Materia Medica for Convenient Reading

张秉成Tibet People's Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

3.8

Word count: 80K words
Chapters: 42

Summary

Of the many works on materia medica by celebrated authors, few are truly convenient for the reader. The Dongyuan Drug-Property Rhapsody and the Yunlin Drug-Property Song Formulas are indeed simple, convenient, and easy to read; yet when one examines what organs their drugs enter, what channels they travel, how one substance differs in use between branch and root, and how one name may cover varieties with different suitability, they fall short.

Editor's review

Compiled by the Qing physician Zhang Bingcheng as an introductory materia medica, Bencao Biandu (A Materia Medica for Easy Reading) addresses the long-standing problem that, although famous authors had produced many works on materia medica, few were truly convenient for readers. The author was dissatisfied with handy primers such as Li Dongyuan's Yaoxing Fu (Rhyme on Drug Properties) and Yunlin's Yaoxing Gekuo (Verses on Drug Properties), which, though easy to read, were careless in key matters such as viscera and channel attribution, the different uses of branch and root of the same drug, and different species sharing one name. Hence the title "for easy reading," and a fresh reorganization of knowledge on drug properties. The book presents drugs in concise rhymed verse or itemized form, balancing memorization and comprehension, and focuses on clarifying which viscera each drug enters, which channels it travels, and how different parts and varieties of the same drug differ in effect. This approach lets beginners memorize quickly without misunderstanding drug properties because the verses are too brief. This edition, newly published by Tibet People's Publishing House in 2024, is suitable as a supplementary reader for the introductory stage of Chinese medicine study alongside Yaoxing Fu, and for clinicians to use for quick reference and review before consulting large materia medica works. Readers should keep in mind its "easy reading" positioning: it is a stepping stone for beginners, not a comprehensive pharmacopoeia; for detailed processing, dosage, and contraindications of specific drugs, one should still check more systematic materia medica works.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students at Chinese medicine colleges beginning to study Chinese materia medica who need to build a framework of drug properties quickly
Readers who have already read Yaoxing Fu and want to further understand channel attribution and differences between plant parts
Primary-care Chinese medicine practitioners who use it for daily review of commonly used drug properties
Enthusiasts of Chinese medicine who want a relatively accessible introduction to traditional materia medica knowledge

Not a good fit for

Clinicians who need to look up detailed processing, dosage, and contraindications of drugs
Readers expecting systematic botanical verification and modern pharmacological research
General readers without a Chinese medicine background who only want to look up single-drug folk remedies

Reading tips

Read through the rhymed section once to build an impression, then take notes item by item against channel attribution and indications
For entries on different uses of branch and root or different species under one name, make separate comparison tables to deepen understanding
Read alongside Yaoxing Fu and compare their choices to appreciate the editorial care behind "easy reading"
After finishing, pick ten commonly used drugs and check the details in a large materia medica to test what you have learned

About the publisher

Tibet People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1971

Tibet People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for collating Tibetan and Chinese ancient texts and publishing traditional culture. Judging from the books in its catalogue, its publishing focuses on medicine, Eastern philosophy, classics, and ancient poetry. It offers traditional Chinese medical and health-preserving works such as the Compendium of Materia Medica, Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold, and Principles of Correct Diet, as well as canonical and philosophical texts including the Book of Changes, Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Annotated Edition of the Erya, and Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, along with historical and geographical works such as The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores. Its authors include figures such as Li Shizhen, Sun Simiao, King Wen of Zhou, Zuo Qiuming, Guo Pu, Dong Zhongshu, Hu Sihui, and Ma Huan. The house emphasizes the collation and republication of ancient texts, balancing scholarship and accessibility, and has developed its own strengths in transmitting Tibetan and Chinese cultural classics. Public information is limited, so other publishing details are omitted here.

版权信息
序
草部
草部山草类
草部隰草类
草部蔓草类
草部香草类
草部水草类
草部石草类
草部毒草类
木部
木部乔木类
木部灌木类
木部香木类
木部寓木类
木部竹类
果部
果部果类
谷部
谷部谷类
菜部
菜部菜类
菜部味类
金石部
金石部金石类
土部
土部土类
禽部
禽部禽类
兽部
兽部兽类
鳞介部
鳞介部鳞介类
昆虫部
昆虫部昆虫类
人部
人部人类
水部
水部水类
十八反歌诀
跋一
跋二

FAQ

How is this book different from Yaoxing Fu?

Both aim for simplicity and easy reading, but Yaoxing Fu summarizes drug properties in verse and emphasizes memorization, while Bencao Biandu pays more attention to verifying which viscera and channels each drug enters and to distinguishing different uses of branch and root and different species under one name. It can be seen as an advanced reader that supplements Yaoxing Fu with channel attribution and analysis.

Can I read it directly without a Chinese medicine background?

You can, but there is a certain threshold. The book involves viscera, channels, and drug-property terminology; readers with no foundation may remember the sentences without understanding their meaning. It is better to first learn basic concepts such as yin-yang, viscera, and channel attribution, or read it alongside an introductory textbook.

Can the drug information in the book still be used directly today?

The book reflects traditional materia medica understanding and can serve as a reference for understanding Chinese medicine's approach to prescribing, but it should not be used as a basis for self-medication. For dosage, processing, combinations, and contraindications of specific drugs, consult authoritative pharmacopoeias and current textbooks under the guidance of a qualified physician.

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About the author

张秉成 Author

Zhang Bingcheng's birth and death years, native place, and other biographical details are limited in publicly available sources. His currently verifiable identity rests mainly on his extant medical work Bencao Biandu (A Concise Reader of Materia Medica). This book belongs to the materia medica literature and introduces the properties and uses of medicinal substances in a concise, condensed manner, making them easy to recite and remember. It reflects the author's practical orientation and clear, well-organized writing style. Judging from the surviving work, Zhang Bingcheng focused on organizing and popularizing knowledge of materia medica, striving for brevity so that medicinal properties and indications could be readily grasped; the book thus has reference value for the study of traditional medicine. Because historical sources are scarce, his life experience, scholarly background, and specific influence remain to be further investigated. Readers should understand him in light of the original text and later editions rather than over-speculating about his personal history.