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Chapter 1 of 33
神农本草经
Overall Paraphrase
Shennong Bencao Jing, also known as Shennong Bencao, and abbreviated as Bencao Jing or Benjing, is the earliest extant pharmacological monograph in China. The authorship of the book is unattributable—"Shennong" is merely an assumed name, as the ancients revered legendary sage-kings and attributed the origins of medicine to "Shennong tasting a hundred herbs," thereby lending authority to the classic. The exact date of compilation has long been debated, with some scholars proposing the Warring States period and others the Qin–Han dynasties; no academic consensus has been reached. The original text was lost long ago, and the versions seen today are reconstructions compiled from successive dynasties' materia medica works. This book first appeared in the bibliographic treatise of the Suishu (Book of Sui), and was thereafter recorded in the catalogs of successive dynasties, with volumes ranging from three to eight. The earliest extant compilation is the Shennong Benjing, compiled by Lu Fu of the Ming dynasty in 1616, while the most widely circulated version is the one compiled by Sun Xingyan and Sun Fengyi of the Qing dynasty in 1799.
Sun Xingyan (1753–1818) was a native of Yanghu, Jiangsu, in the Qing dynasty. He became a jinshi (metropolitan graduate) in the fifty-second year of the Qianlong reign (1787) and was well-versed in the classics, history, and philology (xungu), making outstanding contributions to the collation of ancient medical texts. His compiled edition of Shennong Bencao Jing consists of three volumes, recording a total of 365 medicinals—including 252 plant medicinals 🌿, 67 animal medicinals, and 46 mineral medicinals. The entire work classifies medicinals into three grades—upper, middle, and lower—based on their efficacy and safety: the upper grade, comprising 120 medicinals, serves as sovereign medicinals (jun yao), whose function is to "nourish life in accordance with Heaven"; these are mostly non-toxic, tonic substances suitable for prolonged use. The middle grade, also 120 medicinals, serves as minister medicinals (chen yao), whose function is to "nourish the constitution in accordance with Humanity"; these include both toxic and non-toxic substances that require judicious use. The lower grade, with 125 medicinals, serves as assistant and courier medicinals (zuo shi yao), whose function is to "treat disease in accordance with Earth"; most of these are toxic and cannot be taken long-term, being specifically used to dispel pathogens and eliminate disease.
This classic systematically summarizes pharmacological knowledge and medication experience prior to the Qin–Han period, laying the foundation for Chinese materia medica and formulary studies. On the pharmacological level, it established the medicinal-property theory of the four natures (si qi: cold, hot, warm, and cool) and the five flavors (wu wei: sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty), and established the three-grade classification system. On the formulary level, it proposed the seven-relation combination (qi qing he he) theory of drug interaction, the sovereign-minister-assistant-courier principle of formula composition, and recorded basic dosage forms including pills, powders, decoctions, wines/wines, and pastes/ointments. On the clinical level, it reflects the approach of pattern-based medication, covering more than 170 indications. Later generations produced an unending stream of commentaries and supplementary works on the Benjing, giving rise to a vast literature system of materia medica.
Although this introductory passage is not the original text of the Benjing, it reveals several foundational ideas in Chinese medicine:
The philosophical basis of three-grade classification: The division into upper, middle, and lower grades is not merely a simple drug classification; it embodies the ancients' framework of "correspondence between Heaven and humanity"—upper-grade medicinals "correspond to Heaven," middle-grade to "Humanity," and lower-grade to "Earth," mapping drugs to cosmic levels. Upper-grade medicinals nourish life (support the upright), lower-grade medicinals treat disease (dispel pathogens), and middle-grade medicinals mediate and regulate—implying a therapeutic gradient from "treating pre-disease" to "dispelling pathogens without harming the upright."
Four natures and five flavors—the axis of medicinal-property theory: The ancients believed that drugs can treat disease because of their biased nature (pian xing). The four natures (cold, hot, warm, cool) address the body's hot-cold deviations, while the five flavors (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, salty) correspond to the differing needs of the five viscera. This theory was not imagined out of thin air but was the result of long-term empirical generalization from "tasting a hundred herbs."
Sovereign-minister-assistant-courier and seven-relation combination—early wisdom in formula compatibility: The ancients already recognized that individual drugs have limited power and that drug combinations involve complicated relationships of synergy (xiang xu, xiang shi), restraint (xiang wei, xiang sha), and antagonism (xiang wu, xiang fan). The sovereign-minister-assistant-courier principle is, in essence, a mapping of hierarchical governance concepts onto formula structure.
From the standpoint of modern pharmacology, the contributions and limitations of Shennong Bencao Jing coexist:
Validated contributions: A considerable portion of the 365 medicinals remain in common clinical use today, such as licorice (gancao), ginseng (renshen), rhubarb (dahuang), and ephedra (mahuang); their efficacy descriptions, verified through millennia of practice, represent genuine and reliable empirical knowledge. The records of mineral medicinals (such as mercury and sulfur) also reflect an early rudimentary form of chemical understanding. The explicit distinction between "toxic" and "non-toxic" indicates that the ancients already possessed a simple concept of drug safety.
Historical limitations: The assumed authorship of "Shennong" itself reflects the ancient habit of invoking authority to lend weight to doctrines; from a modern academic standpoint, one should distinguish between "classical text" and "historical author." Claims such as "taking upper-grade medicinals long-term lightens the body and prevents aging" carry obvious Daoist-immortal health-cultivation overtones. Modern science does not support the linear reasoning that "prolonged use of tonic substances can extend lifespan"—excessive intake of any substance may create a burden. The framework of "corresponding to Heaven, Humanity, and Earth" belongs to analogical thinking—philosophically elegant but lacking empirical foundation. Furthermore, the three-grade classification, based on efficacy and toxicity, is too crude by today's standards, as it does not address modern pharmacological dimensions such as active ingredients or molecular targets.
Some general life wisdom can be distilled from the pharmacological thought embodied in this classic:
Related Concepts:
Further Reading:
This content is based on classical Chinese medicine texts and is provided solely for the study and appreciation of traditional culture. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, prescription, or treatment advice. If you feel unwell, please consult a qualified healthcare professional promptly.