Secret Records of the Orchid Chamber

Name: Secret Records of the Orchid Chamber
ISBN: 9787513252201

李杲China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine · ChinaOct 2019

4.7

Word count: 158K words
Chapters: 52
ISBN: 9787513252201

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Summary

Lan Shi Mi Cang (Secret Records of the Orchid Chamber). A comprehensive medical work. Three volumes. Written by Li Gao of the Jin dynasty. Date of composition unknown. Probably published around 1276. The title Lan Shi Mi Cang derives from the Huangdi Neijing: Suwen phrase "stored in the orchid chamber," implying that the formulas and discourses it contains are of treasured value. The book comprises 3 volumes and 21 sections, each section containing both discourse and formulas, covering internal medicine, external medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, and other specialties, with internal medicine occupying the largest portion; the book applies the spleen-stomach theory broadly across clinical specialties. Lan Shi Mi Cang contains over 280 formulas in total; although the formulas contain many ingredients, their composition is precise, with sovereign, minister, assistant, and courier roles mutually restraining and mutually employing, in meticulous order. The book will greatly benefit TCM clinicians and teachers and students at TCM colleges in studying Li Dongyuan's theory and raising their clinical and theoretical levels.

Editor's review

Lan Shi Mi Cang (Secret Book of the Orchid Chamber) is a comprehensive medical work by Li Gao of the Jin dynasty, in three volumes and twenty-one sections; its title derives from the Suwen of the Huangdi Neijing, meaning "stored in the orchid chamber." Each section contains both discussions and formulas, covering internal medicine, external medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, ear, nose, and throat, with internal medicine occupying the largest portion, and it applies the spleen-stomach theory broadly across clinical specialties; it contains over 280 formulas, whose ingredients, though numerous, are precisely combined, with sovereign, minister, assistant, and courier roles clearly ordered. For TCM clinicians and students and faculty of TCM colleges, the book's value lies in carrying Dongyuan's doctrine from theory into the formulas and discussions of each specialty, making it easy to observe how spleen-stomach thought unfolds across different diseases and patterns. When reading, one should not treat it as a miscellany of formulas to browse, but should follow the sections to read the correspondence between discussions and formulas and appreciate the thinking behind their composition. This is a collated edition of an ancient medical text, and its terminology and format bear the marks of its era; beginners need some grounding in TCM.

Who it's for

A good fit for

TCM clinicians, for studying Dongyuan's formula discussions and spleen-stomach theory
Students and faculty of TCM colleges, as a reference for formulas and medical discussions across specialties
Readers with some TCM foundation who wish to understand Li Gao's scholarship in depth

Not a good fit for

General readers without TCM background seeking popular science
Western medicine practitioners seeking modern clinical guidelines and evidence-based references
Readers who only want to look up single formulas or remedies and do not wish to read medical discussions

Reading tips

First read the table of contents to grasp the twenty-one-section specialty layout, then choose sections relevant to your own field for close reading.
For each section, read the discussion first and the formulas afterward, comparing sovereign, minister, assistant, and courier to appreciate the precision of their combination.
Read alongside discussions of spleen-stomach theory to understand how Dongyuan's thought is applied in each specialty.
For formulas with many ingredients, note the sovereign, minister, assistant, and courier relationships as you go, to avoid merely memorizing formula names.

About the publisher

China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine China · Founded in 1989

China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on publishing books in traditional Chinese medicine, covering Chinese medical classics, clinical medicine, acupuncture and tuina, materia medica and formulae, and medical history and literature; its catalogue includes 3,277 titles. Representative books include Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue, Shang Han Lun, Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu, Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, Yi Zong Jin Jian, and Guo Aichun's Annotated Huangdi Neijing Suwen (Second Edition). These works involve writings by historical physicians such as Qian Yi, Zhang Zhongjing, Wang Shuhe, and Zhang Xichun, as well as documentary studies compiled by contemporary authors including Zhao Xin, Zhen Xueyan, Zhang Yongtai, and Wang Xiangang. In terms of publishing characteristics, the press emphasizes collation and annotation of original Chinese medical classics and the systematic presentation of famous physicians' works, balancing the transmission of ancient editions with reference for clinical application. Public information is limited, and no other publishing fields are covered here.

版权信息
内容提要
出版者的话
整理说明
序
卷上
饮食劳倦门
饮食所伤论
劳倦所伤论
脾胃虚损论
中满腹胀门
中满腹胀论
诸腹胀大皆属于热论
心腹痞门
胃脘痛门
酒客病论
消渴门
消渴论
眼耳鼻门
诸脉者皆属于目论
内障眼论
卷中
头痛门
头痛论
口齿咽喉门
口齿论
呕吐门
衄血吐血门
腰痛门
妇人门
经闭不行有三论
经漏不止有三论
半产误用寒凉之药论
卷下
大便结燥门
大便结燥论
小便淋闭门
小便淋闭论
痔漏门
痔漏论
阴痿阴汗门
阴痿阴汗及臊臭论
泻痢门
疮疡门
杂病门
自汗门
自汗论
小儿门
治惊论
癍疹论
方剂索引
中医必读经典读书丛本

FAQ

What does the title "Lan Shi Mi Cang" mean?

According to the book's materials, the title derives from the Suwen of the Huangdi Neijing, meaning "stored in the orchid chamber," implying that the formulas and discussions it contains are treasured. Understanding the title helps grasp the book's position as a comprehensive medical work rather than a general compilation of formulas.

Is this book suitable for TCM beginners?

It is not well suited to complete beginners. This is a Jin-dynasty medical text with discussions and formulas presented together and elegant classical terminology, covering internal medicine, external medicine, gynecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, ear, nose, and throat; it requires some foundation in TCM theory and formulas. Students and faculty of TCM colleges or clinicians will read it more smoothly; beginners should use it alongside basic textbooks.

The formulas in the book have many ingredients; how should one approach them in reading?

According to the book's materials, it contains over 280 formulas, whose ingredients, though numerous, are precisely combined, with sovereign, minister, assistant, and courier mutually regulating and employing one another in clear order. When reading, first read each section's discussion, then sort out the sovereign, minister, assistant, and courier relationships formula by formula to appreciate the thinking behind their composition, rather than memorizing ingredients in isolation.

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About the author

李杲 Author

Li Gao is a highly important physician in the history of traditional Chinese medicine. However, public information about his birth and death dates, native place, and educational background is limited, so this page introduces him only through his surviving works. The library holds nine of his works, including Pi Wei Lun (Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach), Lan Shi Mi Cang (Secret Book of the Orchid Chamber), Nei Wai Shang Bian Huo Lun (Treatise on Distinguishing Internal and External Damage), Yi Xue Fa Ming (Clarifying Medicine), and Mai Jue Zhi Zhang Bing Shi Tu Shuo (Illustrated Treatise on Pulse Diagnosis and Patterns of Illness), most of which fall under health, medicine, and classic works. These writings address the rising and falling of spleen and stomach qi, the differentiation of internal damage from external contraction, and the pulse methods of the zang-fu organs. Their arguments are clearly organized and their formulas closely matched to patterns, making them useful for clinical reference as well as for introductory and advanced study of traditional Chinese medical theory. Among them, Pi Wei Lun and Nei Wai Shang Bian Huo Lun circulated especially widely and have had a lasting influence on later physicians' attention to the spleen and stomach and their distinction between internal damage and external contraction. Readers who wish to understand traditional Chinese medicine's approach to pattern differentiation and formula organization may begin with his representative works and then consult the other titles alongside them.