Shen Nong's Herbal (Colloquial Translation) ((Colloquial Translation with Color Illustrations and Photos, CD-ROM disc one))

Author: Li Shizhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: The Compendium of Materia Medica was written by Li Shizhen, a renowned Ming Dynasty botanist, physician, and naturalist. It is hailed as the "Giant Encyclopaedia of Eastern Pharmacy" and embodies the highest achievements of ancient Chinese medicine. It is an inexhaustible treasure trove of Chinese medical knowledge, often praised as the "Fountainhead of Medicine" and the "Comprehensive Guide to Inquiry." Its content covers an extremely wide range, including biology, chemistry, astronomy, geography, geology, mining, and even history, demonstrating significant contributions in these fields. It can be said to be a globally influential work of natural history. Since its publication, it has stood alone at the pinnacle of ancient Chinese pharmacology, becoming the most extensive and comprehensive masterpiece in the history of Chinese pharmacology. It was once praised by British biologist Charles Darwin as "China's encyclopedia" and has been a must-read for generations of physicians and scholars. To better showcase this culturally representative medical masterpiece and make it more accessible to modern readers, we have specially invited experts from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences to review and select the essence of the classic, presenting this Compendium of Materia Medica (Colloquial Translation) for the readers.
The Compendium of Materia Medica consists of sixteen sections and fifty-two volumes. It includes over 800 single herbs, each listed with its formal name as the gong (main entry) and supplemented with alternative names as the mu (sub-entry) to clarify its origins. Subsequently, annotations, clarifications of doubts, corrections of errors, the four natures and five flavors, main uses, and supplementary formulas are arranged to explain the drug's origin, appearance, properties, and more.