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Capítulo 2 de 33
神农本草经
Overall Paraphrase
Preface One (Shao Jinhan's Preface)
An ancient saying goes: "If a physician has not [mastered] the three traditions, do not take his medicine." This means: if a physician has not systematically inherited the three great medical traditions of Huangdi's acupuncture, Shennong's materia medica, and Sunü's pulse diagnosis, one should not readily take his medicine. Zheng Xuan interpreted the "three traditions" as prudent preparation and compounding of medicines; Kong Yingda, citing old explanations, indicated that the "three traditions" refer to Huangdi's acupuncture 🩺, Shennong's materia medica 🌿, and Sunü's pulse diagnosis. Zheng Xuan, in his commentary on the Rites of Zhou, also stated that the "five medicines" refer to the five categories of herbs, trees, insects, minerals, and grains. The methods for preparing medicines are preserved in the materia medica texts in the lineage of Shennong and Zi Yi. Kong Yingda, after citing the older explanation, expressed doubt that it was Zheng Xuan's original intent—which is somewhat excessive.
The History of the Han cites materia medica and technical methods, but the Treatise on Literature does not list them; Jia Gongyan cites the Catalog of the Central Collection which contains Zi Yi's Materia Medica Classic in one scroll, without attributing it to Shennong. It was not until the Book of Sui: Treatise on Classics that the Shennong Materia Medica Classic in three scrolls appears, matching the current edition divided into upper, middle, and lower three grades (three-tier drug classification), and it should be a text handed down since the Han dynasty. The Sui Treatise also records materia medica works by Lei Gong, Cai Yong, and others, which are no longer extant. Since the Famous Physicians' Separate Records, successive generations have continually added, deleted, promoted, and demoted entries in materia medica works, sometimes creating confusion. Sun Xingyan (courtesy name Boyuan) and his nephew, based on the black-and-white character text (red characters for original classic text, black for additions by famous physicians) of the Daguan Materia Medica, re-established the Shennong Bencao Jing in three scrolls. They further determined, based on quotations in the Taiping Yulan such as "grows in mountain valleys" and "grows in rivers and marshes," that these were original text, while entries bearing commandery and county names like Yuzhang, Zhuyai, Changshan, and Fenggao were later interpolations. The ancients valued harmonizing yin and yang, manifesting the rhythms of surplus and deficiency, and could "name things upon encountering them" throughout heaven and earth, to fully utilize them—this is precisely what Confucian scholars should ponder carefully.
The preface cites examples from ancient medical discourse: the Huainanzi says "Rehmannia governs bones, licorice governs flesh growth," and also states "Euphorbia removes water, pepperweed relieves distension; if used without moderation, they instead cause disease," emphasizing that although drug properties are effective, improper use can bring harm. The Lunheng and Qianfu Lun also explain: if medicines do not match the true condition, or if identification is inaccurate, illness will worsen progressively. These all belong to the legacy of Shennong's teachings, comprehensible only to those who are erudite and discerning. Later Confucians often slighted the technical schools' writings, or only trusted inferior later theories without examining ancient classics, and even misidentified the names of birds, beasts, plants, and trees recorded in the classics through repeated transmission errors. Should this not call for caution?
Preface One further points out that Wu Pu studied medicine under Hua Tuo and treated diseases with much success, not through any mystical arts, but through diligent research and rigorous comparison. Hence: "One who has not read the books of the three traditions should not have his medicine trusted"—without systematic study of the medical classics of the three traditions, one should not readily believe in his medicines.
Preface Two (Zhang Jiong's Preface)
Confucians may not necessarily become famous through medicine, but those who truly understand medical principles have never surpassed Confucians. During the Spring and Autumn period, the physicians Yi He and Yi Huan were skilled in medicine, also versed in the Book of Changes, and could explain the meaning of "vessel worms"—they were physicians yet truly Confucians. When people discuss medicine, they inevitably first honor Shennong; but if Shennong had not roamed with Taiyi, inheriting what was correct, nor made a red whip to patrol the Five Mountains and Four Rivers, his knowledge would not have been broad; if he had not personally tested myriad things to see whether they could cure disease, his craft would not be divine. If he merely gathered jade, stone, herbs, trees, birds, beasts, fish, insects, grains, and tried them one by one, that would be merely peddler's behavior, unrelated to medicine. Therefore Shennong may be called the great Confucian of antiquity.
The Chongwen Catalogue records a Food Classic in one scroll and a Treatise on the Five Viscera in one scroll, both attributed to Shennong, but they have long been lost; the only surviving work is the Shennong Materia Medica Classic, which has no independent edition. After Tang Shenwei (courtesy name Shenyuan) compiled his work, it was called the Daguan Materia Medica or the Zhenglei Materia Medica. Later authors such as Miao Xiyong and Lu Zhiyi wrote commentaries, but much was speculation and elaboration, obscuring the original meaning instead. Sun Xingyan and his grandnephew Sun Fengqing compiled the Shennong Bencao Jing in three scrolls, consulting Wu Pu and famous physicians' theories, with additions from the Shuowen, Erya, Guangya, Huainanzi, Baopuzi, and other works. They did not include ancient formulas or discuss pulse patterns, yet the meaning of the ancient sage's governance of the world became clear. Confucius said, "Gain more knowledge of birds, beasts, plants, and trees," and also said, "The extension of knowledge lies in the investigation of things." Thus this book is not merely a medical text; it is truly a Confucian book on the investigation of things.
Collation Preface (Sun Xingyan's Preface)
Sun Xingyan meticulously examined the editions: the black-and-white character text transmitted from the Song dynasty is actually Tao Hongjing's hand-copied version; before the Liang dynasty, Shennong, Huangdi, Qibo, Lei Gong, and Bian Que each had their own texts, which Wu Pu had seen, which is why the explanations of drug properties differ among the schools. When later generations compiled them into one work, they retained the red-and-black marginal annotations, so the original text was not confused. He corrected old errors: although materia medica appears in the History of the Han in the Annals of Emperor Ping and the Biography of Lou Hu, the Treatise on Literature lists Shennong Huangdi's Food and Medicine in seven scrolls, which the current edition mistakenly records as "food prohibitions"; Song literati did not investigate this and thus doubted that materia medica was among the texts in the Seven Summaries.
Regarding commandery and county names, Yan Zhitui and Tao Hongjing both pointed out that these were Han-era administrative designations, later additions; ancient editions only state "grows in mountain valleys" or "grows in rivers and marshes." Sun Xingyan collected Wu Pu's surviving fragments to supplement what was missing in the Daguan Materia Medica, and examined drug names, textual errors in transmission, and issues concerning when alcohol appeared. He argued that "upper drugs originate from the upper classic, middle drugs from the middle classic, and lower drugs from the lower classic" represents the ancient division into scrolls, with the introductory section comprising a separate scroll. The difference between a three-scroll and four-scroll edition lies precisely in whether the introduction is included. At the end, he criticized some physicians for adhering to vulgar, conventional books without examining ancient texts, and flatly condemned Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica for "cutting apart old texts and arbitrarily adding refutations." From today's perspective, this criticism carries the scholarly tendency of Qing-era evidential research that revered Han and Tang texts while disparaging Ming works; the Compendium's integrative contributions should be viewed more comprehensively.
"If a physician has not [mastered] the three traditions, do not take his medicine"
This is the core idea repeatedly emphasized throughout these prefaces. It does not simply mean "a doctor must have three generations of lineage," but rather that medicine must be built upon the three major systems of Huangdi's acupuncture, Shennong's materia medica, and Sunü's pulse diagnosis. In other words, the use of medicines must be grounded in the mutual integration of meridians, drug properties, and pulse diagnosis, not merely on scattered experience or folk remedies.
Confucians and physicians share principles; materia medica is the study of investigating things
Preface Two explicitly states: those who truly understand medical principles are Confucians. This is because medicine is not merely technique, but knowledge of the nature of all things in heaven and earth. Shennong's greatness lies not in the act of "tasting a hundred herbs," but in his classification, verification, and synthesis of myriad things—exactly the Confucian realization of "the extension of knowledge lies in the investigation of things." Hence, the Shennong Materia Medica Classic is regarded as a "Confucian book."
Textual criticism and textual stratification
All three prefaces emphasize: the Shennong Materia Medica Classic as seen today is not the work of a single person or era, but the result of centuries of additions. An important criterion for determining original text is: simple archaic phrasing such as "grows in mountain valleys" and "grows in rivers and marshes" represents the original Shennong classic text; while passages bearing administrative place names like Yuzhang, Zhuyai, Changshan, and Fenggao were added by famous physicians after the Han dynasty. Red characters for the original classic, black for additional records—this red-and-black color-coding method demonstrates that ancient scholars already possessed a rudimentary awareness of textual editions.
Drug knowledge emphasizes "moderation" and "authenticity"
The preface cites examples such as "Rehmannia governs bones," "licorice governs flesh growth," "Euphorbia removes water," and "pepperweed relieves distension," showing that the ancients had empirical knowledge of drug effects. But the emphasis falls on "if used without moderation, they instead cause disease" and "if one does not recognize true nature and administers them mixed together, the illness worsens gradually"—meaning though drugs have their functions, one must distinguish authenticity and govern usage with restraint. This reflects that early materia medica already contained an awareness of risk.
Prominent value of textual criticism
Qing scholars such as Sun Xingyan and Shao Jinhan employed methods of compilation and emendation highly similar to modern approaches in philology, textual studies, and paleography. Their techniques—distinguishing original text from additions via red-and-black characters, dating texts through place names, and reconstructing ancient editions through excerpts from encyclopedias—remain fundamental methods in organizing ancient Chinese medical texts.
"Shennong tasting a hundred herbs" is legendary and cannot be treated as historical fact
Modern scholarship generally recognizes that the Shennong Materia Medica Classic was compiled around the Han dynasty, attributed to the legendary Shennong, not written by an ancient sage himself. Sun Xingyan in his preface acknowledges that "in Shennong's era, writing had not yet begun," but, to honor the classics, still tried to show its transmitted lineage. Today, we should more appropriately regard it as the summary and compilation of pharmaceutical knowledge before the Han dynasty, not Shennong's personal authorship.
Ancient drug-property claims are not equivalent to modern pharmacology
Ancient statements like "Rehmannia governs bones" and "licorice governs flesh growth" are early experiential and analogical observations that cannot be directly equated to modern pharmacology's active compounds and mechanisms of action. Modern Chinese medicine research may seek leads from them, but must undergo rigorous experimental verification and clinical studies.
The phrase "prolongs life and lightens the body with long-term use" should be viewed rationally
Preface Two attempts to defend "prolongs life and lightens the body with long-term use" by citing the Hongfan chapter of the Book of Documents on "peace and health being blessings" and the elegance and hymns of the Book of Songs on "longevity of ten thousand years." From a modern perspective, such statements more reflect the ancient longing for longevity than hard evidence. In the editorial opinion, one should not treat "prolonging life" and "lightening the body" in ancient texts as efficacy promises.
The criticism of the Compendium of Materia Medica reflects a particular scholarly school
Sun Xingyan's criticism of Li Shizhen for "arbitrary additions and refutations" stems from the Qing evidential-research school's reverence for antiquity. From the modern intellectual-historical point of view, the Compendium is a magnum opus of synthesis—despite differing in structure from ancient texts—with enormous contributions in drug classification, preservation of materials, and practical summaries. It should not be simply dismissed.
Systematic learning outweighs scattered folk prescriptions
The principle "If a physician has not [mastered] the three traditions, do not take his medicine" inspires modern readers to value complete, systematic study of classical knowledge, rather than memorizing just a few drug names or folk remedies. In daily reading, trace the source and discern truth from falsehood.
"If used without moderation, they instead cause disease" is a universal principle
Whether concerning diet, labor, emotions, or substances from the natural world, the ancients emphasized "measure." This suggests that quiet daily life—through eating and drinking with restraint, and living without excess or fixation—remains essential. Particularly regarding anything claiming to "tonify" or "extend life," one should remain rational and not use in large quantities over long periods without justification.
Know more about plants and creatures; enjoy nature but do not gather medicines yourself
Confucius's "gain more knowledge of birds, beasts, plants, and trees" enriches one's understanding of both nature and traditional pharmaceutical culture. However, enjoying and identifying plants does not authorize self-collection and self-administration; field identification is difficult, and the risks of accidentally employing the wrong species or preparation remain high.
Maintain the holistic health outlook that "peace and health are blessings"
The ancients in the Book of Documents counted peace and health among the five blessings, emphasizing tranquility of mind and body and an orderly life. This approach is far more practically inspirational than simply chasing "long-term use to lighten the body." Regular routine, emotional calm, and dietary moderation are achievable, sustainable principles for daily life.
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Further Reading
This content is based on classical Chinese medical texts and is provided solely for the study of traditional culture; it does not constitute any form of medical diagnosis, medication, or treatment guidance. If you feel unwell, please seek medical attention promptly.