✵Prominent Ancient Herbalists introduces traditional Chinese medicine herbalists who have made outstanding contributions to the study and application of traditional Chinese medicine, and they have been widely known since their time. This section gives an introduction to [15] prominent traditional Chinese medicine herbalists, including their biographies, legends, main books and academic thoughts. They are listed in chronological order, and a total of [39] traditional Chinese medicine works by them are introduced.
Qi Bo, a famous physician during the reign period of Huangdi (year 2698~2589 B.C.). The emperor asked him to taste various kinds of herbs and study medicine and pharmacy. The first and greatest medical work produced in China, the Huangdi Nei Jing, also known as Huangdi's Internal Classic, or Canon of Medicine. It mainly consists of questions and answers between Huangdi and Qi Bo on health.
Hua Tuo
Hua Tuo: a famous surgeon and master of all branches of medicine. He was also a renowned Taoist priest at the end of the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods. He was also known as Hua Fu or Hua Yuan-Hua (year?~203 A.D.) and was a native of Pei Guo Qiao (present-day Bo Town of Anhui.). He is said to have performed many major operations, including the abdominal section with herbal anesthesia, and is believed to have been the first to recommend a therapeutic gymnastic practice known as Wu Qin Xi, or the Frolics of the Five Animals. The book Zhong Zang Jing, or Treasured Classic, was once ascribed to him.
Ge Hong
Ge Hong: a famous physician and a world-renowned alchemist and Taoist priest (year 283~344 A.D.) during the Jin period. He was a native of Dan Yang Ju Rong and is also known as Ge Zhichuan or Bao Pu Zi. He is the author of the Bao Pu Zi, a treatise on alchemy, dietetics and magical practices, and the Zhou Hou Bei Ji Fang, or A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies, which includes many valuable descriptions and records of diseases. Ge Zhichuan is another name of Ge Hong, Bao Pu Zi is an alias of Ge Hong.
Tao Hongjing
Tao Hongjing, a famous Taoist priest who specialised in the study of herbs and was also known as Tao Tongming (year 456~536 A.D.), his alias is Tong Ming, a native of Dan Yang Mo Ling. He was also a renowned Taoist priest during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period, who compiled the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu (7 volumes), also known as Commentary on Sheng Nong's Herbal, one of the most valuable books on materia medica in China. It describes 730 varieties of medicinal substances, including vegetables, animal and mineral medicine. Tao was also the author of the Yang Xing Yan Ming Lu (Books of Nature Cultivation and Life Extending) (2 volumes).
Sun Simiao
Sun Simiao: a prominent physician and famous Taoist priest during the Tang dynasty. He is the author of two important medical works: the Qian Jin Yao Fang (Invaluable Prescriptions) (652 A.D.), a book of a total of 30 volumes; it contains 5,300 recipes and formulas, and the Qian Jin Yi Fang (Supplement to the Invaluable Prescriptions) (682 A.D.), which are considered to be compilations of the medical achievements from before the 7th century.
Wang Bing
Wang Bing, a physician specialising in the art of healing and health preservation, spent twelve years rearranging and revising the Su Wen, or Plain Questions, one of the two component parts of Huangdi's Internal Classic, into 24 volumes, containing notes, commentaries, and supplements.
Sun Yikui
Sun Yikui, also known as Sun WenYuan or Sun DongSu (1520/1522-1619 A.D.), author of the books Chi Shui Xuan Zhu (The Black Pearl of the Red River),Yi Zhi Xu Yu (The Supplement of the Treatment of Fundamental Points) and Sun Wen Yuan Yi An (Case Records of Sun Wenyuan), collected by his sons. In these works, he advocates combining various schools of thought and maintains that a doctor should be conversant with all the theories to master the whole art of healing.
Zhang Jiebin
Zhang Jiebin: also known as Zhang Jingyue, alias Hui Qing, Jiebin is his name, his alternative name is Tong Yi Zi, a famous herbalist of the Ming dynasty. He was especially versed in the Internal Classic and compiled several medical works, including Jing Yue Quan Shu (Jing Yue's Complete Works), Lei Jing (Systematic Compilation of the Internal Classic), Lei Jing Fu Yi, Lei Jing Tu Yi, Zhi Yi Lu.
Zhang Zhongjing.
Zhang Zhongjing: Zhongjing is the alias of Zhang Ji. Zhang Ji is one of the most influential physicians in Chinese history (150~219 A.D.). He was a legendary herbalist and a grand master of herbs in both Chinese and world history. Zhang Ji's great classic, (Shang Han Za Bing Lun), is the first classic medical book which systematically represent and combine "theory, method, recipes and medicine" completely.
Wang Xi
Wang Xi, a talented herbalist, according to some records, was once a commissioner of the Imperial Academy of Medicine in the Jin Dynasty. He is also known as Wang Shuhe. He was a native of Gao Ping and a famous herbalist of the late Han and West Jin periods. He was well versed in pulse-taking and was the author of the Mai Jing, or The Pulse Classic, the earliest comprehensive book on sphygmology to survive till today in China. He perfected and systematised the art of pulse-taking, while also emphasising the use of other disgnostic methods. He rearranged Zhang Zhongjing's Treatise on Cold-induced and Miscellaneous Diseases, thus contributing greatly to the preservation of this important classical works of medicine. Wang Shuhe was a renowned herbalist and master of sphygmology (pulse diagnosis) in ancient China.
Zhen Quan
Zhen Quan: a physician during the Tang Dynasty who was a leading expert in acupuncture. He was also the author of the Zhen Fang, or Needling Prescriptions, and the Ming Tang Ren Xing Tu, or Figures of the Human Body.
Pang Anshi
Pang Anshi: a physician renowned for several of his medical works. The most widely read of these was a detailed and comprehensive treatise on various kinds of fever, titled Shang Han Zong Bing Lun, or General Discourse on Cold-induced Diseases.
Xu Shuwei
Xu Shuwei: a leading physician of the Song dynasty and a follower of Zhang Zhongjing's theory. Based on Zhang Zhongjing's work, he created graphic illustrations of 36 varieties of pulses and propounded the theory of using medicine according to the severity of the disease. Xu was the author of several medical works, the most widely read of which is the Lei Zheng Pu Ji Ben Shi Fang, or Classified Effective Prescriptions for Universal Relief(1132?), a medical work in 10 volumes.
Li Gao
Li Gao: He is also known as Li Mingzhi, or Li Dongyuan (1180~1251 A.D.), a disciple of the herbalist Zhāng Yuánsù. He held the viewpoint that diseases, apart from external changes, were mainly caused by internal injury to the spleen and stomach (i.e. by intemperance in drinking and eating or overwork) and advocated cures involving the regulation of the spleen and the stomach and the nourishment of the original Qi. He is considered to be the founder of the School for Strengthening the Spleen and Stomach, and his masterpiece is the book Pi Wei Lun, or Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach.Li Dongyuan and Li Mingzhi are other names for Li Gao.
Wang Haogu
Wang Haogu: a distinguished physician in the 13th century, he is also known as Wang Jinzhi or Wang Hai-Zang. His chief contribution was the explanation of yin syndromes and the use of warming tonics in the later stages of cold-induced diseases. Five of his publications survive, including the Tang Ye Ben Cao (The Materia Medica of Decoction).
✵Prominent Ancient Herbalists introduces traditional Chinese medicine herbalists who have made outstanding contributions to the study and application of traditional Chinese medicine, and they have been widely known since their time. This section gives an introduction to [15] prominent traditional Chinese medicine herbalists, including their biographies, legends, main books and academic thoughts. They are listed in chronological order, and a total of [39] traditional Chinese medicine works by them are introduced.
Qi Bo, a famous physician during the reign period of Huangdi (year 2698~2589 B.C.). The emperor asked him to taste various kinds of herbs and study medicine and pharmacy. The first and greatest medical work produced in China, the Huangdi Nei Jing, also known as Huangdi's Internal Classic, or Canon of Medicine. It mainly consists of questions and answers between Huangdi and Qi Bo on health.
Hua Tuo: a famous surgeon and master of all branches of medicine. He was also a renowned Taoist priest at the end of the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods. He was also known as Hua Fu or Hua Yuan-Hua (year?~203 A.D.) and was a native of Pei Guo Qiao (present-day Bo Town of Anhui.). He is said to have performed many major operations, including the abdominal section with herbal anesthesia, and is believed to have been the first to recommend a therapeutic gymnastic practice known as Wu Qin Xi, or the Frolics of the Five Animals. The book Zhong Zang Jing, or Treasured Classic, was once ascribed to him.
Ge Hong: a famous physician and a world-renowned alchemist and Taoist priest (year 283~344 A.D.) during the Jin period. He was a native of Dan Yang Ju Rong and is also known as Ge Zhichuan or Bao Pu Zi. He is the author of the Bao Pu Zi, a treatise on alchemy, dietetics and magical practices, and the Zhou Hou Bei Ji Fang, or A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies, which includes many valuable descriptions and records of diseases. Ge Zhichuan is another name of Ge Hong, Bao Pu Zi is an alias of Ge Hong.
Tao Hongjing, a famous Taoist priest who specialised in the study of herbs and was also known as Tao Tongming (year 456~536 A.D.), his alias is Tong Ming, a native of Dan Yang Mo Ling. He was also a renowned Taoist priest during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period, who compiled the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu (7 volumes), also known as Commentary on Sheng Nong's Herbal, one of the most valuable books on materia medica in China. It describes 730 varieties of medicinal substances, including vegetables, animal and mineral medicine. Tao was also the author of the Yang Xing Yan Ming Lu (Books of Nature Cultivation and Life Extending) (2 volumes).
Sun Simiao: a prominent physician and famous Taoist priest during the Tang dynasty. He is the author of two important medical works: the Qian Jin Yao Fang (Invaluable Prescriptions) (652 A.D.), a book of a total of 30 volumes; it contains 5,300 recipes and formulas, and the Qian Jin Yi Fang (Supplement to the Invaluable Prescriptions) (682 A.D.), which are considered to be compilations of the medical achievements from before the 7th century.
Wang Bing, a physician specialising in the art of healing and health preservation, spent twelve years rearranging and revising the Su Wen, or Plain Questions, one of the two component parts of Huangdi's Internal Classic, into 24 volumes, containing notes, commentaries, and supplements.
Sun Yikui, also known as Sun WenYuan or Sun DongSu (1520/1522-1619 A.D.), author of the books Chi Shui Xuan Zhu (The Black Pearl of the Red River),Yi Zhi Xu Yu (The Supplement of the Treatment of Fundamental Points) and Sun Wen Yuan Yi An (Case Records of Sun Wenyuan), collected by his sons. In these works, he advocates combining various schools of thought and maintains that a doctor should be conversant with all the theories to master the whole art of healing.
Zhang Jiebin: also known as Zhang Jingyue, alias Hui Qing, Jiebin is his name, his alternative name is Tong Yi Zi, a famous herbalist of the Ming dynasty. He was especially versed in the Internal Classic and compiled several medical works, including Jing Yue Quan Shu (Jing Yue's Complete Works), Lei Jing (Systematic Compilation of the Internal Classic), Lei Jing Fu Yi, Lei Jing Tu Yi, Zhi Yi Lu.
Zhang Zhongjing: Zhongjing is the alias of Zhang Ji. Zhang Ji is one of the most influential physicians in Chinese history (150~219 A.D.). He was a legendary herbalist and a grand master of herbs in both Chinese and world history. Zhang Ji's great classic, (Shang Han Za Bing Lun), is the first classic medical book which systematically represent and combine "theory, method, recipes and medicine" completely.
Wang Xi, a talented herbalist, according to some records, was once a commissioner of the Imperial Academy of Medicine in the Jin Dynasty. He is also known as Wang Shuhe. He was a native of Gao Ping and a famous herbalist of the late Han and West Jin periods. He was well versed in pulse-taking and was the author of the Mai Jing, or The Pulse Classic, the earliest comprehensive book on sphygmology to survive till today in China. He perfected and systematised the art of pulse-taking, while also emphasising the use of other disgnostic methods. He rearranged Zhang Zhongjing's Treatise on Cold-induced and Miscellaneous Diseases, thus contributing greatly to the preservation of this important classical works of medicine. Wang Shuhe was a renowned herbalist and master of sphygmology (pulse diagnosis) in ancient China.
Zhen Quan: a physician during the Tang Dynasty who was a leading expert in acupuncture. He was also the author of the Zhen Fang, or Needling Prescriptions, and the Ming Tang Ren Xing Tu, or Figures of the Human Body.
Pang Anshi: a physician renowned for several of his medical works. The most widely read of these was a detailed and comprehensive treatise on various kinds of fever, titled Shang Han Zong Bing Lun, or General Discourse on Cold-induced Diseases.
Xu Shuwei: a leading physician of the Song dynasty and a follower of Zhang Zhongjing's theory. Based on Zhang Zhongjing's work, he created graphic illustrations of 36 varieties of pulses and propounded the theory of using medicine according to the severity of the disease. Xu was the author of several medical works, the most widely read of which is the Lei Zheng Pu Ji Ben Shi Fang, or Classified Effective Prescriptions for Universal Relief(1132?), a medical work in 10 volumes.
Li Gao: He is also known as Li Mingzhi, or Li Dongyuan (1180~1251 A.D.), a disciple of the herbalist Zhāng Yuánsù. He held the viewpoint that diseases, apart from external changes, were mainly caused by internal injury to the spleen and stomach (i.e. by intemperance in drinking and eating or overwork) and advocated cures involving the regulation of the spleen and the stomach and the nourishment of the original Qi. He is considered to be the founder of the School for Strengthening the Spleen and Stomach, and his masterpiece is the book Pi Wei Lun, or Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach.Li Dongyuan and Li Mingzhi are other names for Li Gao.
Wang Haogu: a distinguished physician in the 13th century, he is also known as Wang Jinzhi or Wang Hai-Zang. His chief contribution was the explanation of yin syndromes and the use of warming tonics in the later stages of cold-induced diseases. Five of his publications survive, including the Tang Ye Ben Cao (The Materia Medica of Decoction).