The Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) consists of fifty-two volumes. The author spent nearly thirty years compiling it, documenting 1,892 types of medicinal substances, accompanied by over 1,000 illustrations of herbs. It elaborates on the properties, indications, usage methods, origins, forms, collection, processing, and compatibility of these substances, and includes over 10,000 prescriptions. This book has been fully translated or partially translated into various languages including Korean, Japanese, English, French, and German. It represents the culmination of pharmacological achievements in China before the 16th century.
Author: (Ming Dynasty) Li Shizhen, edited by Ma Mei
Publisher: Wuhan: Chongwen Publishing House
Publication Date: 2017
Call Number: R281.3/4061-5
ISBN: 978-7-5403-4251-7
Library Location: Wuhou Campus & Aviation Port Campus
Li Shizhen (1518—1593), courtesy name Dongbi, later self-styled as Binhushanren, was a renowned physician and pharmacologist of the Ming Dynasty. Starting in 1565, he traveled to Hubei, Anhui, Henan, and other regions to collect medicinal specimens and prescriptions, referencing historical medical texts and recording over ten million characters of notes. After 27 years of effort and three revisions, he completed the monumental work Compendium of Materia Medica in the 18th year of the Wanli era (1590), totaling 1.92 million words.
Impact of the Work:
The Compendium of Materia Medica is an epoch-making scientific masterpiece and a comprehensive summary of pharmacology before the 16th century in China. It reflects the extraordinary wisdom of Chinese medical scientists and the laboring people, representing a remarkable achievement in the history of science and technology in China, and is an extremely valuable heritage in the medical treasury. Additionally, this book is a work of natural history with global influence, covering a wide range of topics including biology, chemistry, astronomy, geography, geology, mining, and even history. The renowned historian of science, Dr. Joseph Needham, once commented on this book: “Without a doubt, the greatest scientific achievement of the Ming Dynasty is Li Shizhen’s unparalleled Compendium of Materia Medica.”
Classic Quotes:
1. When the valley is peaceful, it flourishes; when it is cut off, it perishes.
2. The human body is merely the exterior and interior; qi and blood are merely deficiency and excess.
3. Labor consumes qi, thinking binds qi, spirit releases qi, and cold collects qi.
4. The sea is the convergence of all rivers. The four corners of heaven and earth are interconnected by seawater, with the land in between.
Department of Discipline and Information Consultation
Editor: Chen Xi
Text: Chen Ping
Images: Internet
Proofreader: Xiao Yan