Shennong Bencaojing

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Shennong's Classic of the Materia Medica, abbreviated as the Classic of the Materia Medica or Ben Cao Jing, is the earliest extant specialized work on Chinese materia medica and one of the four great classics of traditional Chinese medicine. The book is traditionally attributed to the mythical figure "Shennong" (the Divine Farmer) from antiquity, but was in fact a collective summary of early pharmaceutical knowledge and clinical experience compiled by numerous physicians and pharmacologists during the Qin and Han dynasties. Its publication marked the elevation of ancient Chinese pharmacy from mere empirical accumulation to an independent discipline with a systematic theory.

The entire work records 365 kinds of medicinals, including 252 plant-based medicines, 67 animal-based medicines, and 46 mineral-based medicines. It creatively proposed the "Three-Grade Classification Method," dividing medicinals into upper, middle, and lower grades based on their toxicity and efficacy characteristics. The upper grade contains 120 kinds, designated as "sovereign medicinals," which are non-toxic and primarily serve to nourish life and prolong longevity, such as ginseng and lingzhi mushroom. The middle grade contains 120 kinds, designated as "minister medicinals," which may be non-toxic or toxic and serve to nurture vitality, supplement deficiencies, and treat diseases, such as angelica sinensis and ephedra. The lower grade contains 125 kinds, designated as "assistant and envoy medicinals," which are mostly toxic and specifically used to treat diseases and expel pathogenic factors, such as aconite and rhubarb. This classification method laid the foundation for the development of later Chinese materia medica.

In terms of medicinal theory, Shennong's Classic of the Materia Medica systematically proposed the doctrine of the "Four Qi and Five Flavors." The four qi are cold, hot, warm, and cool; the five flavors are sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty. This theory remains the core of analyzing medicinal properties in traditional Chinese medicine to this day. At the same time, the book also elaborates in detail on the principle of "Seven Emotions in Medicinal Combination," including single action, mutual reinforcement, mutual assistance, mutual fear, mutual aversion, mutual antagonism, and mutual suppression, clarifying which medicinals can enhance efficacy synergistically and which combinations produce toxic side effects, thereby providing extremely important guidelines for safe clinical medication.

Furthermore, the book introduces the "sovereign, minister, assistant, and envoy" principle for formulating prescriptions and provides detailed explanations on the origin of medicinals, collection times, processing methods, authenticity identification, and dosage forms (such as pills, powders, pastes, and decoctions). The publication of Shennong's Classic of the Materia Medica not only established the foundational theoretical system of Chinese materia medica but also exerted a profound influence on the compilation of later monumental pharmaceutical works such as the Compendium of Materia Medica. It is a precious document for understanding the origins of Chinese medicine and the medical achievements of the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, as well as the crystallization of wisdom that has protected the health and reproduction of the Chinese nation for thousands of years.

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