I still remember hearing about the Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica) when I was very young. Since studying medicine, I have always hoped to read it thoroughly. The renowned TCM master Li Shizhen has always been highly regarded. However, a recent article has criticized the Ben Cao Gang Mu for recording many unusual medicinal materials, including the human skullcap, feces, urine, menstrual blood, semen, hair, earwax, breast milk, and mummies, deeming it absurd and thereby undermining the academic value of the Ben Cao Gang Mu and even disparaging the author Zhang Zhongjing. Such an article has surprisingly been widely disseminated on a certain online platform. For those unfamiliar with TCM, this may lead them to follow the trend and think that TCM lacks rationality, not realizing that these records are based on prior medical experiences rather than fabrications by Li Shizhen. He dedicated nearly half his life to compiling the Ben Cao Gang Mu to document the clinical applications of medicinal materials throughout history, correcting many medical errors through extensive travels, and with a pragmatic attitude, he compiled a work that is globally recognized for its high reference value. Many prescriptions recorded within have been utilized and developed by later generations of physicians, and scholars of TCM have always regarded both Li Shizhen and the Ben Cao Gang Mu as subjects of study and models for learning.
The Si Ku Quan Shu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) and modern works such as Li Shizhen Yi Xue Quan Shu (Complete Medical Works of Li Shizhen) and Ben Cao Gang Mu Jiao Zhu (Annotated Compendium of Materia Medica) have all detailed the Ben Cao Gang Mu, demonstrating its immeasurable value in TCM. Many publishers have released editions of the Ben Cao Gang Mu with some textual adjustments and omissions. Many scholars believe that certain records may be outdated, yet they fail to understand the importance of studying the academic value and clinical significance of the Ben Cao Gang Mu from a historical perspective. All academic works have historical limitations and reflect the achievements of their time. Some medicinal materials recorded in the Ben Cao Gang Mu are indeed not widely recognized, and even most medical practitioners are only familiar with a portion of them. There are not many physicians who can comprehensively understand the Ben Cao Gang Mu. Certain medicinal materials recorded within have been continuously applied, just like many folk remedies. Although they may not be included in textbooks and not all pharmacies stock them, they have indeed been used as effective medicinal materials in certain areas, especially in regions lacking medical resources, where some materials have played significant roles.
Li Shizhen was a down-to-earth physician who traveled across the country, collecting thousands of folk prescriptions. Many of the medical cases, prescriptions, and materials recorded in the Ben Cao Gang Mu have supporting literature. Li Shizhen was also from a family of TCM practitioners, and his medical writings are not limited to the Ben Cao Gang Mu; for example, Pin Hu Mai Jue (Pulse Diagnosis of the Pin Lake) is also an essential text in TCM. I once read a comic about Li Shizhen that detailed his life, but unfortunately, these comics have not been widely circulated, leading many to be unaware of Li Shizhen and his experiences in writing the Ben Cao Gang Mu. Thus, some people, standing from an outsider’s perspective, criticize without understanding. This is a tragedy for TCM and for our nation!
While some people are busy disparaging TCM, countries like Japan and South Korea have already appropriated TCM knowledge, registering trademarks and applying for intangible cultural heritage status internationally. For instance, South Korea has patented acupuncture points as Korean meridian points, and Japan has applied for over 210 patents for prescriptions from Zhang Zhongjing‘s Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage). The Ben Cao Gang Mu, as an encyclopedia of TCM, should include all medicinal materials. Some materials may be less commonly used or clinically applied, but they have indeed played significant roles in TCM treatment and are worth documenting! This is akin to our nation’s history; some historical events may be unknown, some may be filled with shame, and some may involve ethical dilemmas, but they did happen and should be recorded. I once read in the novel Shi Gong An about using the earwax of adulterers to silence children from revealing infidelities, which also indicates that earwax is indeed a medicinal material! In Mongolian medicine, many herders use cow and horse dung to treat diseases. I remember my neighbor using cow dung and urine to treat his rheumatism when I was a child. In the Shuo Tang Yan Yi (Romance of the Tang Dynasty), when Xue Rengui was injured during his western expedition, Xu Maogong asked Li Shimin to use his beard (the dragon’s beard) in a remedy, which not only showed the royal compassion for the common people but also utilized the medicinal value of the beard, allowing Xue Rengui to recover quickly. In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong asked Zhu Bajie to find the reincarnation wine to cure the king, and Zhu Bajie used the urine of the white dragon horse and the ash scraped from the pot to heal the king. These all involve the use of certain medicinal materials that some ‘clean freaks’ would be reluctant to use.
Commonly used materials in otorhinolaryngology include Ren Zhong Huang (Human Yellow) and Ren Zhong Bai (Human White), while patients with diabetes and kidney deficiency (nephritis, uremia) use Qiu Shi (Autumn Stone). For gynecological issues and bleeding disorders, Xue Yu Tan (Hair Charcoal) is used, and for infertility, Zi He Che (Purple River Vehicle) is applied. For hiccups, the smoke from burnt fingernails is used, and for acute conjunctivitis, washing the eyes with morning urine is recommended. The highly regarded Tong Zi Urine (Child’s Urine) is used for skin whitening, while Ye Ming Sha (Night Bright Sand), Wang Yue Sha (Moon Viewing Sand), and Can Sha (Silkworm Sand) are used for treating night blindness. The famous Shi Xiao San (Lost Laughter Powder) contains Wu Ling Zhi (Five Spirits Fat), and Xian Ren Jiu (Immortal Wine) is used for eye diseases. These are all materials applied by generations of physicians, and even Wu Gu Chong (Fly Larvae) is used for pediatric malnutrition and anorexia, while Tie Jia Jiang Jun (Dung Beetle) is used for treating gastrointestinal accumulation and liver ascites, and Fei Xiang (Cockroach) is used for treating trauma and burns. Jiu Xiang Chong (Fart Bug) is used for stomach pain and impotence caused by spleen and kidney yang deficiency. These clinical experiences cannot be denied!
If you study the Ben Cao Gang Mu earnestly, as long as your heart is pure, what you see in your heart and eyes should only be medicine and medicinal materials. Just as patients used to be unreserved in front of physicians, if your heart is not clean and you only think of filthy things, your heart is inherently dirty. Such a person, if they treat patients, will certainly harbor malicious thoughts and is unworthy of being a physician or learning medicine. This has already been stated in Da Yi Jing Cheng (The Great Physician’s Sincerity), that if one’s intentions are not pure, they should not be taught medical skills. Such people will only bring harm to the world.
When facing the same thing, kind-hearted people harbor good thoughts, while malicious people harbor evil thoughts. The fault lies not in the object before us, but in the heart of the person observing it!
As the country promotes TCM, it is inevitable that TCM will encounter some who are ignorant. When you do not understand, please learn with an open heart, and do not speak recklessly. It is not a problem to be uninformed, but the most frightening thing is to pretend to understand and to incite criticism without comprehension! Sometimes, only through personal experience can one express their opinions. Some opinions should also be expressed humbly; perhaps our personal views are not necessarily the truth. Do not hold your own views as absolute truth, and do not think that everything others say is nonsense! Academic work should be based on actual situations and facts. In the past, the Chinese revolution also borrowed from certain countries, and even some foreigners who did not understand China’s national conditions made decisions, leading to disastrous failures. Ultimately, it was only by choosing Mao Zedong‘s strategic guidelines that we achieved today’s China. Mao Zedong Thought was also disparaged in the past, but the great man ultimately proved through practice what the truth is!
I just want to say, if you have not read the Ben Cao Gang Mu with care, do not casually make statements. If you are not knowledgeable and have not practiced, do not naively speak out. Speaking without knowledge only shows your ignorance! A frog at the bottom of a well should not comment on the wonders of the outside world, and a person peering through a tube should not comment on tigers, leopards, and wolves. A blind person touching an elephant should not criticize the explanations of those with clear sight!