Pharmacopoeia Colloquial Explanation (Second Edition)

Author: Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of TCM Pharmacy
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-03-01
Features: The Pharmacopeia in Rhyme, the original book does not indicate the author, and is estimated to be a work from the Jin and Yuan dynasties. It was originally an introductory text for beginners in TCM learning about traditional Chinese medicine. The book categorizes 248 commonly used herbs into four types based on their properties: cold, hot, warm, and neutral, written in rhyming prose. It is concise, easy to recite, and memorable. Especially, its summary of medicinal properties is insightful. Once memorized, it is beneficial for a lifetime and has been favored by readers across generations, remaining popular to this day. Due to the original book's use of rhyming prose, the language is overly simplistic, making it difficult to grasp deeply. In the 1960s, we compiled and published The Pharmacopeia in Rhyme: A Colloquial Explanation. This book was immediately well-received by readers and has been printed 22 times, consistently ranking among bestsellers for many years. With the development of TCM, the first edition no longer meets the needs of modern readers. Therefore, the Department of TCM Pharmacy at Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine revised the book for a second edition, making its content richer and more practical. In addition to the "Colloquial Explanation," the revised edition includes modern dosage and usage, compatibility applications, supplementary formulas, precautions, and annotations. These annotations elaborate on differences in usage based on variations in medicinal sources, processing methods, pharmacological subtleties, and functional comparisons. By thoroughly studying this book, readers can lay a solid foundation in understanding medicinal properties and benefit from it throughout their lives.