Li Shizhen and the Compendium of Materia Medica
2 min readThe Pulse Classic
The Pulse Classic was written in the Western Jin Dynasty by Wang Shuhe（210-285），in which he described the pulse positions and methods and established 24 different kinds of pulse.This work allowed future generations to grasp the essence of pulse，as well as understand the different pulse phenomena with every ilness.It is the first book in Chinese medical literature entirely devoted to pulse diagnosis.As such，it is the undeniable and necessary foundation text for anyone seriously interested in understanding the rationale for and method of reading the pulse in Chinese medicine.
Newly Revised Materia Medica
Newly Revised Materia Medica was edited by the government of the Tang Dynasty，and therefore is also known as Materia Medica Tang Edition. It is the oldest extant pharmacopoeia book（an official book listing a catalog of medicines and their uses）in the world.This book included 850 types of medical herbs and their pictures，which further improved the scale of Eastern medicine.
Compendium of Materia Medica
Li Shizhen’s（1518-1593）Compendium of Materia Medica is a treasuretrove of information on Traditional Chinese Medicine，which underlies many of the prescribed treatment regimens.It not only demonstrates how traditional medicine was compiled and formatted but also improves the credibility and scientificvalues of the biological classification of both plants and animals. The compendium corrected many mistakes and false understandings of the nature of herbs and ilness.Li alsoincluded many new herbs and added his own discoveries in certain drugs，their effectiveness and functions，as well as more detailed descriptions of experiments.It also has notes and records on general medical data and medical history.
