Harms and Benefits of Materia Medica

凌奂Tibet People's Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

3.7

Word count: 59K words
Chapters: 63

Summary

The ancients held that there are three ways to achieve immortality: first, cultivating virtue; next, establishing merit; and last, leaving behind words. What sort of person am I to presume to speak rashly? How would I dare boast of virtue or merit? From a young age I was frail and sickly, and wishing to read medical texts, I bought from booksellers a great many medical books left by the monk Yilin of Wuzhen, a skilled physician of my prefecture. From the time of Xuanyuan, Qibo, and the sage Zhongjing down to the commentaries of the various schools of the present day, none were left uncollected, and I came to grasp their essentials. I therefore abandoned the pursuit of the examination studies and studied under my prefecture's Master Wu Gunian, tracing the writings of famous physicians through the ages to their sources, consulting him as occasion arose, reading ten thousand scrolls, and discussing errors and prejudices in my understanding, sometimes from dusk until dawn.

Editor's review

The title Bencao Haili (Herbs: Harms and Benefits) states its central concern: every herb has both benefits and harms, and only by knowing the harms can one make good use of the benefits. The author, Ling Huan, recounts that he was frail and sickly in childhood, devoted himself to studying medical books he had purchased, later studied under teachers and read widely across the masters; his writing is driven by concrete practical questions rather than mere copying of materia medica entries. The book centers on the biases and contraindications of drugs, reminding readers that even seemingly mild properties may still damage healthy qi, and it is helpful for correcting the habit of "remembering only efficacy and ignoring suitability and contraindications." This new edition is cleanly organized and suitable as a corrective reader for studying materia medica; read alongside bencao works that emphasize efficacy descriptions, it gives a more complete understanding of the cautious attitude in traditional drug use.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with basic Chinese materia medica knowledge who want to deepen their understanding of contraindications
TCM learners concerned with drug biases and safe medication
Clinicians using it as a reference on traditional contraindications before prescribing
Readers who enjoy understanding medical books through physicians' scholarly experiences

Not a good fit for

Readers with no TCM foundation encountering materia medica for the first time
Readers seeking modern drug toxicology data
People who only want to quickly look up efficacy entries

Reading tips

Read it alongside efficacy-oriented bencao works such as Bencao Beiyao, comparing the harmful and beneficial sides of the same drug
For each category of drugs, first look at their harms, then consider under which syndromes their benefits can be taken and harms avoided
Group the contraindication entries by syndrome and make your own medication checklist
Combine with the author's account of learning medicine to understand the practical sources behind his cautious attitude

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
心部药队〔补心猛将〕
心部药队〔补心次将〕
心部药队〔泻心猛将〕
心部药队〔泻心次将〕
肝部药队〔补肝猛将〕
肝部药队〔补肝次将〕
肝部药队〔泻肝猛将〕
肝部药队〔泻肝次将〕
肝部药队〔凉肝猛将〕
肝部药队〔凉肝次将〕
肝部药队〔温肝猛将〕
肝部药队〔温肝次将〕
脾部药队〔补脾猛将〕
脾部药队〔泻脾次将〕
脾部药队〔凉脾猛将〕
脾部药队〔凉脾次将〕
脾部药队〔温脾猛将〕
脾部药队〔温脾次将〕
肺部药队〔补肺猛将〕
肺部药队〔补肺次将〕
肺部药队〔泻肺猛将〕
肺部药队〔泻肺次将〕
肺部药队〔凉肺猛将〕
肺部药队〔凉肺次将〕
肺部药队〔温肺猛将〕
肺部药队〔温肺次将〕
肾部药队〔补肾猛将〕
肾部药队〔补肾次将〕
肾部药队〔泻肾猛将〕
肾部药队〔泻肾次将〕
肾部药队〔凉肾猛将〕
肾部药队〔凉肾次将〕
肾部药队〔温肾猛将〕
肾部药队〔温肾次将〕
胃部药队〔补胃猛将〕
胃部药队〔补胃次将〕
胃部药队〔泻胃猛将〕
胃部药队〔泻胃次将〕
胃部药队〔凉胃猛将〕
胃部药队〔凉胃次将〕
胃部药队〔温胃猛将〕
胃部药队〔温胃次将〕
膀胱部药队〔泻膀胱猛将〕
膀胱部药队〔泻膀胱次将〕
膀胱部药队〔凉膀胱猛将〕
膀胱部药队〔凉膀胱次将〕
膀胱部药队〔温膀胱猛将〕
膀胱部药队〔温膀胱次将〕
胆部药队〔补胆猛将〕
胆部药队〔补胆次将〕
胆部药队〔泻胆猛将〕
胆部药队〔泻胆次将〕
胆部药队〔泻大肠次将〕
胆部药队〔凉大肠猛将〕
胆部药队〔温大肠猛将〕
小肠部药队〔补小肠猛将〕
小肠部药队〔泻小肠猛将〕
三焦部药队〔补三焦猛将〕
三焦部药队〔泻三焦猛将〕
三焦部药队〔凉三焦次将〕
三焦部药队〔温三焦次将〕

FAQ

How should "hai li" (harms and benefits) in the title be understood?

It emphasizes that drugs have both benefits and harms, and that harms are often obscured by efficacy descriptions. The author wants readers first to see clearly the damage that drug biases may cause, then to judge under what circumstances to use the benefits and avoid the harms. This approach aligns with the traditional idea that "every medicine has some toxicity"; when reading, focus on analyzing contraindications and conditions of use.

How is this book different from ordinary materia medica books?

Ordinary materia medica books mostly take efficacy and indications as their main thread, while Bencao Haili places drug biases and contraindications in a prominent position, with a clear corrective intent. It is better suited as supplementary reading after one has a foundation, used to check whether one has remembered only efficacy while ignoring the boundaries of use, rather than as a substitute for a systematic introductory materia medica textbook.

Can the content be used directly for self-care?

Not recommended. The book discusses traditional views of contraindications and drug biases and lacks modern dosage standards and individualized assessment. General readers can use it to understand the principle that "medication requires caution," but specific care should still be discussed with a professional physician; in particular, do not take a drug long-term on your own just because the book mentions it.

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About the author

凌奂 Author

Ling Huan: little is known about his life, official career, or dates of birth and death; public sources are limited, and he is known today only through his surviving writings. Two of his works are included here, Bencao Haili and Waike Fangwai Qifang, both classified as medical texts, which shows that his interests covered both materia medica and clinical surgery. Judging from their titles, Bencao Haili examines the harmful and beneficial effects of drugs, emphasizing that prescriptions must take account of a drug's bias and weigh gains against risks; its approach is practical and cautionary. Waike Fangwai Qifang collects surgical formulas, and the phrase fangwai qifang in the title suggests a serious concern with gathering remedies and applying them in practice. On the whole, Ling Huan's writings are practical in orientation, serving the needs of diagnostic prescribing and surgical treatment. Although details of his personal life are hard to verify, these two works still provide a basis for later readers to understand his medical orientation.