Classical classics of Chinese medicine
1 min readShen Nong’s Herbal Classic
Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic，which was first compiled sometime during the end of the Western Han Dynasty，lists various medicinal herbs by grade and rarity.The book recorded 365 types of medicine，some of which is still used in contemporary clinics，and also set up a beginning of the establishment of Eastern medicine.
The Classic of Difficulties
The full title of The Classic of Difficulties is The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Eightyone Difficulties. The old writing was created by Bian Que（Qin Yueren），one of the most legendary doctors in history.Completed before the Eastern HanDynasty，the book summed up 81 questions on TCM theory and provided explanation to TCM concepts.
Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases
Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases，which gave a detailed account of how to diagnose and treat various diseases and helped the development of clinical medicine many centuries later，was written by Zhang Zhongjing in the Eastern Han Dynasty.Assimilating from previous medicinal literature and collecting many prescriptions elsewhere，Zhang wrote this medical masterpiece.Unfortunately，shortly after its publication，the book was lost during wartime.However，some scholars and experts found its surviving parts in the Western Jin Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty.They were compiled into two books：Treatise on Cold Pathogenic Diseases and Essentials from the Golden Cabinet.
