. Compendium of Materia Medica. Illustrated Edition

Author: Wang Guofang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) is a precious scientific legacy in the ancient medical treasury of China, authored by the outstanding Chinese physician Li Shizhen with his life's dedication. With profound scholarship and rich content, it has won acclaim and appreciation from the medical community and other academic circles both domestically and internationally, earning the title of "Ancient Chinese Encyclopedia." It has played a significant role in treating diseases and promoting human health. However, the various versions of Bencao Gangmu that have been passed down have been annotated differently. Some are difficult to read due to archaic language, others contain numerous errors, some are overly complex and lengthy in structure, and others lack clarity in organization, among other reasons. These issues have severely impacted the authority of Bencao Gangmu, making different versions impractical and hindering its better dissemination to contribute more to people's health. This is somewhat of a shortcoming and carries a hint of regret. The newly compiled Compendium of Materia Medica takes the most complete Jinling edition as its basis, strictly selecting the most common and practical herbs for introduction, explaining them from a practical perspective, with the aim of gaining popularity among the general public and serving as a condensed (essence) for daily life. Compared to other versions of Bencao Gangmu, this edition has the following three features:
1. In terms of language, it avoids using obscure classical Chinese and translates it into modern, easy-to-understand language, while discarding some obscure and overly elaborate references, making the language more concise and accessible.
2. In terms of content, it focuses on commonly encountered, () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () () (