Traditional Chinese medicine has a close relationship with the Compendium of Materia Medica for health preservation and treatment. The Compendium of Materia Medica, as a masterpiece of pharmacology written by the Ming Dynasty medical expert Li Shizhen, is not only a culmination of ancient Chinese pharmacology, but also has had a profound impact on traditional Chinese medicine for health preservation and treatment.
Traditional Chinese Medicine’s concept of health preservation and treatment
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) focuses on prevention and focuses on adjusting the balance of yin and yang in the human body. It can strengthen the physique and prevent diseases through dietotherapy, acupuncture and moxibustion, massage and other means. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that the human body is an organic whole, with the five organs, six viscera, meridians, qi, and blood interconnected and influencing each other. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine focuses not only on the disease itself, but also on adjusting the overall state of the human body to achieve the goal of “preventing disease before it occurs”.
The Role of Compendium of Materia Medica in Traditional Chinese Medicine for Health Preservation and Treatment
Provide abundant drug resources:
The Compendium of Materia Medica includes a total of 1892 drugs, including 374 newly added drugs, covering multiple fields such as plants, animals, and minerals. These drugs not only provide rich treatment options for traditional Chinese medicine, but also offer valuable resources for health preservation.
Elaborate on the properties, taste, and efficacy of drugs:
The Compendium of Materia Medica provides a detailed explanation of the nature, taste, meridian tropism, efficacy, and usage of each medication, providing a scientific basis for clinical use in traditional Chinese medicine. Doctors can choose appropriate medication combinations based on the patient’s constitution, condition, and other factors to achieve the best therapeutic effect.
Promote dietary therapy and health preservation:
The Compendium of Materia Medica records many medicinal herbs with therapeutic value, such as ginseng, astragalus, and angelica. These foods not only have medicinal value, but can also be used as part of daily diet to achieve the goal of health preservation and disease treatment through dietary therapy.
Guide the preparation and decoction of traditional Chinese medicine:
The Compendium of Materia Medica also provides a detailed introduction to the processing methods and decoction techniques of traditional Chinese medicine, ensuring that the effective ingredients of the medicine can be fully released and absorbed by the human body. The correct processing and decoction methods are of great significance for improving drug efficacy and reducing side effects.
Specific application examples
Ginseng: Known as the “king of all herbs” in the Compendium of Materia Medica, it has the effects of tonifying vital energy, strengthening the pulse, nourishing the spleen and lungs, generating fluids and nourishing blood, calming the mind and improving intelligence. Suitable for symptoms such as body deficiency, cold limbs, weak pulse, spleen deficiency, insufficient food intake, lung deficiency, wheezing and coughing, fluid injury and thirst, internal heat and thirst, qi and blood deficiency, chronic illness and deficiency, palpitations and insomnia, impotence, and uterine coldness. In traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng is often used to make Tonic Diet or make tea to drink, so as to strengthen the body and improve immunity.
Huangqi: It has the effects of tonifying qi and promoting yang, stabilizing the surface and stopping sweating, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, generating fluids and nourishing blood, promoting stagnation and unblocking rheumatism, supporting toxins and eliminating pus, and healing sores and muscles. Suitable for symptoms such as Qi deficiency and fatigue, insufficient appetite, loose stools, sinking of qi, prolonged diarrhea and prolapse, rectal bleeding and leakage, surface deficiency and sweating, Qi deficiency and edema. Huangqi is also one of the commonly used health preserving herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, often used in combination with drugs such as Codonopsis pilosula and Atractylodes macrocephala to enhance therapeutic effects.
In summary, the Compendium of Materia Medica plays an important role in traditional Chinese medicine’s health preservation and treatment, providing abundant medicinal resources and scientific basis for TCM. By studying and applying the knowledge in the Compendium of Materia Medica, we can better understand the nature, taste, and efficacy of drugs, master the correct medication methods, and achieve the goal of preventing diseases and enhancing physical fitness.
