🌿 Folk Prescriptions

"Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon," commonly abbreviated as "Inner Canon," originally consisted of 18 volumes. Nine volumes were named "Suwen"; the other nine had no title and were known as "Nine Volumes" or "Needle Canon" during the Han and Jin dynasties, later called "Lingshu" from the Tang dynasty onward. Not the work of a single author or period, most of it was composed during the Warring States period. It emphasizes holistic concepts, stressing that the human body is an integrated whole and closely linked to the natural environment. It uses Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory to explain physiological and pathological phenomena, guiding diagnosis and treatment. It regards the opposition and unity of Yin and Yang as the universal law governing the generation, development, and transformation of all things in the universe. In normal conditions, the human body maintains Yin-Yang balance; disruption of this balance leads to illness. It emphasizes the impact of mental and social factors on health and disease prevention, opposing superstition and belief in gods. It comprehensively summarizes medical achievements before the Qin and Han dynasties, marking the stage of theoretical summation in Chinese medicine. The text holds a high status in Chinese medicine; every succeeding generation of accomplished physicians has valued it. Portions have been translated into Japanese, English, German, French, and other languages, significantly influencing global medical development.
"Shennong Bencao Jing," also known as "Shennong Herbal," abbreviated as "Bencao Jing" or "Jing," was not written by a single person or in a single era—"Shennong" is a pseudonym. Through continuous collection and organization of pharmacological materials by Warring States and Han Dynasty physicians, it was finally compiled. Divided into an introduction (or "Preface") of one volume and the main text of three volumes, it lists 365 medicinal substances: 252 plant-based, 67 animal-based, and 46 mineral-based. It covers about 170 diseases, including internal, external, gynecological, and pediatric conditions. Based on functions and toxicity, it classifies drugs into three grades: superior, middle, and inferior—this was the earliest classification method in Chinese pharmacology. As the oldest existing pharmacological classic in China, most of its listed substances are still in use today, with their effects confirmed by long-term clinical practice and modern science. Its theoretical principles and prescribing guidelines are mostly accurate and scientifically valuable. It laid the foundation for ancient Chinese pharmacology and profoundly influenced later developments. It remains a key reference for studying traditional Chinese medicine.
"Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases," also known as "Treatise on Sudden and Miscellaneous Diseases," authored by Zhang Zhongjing at the end of the Han Dynasty. It summarizes the four diagnostic methods, eight principles, and eight therapeutic approaches of traditional Chinese medicine, establishing the principle of syndrome differentiation and treatment. It treats internal diseases based on zang-fu organs, also covering gynecological and surgical conditions, recording over 40 diseases with precise discussions on etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment. It includes 269 formulas, broadly covering common prescriptions across clinical specialties. It demands high standards for the sovereign-minister-assistant-attendant roles in formulas and modifications, with over ten dosage forms already in use, accumulating rich practical experience and systematic theoretical knowledge in formulary studies. This book is one of the most influential works in Chinese medical history. Nearly 500 scholars explored it, leaving nearly a thousand specialized monographs and treatises, forming a unique "Cold Damage School." Since the Tang and Song dynasties, its influence extended overseas.
"Supplement to the Thousand Gold Remedies," compiled by Sun Simiao in 682 AD, was created to complement his "Thousand Gold Remedies." The opening section, "Medicine Catalog," compiles over 800 medicinal substances, detailing their properties, tastes, and indications, including many new or foreign drugs not recorded before the Tang Dynasty. It expands on the diagnosis and treatment of internal and external diseases beyond the "Thousand Gold Remedies," incorporating secret formulas preserved by contemporary physicians, including over 2,000 ancient formulas not found in the "Thousand Gold Remedies." It has been printed or photocopied nearly 20 times in China and has multiple editions in Japan.
"Illustrated Manual of Acupuncture Points on Copper Figures," also known as "Newly Cast Copper Figures Illustrated Manual of Acupuncture Points," abbreviated as "Copper Figure Manual" or "Copper Figure." Compiled by Wang Weiyi of the Song Dynasty, published in 1026 AD, and engraved on stone in the Renji Hall of Xiangguo Temple. Based on the acupuncture copper figure model created by the author, it corrected and standardized the course, symptoms, and acupoint locations of the hand and foot yin-yang meridians and the du and ren vessels, referencing various schools of thought. It includes diagrams of acupoints. This book summarized the major achievements of acupuncture and point studies before the Northern Song Dynasty, widely circulated, and played a significant role in advancing acupuncture studies. Photocopies were published after 1949.
"Compendium of Materia Medica," compiled by Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty in 1578 AD, first published in 1593 AD. It documents 1,892 medicinal substances, including 1,094 plant-based and others derived from minerals and other sources. Among them, Li Shizhen added 374 new substances. The book includes 1,109 illustrations of drugs and 11,096 formulas, with about 8,000 collected or formulated by Li himself. Each substance is categorized under sections such as nomenclature, compilation, correction, processing, taste, indication, insight, and supplementary formulas. It rectified numerous errors in previous materia medica, synthesized vast scientific data, and proposed a remarkably scientific classification method. Particularly, it arranged animal drugs in order from "least valuable to most valuable," documenting important information on animal adaptation to environments, indicating Li Shizhen’s awareness of biological evolution. The book was printed dozens of times in China, promoting research in materia medica and biology, and exerting great influence worldwide, with partial or complete translations into English, French, German, Japanese, and other languages. Some of its data directly influenced Darwin’s theory of evolution.
"Treatise on Warm Diseases," compiled from lectures by Ye Gui of the Qing Dynasty, organized by his disciples Gu Jingwen and others. Known as "On External Warm Diseases" in "Continuation of Clinical Guidelines," and "Chapter on External Warm Diseases by Ye Xiangyan" in "Chronicles of Warm Diseases," it is titled "Ye Tianshi’s Treatise on Warm Diseases" in "The Hammer of Medical Doors." It elucidates the occurrence and progression of warm diseases, summarizing the principle: "Warm pathogens attack from above, first affecting the upper body, then potentially progressing to the heart-pouch." It proposes four stages of warm disease development: Wei (Defensive), Qi (Nutritive), Ying (Nutritive), and Xue (Blood), representing four levels of disease severity from superficial to deep. It details the significance of tongue diagnosis, tooth examination, and identifying spots and rashes. It played a pivotal role in advancing warm disease theory, serving as a bridge between past and present. Multiple editions exist.