This book is a classic work on traditional Chinese medicine in the late Qing Dynasty. The author Tang Rongchuan discusses the essence, meridian distribution, ascending and descending, smell, generation and effects of traditional Chinese medicine in a question-and-answer format.
The book clarifies that the basis of "discrimination of medicinal properties" lies in "form, color, smell" and "place of origin", pointing out that those who obtain the water of the sky will enter the Qi component more often, and those who obtain the fire of the earth will enter the blood component more. The book uses a large number of examples to explain why medicines such as Poria, Angelicae, Chuanxiong, and Safflower are classified as Qi or Blood, and why grains, dried fruits, animal tendons, and meat have their own profound meanings when used as medicine.
In addition, the author also explains the ascending and descending changes of medicines and the key points of preparation and use from the perspectives of the five elements, directions, mathematics, etc.: For example, the usage of "seedlings", "roots", "nodes", and "buds" of medicines have their own common principles. By counting, you can know the qi, and by counting the qi, you can know the treatment.
This book has clear language and rigorous logic. It is not only applicable to the pharmacy profession, but also convenient for medical personnel and traditional Chinese medicine enthusiasts to understand the original meaning of pharmacology. It is an important work on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine that is both popular and in-depth.
