THE ESSENTIALS OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE

THE ESSENTIALS OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE

This book is a companion volume to the Fundamentals of Traditional Chinese Medicine published by the Foreign Languages Press. Its authors are all leading specialists in traditional Chinese medicine. This book is in two parts - the general introduction and separate explanations. The first part briefly summarizes the history and sources of Chinese herbal medicines, the methods of processing them, their properties, pharmacology and rules For clinical practice. The second part mainly introduces, in detail, nearly 200 commonly used Chinese herbs and their prescriptions, and patent drugs. It also explains the provenance, appearance, methods of processing, properties, efficacy, functions, pharmacology and clinical application of the drugs. Containing 180 colored illustrations, this book can play the role of a guide for the application of traditional Chinese drugs.

FOREWORD

Professors: Liu Ganzhong / Xu Qiuping / Wang Tai

This book is written at the request of the Foreign Languages Press, Beijing. It is a supplement to Fundamentals of Traditional Chinese Medicine, previously published by the Press. Under the supervision of three chief authors, the original Chinese version of the book is contributed by Xu Qiuping, Hou Jiayu, Sun Jianning, Pan Siyuan and Hong Ying, professors arid teachers of the Department of Pharmacology of the Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The English translation has been done mainly by Professor Wang Tai, with collaboration of Professor Liu Ganzhong and Mr. Song Yilun. The translation is then checked by foreign experts of the Press, and the work is edited by Mr. Hu Kaimin, the director of the Office for International Book Publication.

Traditional Chinese Materia Medica (TCMM) is an important integral part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The items of TCMM increased steadily through the daily practice of ancient people in their search for food, long before the formation of the theory of TCM. The theory of TCMM was, however, formed under the guidance of TCM theory, gradually becoming sophisticated and comprehensive. TCMM treatment is a very important part of TCM practice.

The practice of TCMM is guided by "bian zheng", or overall analysis of symptoms and signs. Zheng in TCM is very similar to the concept of syndrome in modem medicine. Zheng involves symptoms and signs in a number of internal organs (zang and fu). it involves also yin and yang, exterior and interior, qi and blood, coldness and heat, and warmth and coolness. All these factors should be considered in prescribing TCMM. The classification of TCMM is, therefore, also based on these factors. And for the same reason, TCMM is rarely prescribed as a single drug. They are usually 2-3 drugs in a prescription, or even more than ten drugs.

For the convenience of readers, especially those who have modem medical knowledge, modem research findings concerning the active principles in pharmacological action of TCMM are listed briefly to illustrate the effects, indications and clinical uses of TCMM, as stated in TCM terminology. The illustration is, however, very brief and incomplete due to shortage of space and also lack of more detailed data of TCMM, which contains many chemical compounds difficult to study at the present time. Readers who are interested in more detailed data may consult related publications.

We will be grateful to readers who point out any errors or misleading statements in this work.

We would like to extend our deep gratitude to Professor Shen Liansheng, who has generously provided the illustrations for this book. We also extend our thanks to Professor Wei Luxue for providing English translations of the names of some chemical compounds.