Chinese herbology

The Chinese crude drug Qiang-hua was listed as an alias of Du-hua in Shen-nong-ben-cao-jing, an herbal journal written during the Han Dynasty, China. Du-hua and Qiang-hua are recognized as different herbs in China these days; the main botanical origin of Du-hua is Angelica spp. and that of Qiang-hua is Notopterygium spp., of the family Umbelliferae. To make clear the botanical origins of Du-hua and Qiang-hua in ancient China, the authors made a herbological study. The findings were as follows: the name of Qiang-hua was given to the genuine Du-hua, which is produced in Qiang Province, an ancient province located in northwest China; the botanical origin of Qiang-hua is presumed to be Notopterygium incisum Ting ex H...

As we previously reported, ma-huang ([Chinese characters: see text], Ephedrae Herba) has been sometimes used together with mu-zei ([Chinese characters: see text], Equiseti Herba) in medieval China and Japan. We herbologically studied this confusion and found that, in China, the confusion was found in literature in the Song dynasty, and Li Shi-Zhen recorded in Ben-cao-gang-mu that both drugs were morphologically and medicinally the same in the Ming dynasty. Though the main reason why the plant of the genus Equisetum, especially E...

The botanical origin of a Chinese crude drug Ma-huang in ancient China and the origin of Japanese Ma-huang were herbologically studied. The results showed that the plants of Ephedra sinica Stapf, E. intermedia Schrenk & C. A. Meyer and E. equisetina Bunge were used as Ma-huang in China, and the first species was considered to be of high quality. The characters of Mao-zhou Ma-huang and Tong-zhou Ma-huang printed in Tu-jing-ben-cao, published in the Song Dynasty in China, were identified as E. likiangensis Florin and E...

Zhang Cigong's Materia Medica, being compiled by the author after learning and studying exogenous cold disease and herbology for several decades, printed in 1949 with a capacity of 150,000 Chinese characters, is a book of practical and clinical significance, featuring adoration on the theory of cold pathogenic disease, preferential practical use, integration of Chinese and western medicine, pursuit of origin and evolution, discussion on the compatibility of drug application. It emphasizes the application of drugs utilized in Shang han lun (Treatise on Cold Pathogenic Disease) and advocating the ideas of absorbing extensively ancient and modern theories from various schools, especially consulting the pharmacology of Chinese and the west, embodying the author's advocacy of "developing the classical ideas and integrating new knowledge", "overcoming one's weak points by learning from others' strong points and making effort in inheriting and developing the science of traditional Chinese medicine"...

Traditional Chinese herbology uses a system of categorizing clusters of symptoms and signs to differentially assess the presence or absence of syndromes for which effective herbal formulas and methods are known. This system can be useful in detecting and counteracting some of the severe systemic and metabolic imbalances that commonly occur in cases of cancer. Basic theory and terminology is outlined, with comparisons between the empirical concepts of Chinese herbology and their approximate physiological correlates...

The description of "Yinchenhao" in Chinese and Japanese medical and pharmaceutical literature, Bencao, was historically examined.Yinchenhao was consistently considered an indispensable medicine for treating jaundice. It was estimated that in China, a shrubby Artemisia plant just like the Artemisia capillaris, or a related plant, was utilized as Yinchenhao in the Liuchao and Song dynasties. Further, several kinds of. plants, including Artemisia, were used in the Song Dynasty and probably thereafter. Until the Song Dynasty, the leaves and stems of elongated aerial parts of the plants described above were used, while young (non-elongated) shoots on the stems of the previous year, which were called Mianyinchen after the Qing Dynasty, were found to be already utilized in the Ming Dynasty...

By herbological study and investigation, "Dekesha" used by Mongolia doctors mainly contains 17 species from 3 genus of 3 family, but "Dakesha" in Inner Mongolia Standard of Medicinal Materials only contains 2 species which are Oxytropis myriophylla and O. hirta.

This article reports the herbological study of "Beimu" categorical Chinese medicine on the original plants. The result showed that the medicinal "Beimu" before "Weijin" period is "Jia Beimu" (Bolbostemma paniculatum); "Nenbei" daynasty began to used "Zhe Beimu" (Fritillaria thunbergii), but "Jia Beimu" and "Hubei Beimu" (F. hupehensis) occupied an important position continuously; Last phase of "Ming" dynasty began to used the "Zhe Beimu" and "Chuan Beimu" (F. cirrhosa, F. unibracteato, F. przewalskii and F...

In this paper, herbological investigation was carried out into a large of Ben-Cao literature that concerned the origin, clinical use and other relevant aspects of Gegen, from which we can judge that Gegen used in ancient times match to that specified in the present Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

In this paper, herbological investigation was carried out into a large of historical harbal books about Zhimu, Rizoma Anemarrhenae, especially about its orgin, method of preparation. The description in "A Record of Chinese Medica" was partly revise.

Herbological study are given to the original plants of "Zijinniu", "Pingdimu", "Xiaoqing", "Duanjiaosanlang" and "Yiedihong" recorded in the herbal books. The research shows that they are not the same plant with different names. Also, "Yiedihong" doesn't belong to Ardisia.

By herbological study, medicinal plants from Viola used as drugs are first recorded in the book "52 Diseased Preparation". The plants used as drugs in the ancient mainly are V. yedoensis, V. invospicus, V. diffusa, V. verecunda, V. davidii, V. moupinensis and V. patrinii.

The Japanese Pharmacopoeia standardizes a Chinese crude drug "Bou-i" as the woody stem of Sinomenium acutum Rherder et Wilson of the family Menispermaceae. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia writes about the same drug under the name of "Fang-ji". The present herbological studies resulted in learning that the original written character for this drug is in China. The ancient Japanese misread it as "--" because of confusion between "--" and "--" in old Chinese herbals. The reason for changing "--" to "--" in China is presumed to be because the pronunciation of these characters changed in the Yuan dynasty, to "--" from "zi" to "si", and to "--" from "ki" to "tsi...

There used to be confusion since ancient time on both zhen zhus. They are two different materials, different from their original materials, nomenclature and dates of their medicinal application. Based on ancient formularies, the two "zhen zhu" were confusedly used to a great extent. The causes of such confusion lie on their exactly identical Chinese pronunciation and the evolution of the Chinese writing characters; both also share some similar functions; and the confusion as recorded by herbological works of successive ages...

The rhizome of Coptis plant of the family ranunculaceae has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as a crude drug (Huanglian in present Chinese). In Japan, the rhizome of Coptis japonica Makino (the botanical name of which is "Ohren" in modern Japanese) has been utilized as a crude drug since the Nara era. The Japanese name in those days was "Kakumakusa based on descriptions in old books written in the Heian era. It changed to "Kakumikusa" early in the Edo era, and then changed again to Kakumakusa later in the Edo era...

There is certain relation between the development of modern identification of Chinese materia medica and Ben cao tu jing. The purpose of Su Song's compilation of this book and the tasks of modern identification of Chinese materia medica, including the verification of genuineness, superiority of the drugs to ensure their qualities, are quite similar, and quite close in their contents. Suffice it to say that Ben cao tu jing made considerable contribution to modern identification of Chinese drugs, with a role of linking the past with the present...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

This paper is presented in studies on the following subtopics: 1. General history of Chinese pharmacy; 2. Study and systematization of ancient herbological works; 3. History of individual drugs; 4. History of commercial and industrial aspects of Chinese and Western drugs; 5. Unearthed historical materials of pharmacy; 6. History of pharmacy of national minority; 7. Education on pharmacy; 8. History of special subjects in pharmacy; 9. Figures of pharmacy.