Mei Xiyong's Complete Medical Works

Author: Ren Chunrong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-08-01
Features: Miao Xiyong was a renowned physician in the late Ming Dynasty of China. This book collects three of his extant medical works: Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing Xu (30 volumes), Ben Cao Dan Fang (19 volumes), and Xian Xing Zhai Yi Xue Guang Bi Ji (4 volumes). Miao Xiyong, styled Zhongchun, styled Muitai, and styled Juexiu Jushi, was born around 1546 during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty and died in 1627 during the Tianqi era. His ancestral home was Changshu, Jiangsu, but he resided in Changxing, Zhejiang, and later lived in Jintan, Jiangsu, where he was buried on the eastern slope of Yushan in Changshu.
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing Xu consists of 30 volumes and includes over 1,400 medicinal substances. It takes Zheng Lei Ben Cao as its blueprint, with its catalog and arrangement following this work. Volume 1 and Volume 2 are titled "Continued Preface Examples (Upper and Lower)". Volume 1 contains the preface to the Jing Xu and "Continued Preface Examples (Upper)", including 33 medical discussions such as the origin of drug properties, the interplay of drug properties and indications, the errors in drug properties, the essence of seven formulas, the essence of ten drug dosages, the theory of the five zang organs' desires and aversions, an outline of treatment methods, and the differences in drug properties. Volume 2 includes the general rules for avoiding drugs in various diseases and "Continued Preface Examples (Lower)", covering the pathogenesis and drug indications for diseases such as yin-yang, exterior-interior, deficiency-excess, the five zang and six fu organs, the six evils, miscellaneous diseases, gynecology, pediatrics, and external medicine. Volumes 3 to 30 categorize the drugs according to Zheng Lei Ben Cao into ten sections: Jade and Stone, Herbs, Woods, Minerals, Animals, Birds, Insects and Fish, Fruits, Grains and Cereals, and Vegetables. Each drug is described in detail, including its properties, efficacy, Jing Xu, and the interplay and errors of its properties. It reveals the subtle aspects and discusses the profound meanings, reflecting Miao's exceptional expertise in herbal medicine and serving as an important reference for studying pharmaceutical theory and guiding clinical medication.
Ben Cao Dan Fang consists of 19 volumes. It records 199 disease conditions across internal, external, gynecological, and pediatric medicine, listing 4,005 prescriptions and citing over 400 medical works. Each prescription specifies its origin, formulation, drug processing, modifications, and contraindications. The prescriptions in this book are mostly practical and effective ancient and contemporary formulas, single prescriptions, and secret prescriptions, including those Miao Xiyong claimed to have "received secret teachings and understood true methods." It is a highly valuable clinical reference work for prescriptions.
Xian Xing Zhai Yi Xue Guang Bi Ji consists of four volumes. Volumes 1 to 3 compile Miao's insights into the treatment of common diseases in internal, external, gynecological, and pediatric medicine, along with clinical case studies and effective prescriptions. The treatment methods for stroke, the essentials of treating cold damage, the three key methods for hemoptysis, and the sweet-cold nourishing method for tonifying the spleen prominently reflect Miao's academic thought. Volume 4 includes the methods of processing and roasting drugs and the general rules for drug use, documenting the processing methods, contraindications, and the preparation and administration of pills, powders, ointments, and decoctions for 439 commonly used drugs. It is a practical clinical reference book for traditional Chinese medicine.