters or romanized pinyin
- Payment failure — x402 payment not processed, returns 402 status
- Rate limiting — excessive requests may be throttled

## How this service works

TCM herb lookup, Chinese herbal medicine, 中药, Chinese medicinal herbs, herb properties, herb meridian, herb temperature, 寒热温凉, herb taste, 酸甘苦辛咸, Traditional Chinese herbal materia medica. Look up Chinese herbs with traditional properties (nature, taste, meridian) and clinical uses.

## Output

Returns traditional Chinese medicinal herb properties including the herb's nature/temperature (e.g., warm, cold, neutral), taste profile (e.g., bitter, sweet, pungent), meridian tropism (which organ meridians it enters), and clinical indications and therapeutic uses according to classical Chinese materia medica.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "name": {
   "type": "string",
   "description": "ENS name e.g. vitalik.eth (optional)"
  }
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/api-cn402-com-35181321/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from api.cn402.com](https://www.zero.xyz/host/api.cn402.com/llms.txt)