Secret Recipes of China

Secret Recipes of China is a compilation of secret and proven folk prescriptions in traditional Chinese medicine, organized and edited by the Henan Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine and published by Henan Science and Technology Press in 1991. Building on its predecessor, A Collection of Secret, Simple and Proven Prescriptions from Henan Province, the editors continued their in-depth inquiries and appeals, gathering tens of thousands of secret, proven and simple prescriptions contributed by TCM practitioners and hereditary medical families across Henan. After careful screening and systematic arrangement, over a thousand prescriptions were finally included, forming a book of about 350 pages. Selection was based on clinical practicality, and most prescriptions are characterized by being simple, convenient, inexpensive and effective—that is, simple in composition, easy to obtain, low in cost and reliable in efficacy. The book is organized by department into seven sections: internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, andrology and surgery. Under each department, entries are arranged by disease, such as colds, cough, asthma, stomach pain, stroke, edema, jaundice, hematuria, cancer and emergency care in internal medicine; irregular menstruation, abnormal uterine bleeding, leukorrhea, threatened miscarriage, postpartum disorders, infertility and menopausal syndrome in gynecology; and carbuncles, eczema, tinea, burns and scalds, traumatic injuries and snakebite in surgery. Each entry generally lists the prescription number and name, ingredients and dosages, preparation and usage, and indications; some entries include commentaries, contraindications or case examples explaining the rationale and clinical experience. As a regional collection of folk empirical prescriptions, the book preserves the original contributions made by Henan's TCM community in the 1980s and provides first-hand material for understanding local experience in TCM formula science. It is suitable for clinical reference and documentary consultation.