New Edition with Annotations to the Song Rhymes of Decoctions

Author: Huang Bin
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2001-04-01
Features: The prescription is used to carry the medicine, and the medicine is used to treat diseases. The formula (decoction) is the main weapon for treating diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. A doctor must master many formulas to practice medicine, so medical scholars have regarded memorizing formulaic rhymes as one of the basic skills for clinical practice, which is especially important for beginners. The more skilled a doctor is, the more formulas they master, as only in this way can they be flexible and adaptable. To meet the needs of beginners in memorizing and mastering some common formulas, medical scholars in various dynasties have published popular works such as formulaic rhymes. However, the most influential and widely circulated work is the Formulas Rhyme compiled by Wang Ang in the early Qing Dynasty. Yan Cangshan, in the preface to the Continuation of Formulas Rhyme, evaluates: "Wang's Formulas Rhyme has been popular for a long time, and every beginning medical student used to have a copy, familiarizing themselves with it through rote memorization and mental recall." The Formulas Rhyme collects over three hundred common formulas and has been popular across the country for hundreds of years, remaining timeless and widelyed by later generations. However, due to the limitations of the rhyme structure, the original annotations are generally simple, some of which are not clear enough, and some explanations have become outdated and unsuitable for the development of modern traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, we have made a new compilation and annotation based on the original work, focusing on practicality. We provide in-depth yet easy-to-understand analyses of the composition, compatibility, pharmacological effects, and modifications according to symptoms of the formulas. Additionally, we have supplemented some results of modern research and provided brief annotations for some difficult-to-understand phrases in the rhymes.