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The origin of Materia Medica (Bencao) dates back to Shennong, when there were only 360 medicinal substances. This was the sage who opened the world, united with Heaven and Earth, truly capable of exploring the essence of creation and exhaustively understanding the principles of all things; every word is precise, unlike later generations who relied on speculation. Therefore, treating diseases according to symptoms yields results as immediate as an echo. The herbs in Zhang Zhongjing's prescriptions are all based on this book. Although the number of medicinal substances was small, their divine variations allowed for the treatment of any disease. Later, the number of drug types increased daily; by Tao Hongjing, it doubled to 720 items. In subsequent generations, it continued to increase day by day. Any rare herbs or exotic products from China or foreign lands, once tested and found effective, were adopted by physicians, resulting in successive compilations. By the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen expanded Tang Shenwei's *Zhenglei Bencao* into the *Bencao Gangmu*, examining differences, distinguishing truth from falsehood, tracing origins, and collecting theories from various schools, thereby making Materia Medica more comprehensive. This explains why the number of medicinal substances grew from few to many. Regarding their functions, these were also known through later trials, so the range of diseases they could treat became broader. However, none are as pure and accurate as the *Shennong Bencao Jing*. Thus, a Song dynasty scholar said: "Using substances from Shennong's era ensures efficacy, whereas those added by Hongjing are less effective, and those added in later generations are largely unreliable." As for interpretations, most were added because ancient formulas used a certain herb for a specific disease, leading to supplementary notes. Or, in ancient formulas treating a disease involving multiple herbs, it was mistakenly assumed that one specific herb was exclusively responsible for treating that disease. Some were even inferred through personal speculation. Occasionally, a disease was cured by chance, not due to the herb's merit, yet its efficacy was forcibly attributed to it. Such accounts are hard to trust. When Zhang Jiegu and Li Dongyuan assigned specific herbs to specific meridians, their reasoning became even more forced; details can be found in the chapter "Treating Diseases Does Not Require Distinguishing Meridians and Zang-Fu Organs." Therefore, when discussing Materia Medica, one must take Shennong as the standard, and other theories should be adopted only after careful selection. One must verify them clinically before believing them. Furthermore, one should examine which herbs were used in ancient formulas; if applicable, they may be adopted, while others should only be used in single-prescription remedies or external treatments. There are also what later generations call "miraculous drugs," originating from deep mountains, remote valleys, or distant lands, unknown in previous eras. When used by later people, they often produce miraculous effects. These are concentrated energies of remote regions and peculiar climates, revealing the mechanisms of Creation over time, capable of curing strange diseases that ancient formulas could not treat. Learned scholars should also be aware of these to broaden their knowledge, which lies beyond the scope of standard Materia Medica.