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(1) Those who annotate Materia Medica should first annotate diseases and syndromes. Otherwise, if the disease is not clear, to what purpose are the medicines? Previous authors rarely clarified this principle, merely stating that a certain herb enters a certain meridian to treat a certain disease. Viewed superficially, this appears vague and confused. Only Li Shizhen's *Bencao Gangmu* (Compendium of Materia Medica) collected various schools of thought, attached discussions, and occasionally touched upon the origin of diseases; *Jingshu* (Substantiation of the Classic of Materia Medica) thereby explained herbs while also explaining diseases, supplementing the deficiencies of predecessors and serving as a guide for later learners. This collection inherits and elaborates on these two books, adding revisions, so that herb properties and disease conditions elucidate each other, facilitating practical use. If explanations were provided at every instance, it would be repetitive and tedious, causing reader fatigue and disdain. Therefore, they appear intermittently throughout, or arguments are made based on specific herbs; readers can synthesize and integrate them by observing them collectively.

(2) Regarding the therapeutic indications of drugs, few authors analyze them in detail, while many generalize them. For example, regarding phlegm-resolving herbs, some treat dry-phlegm, others treat damp-phlegm, yet various texts simply summarize them as "resolving phlegm"; regarding headache-relieving herbs, some treat internal-injury headaches, others treat external-constraint headaches, yet texts merely state "treating headache." These are contradictory syndromes and must not be mixed indiscriminately. Taking these two examples, the rest can be inferred. Furthermore, under each herb, only suitable conditions are mentioned, while contraindications are omitted, which constitutes an omission. This collection adds detailed notes on both, hoping to prevent errors.

(3) For each herb, its flavor, shape, and color are distinguished first, followed by the meridians it enters, to clarify its functions. Detailed item-by-item annotation is not feasible within this scope; readers are asked to understand this.

(4) Xu Zhicai stated: Herbs have ten general categories: Xuan (ascending and descending), Tong (unblocking), Bu (tonifying), Xie (draining), Se (astringing), Hua (slippery), Zao (drying), Shi (moistening, i.e., lubricating), Qing (light), and Zhong (heavy). These represent the broad classification of herbs, yet *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) did not mention them, nor did later scholars elaborate. Users of herbs should examine and detail these carefully to avoid omissions. Now, I separately elaborate on these and place them at the beginning of all herbs (These are the "Ten Formulas" or *Shi Ji*. Tao Hongjing added Cold and Heat formulas, which are not fully listed here. However, the Drying formula in this collection corresponds to Tao's Heat formula; the Unblocking formula corresponds to Xu's Drying formula; and the Cold formula is largely contained within the Draining formula).

(5) If the therapeutic indication of an herb has already noted its entry into a specific Zang or Fu organ, it will not restate its entry into specific meridians to avoid redundancy.

(6) For herbs from remote or obscure regions, their authentic geographical origin, shape, and color must be detailed. Familiar and common herbs do not require such detailed notes.

(7) Yin-Yang, ascending-descending, and floating-sinking principles are detailed in the General Principles of Herb Properties; thus, no additional heavy annotations are added under each individual herb.

(8) [Formatting markers indicating sections for: Key therapeutic principles and famous quotes from various authors... Disease indications... Herb names and decoctions... The Ten Formulas at the top...]

(9) Ancient prescriptions are occasionally included among the herbs for ease of application. If a prescription includes both formula and ingredients, a marker is added to the formula name. If there is a formula but no ingredients, the formula name is marked differently.

(10) The order of the herb index follows categorical groupings slightly to facilitate consultation.

(11) Famous sayings of ancient sages are preserved with their authors' names, whether the person is remembered for their words or the words for the person, so that later learners know whom to follow and judgments can be made. Alas, in medical collections, ancient words are often snatched and mixed into one's own work, leaving readers bewildered and unable to distinguish truth from falsehood. Customs change people, and even the wise are not exempt. Worse still, statements from several people are pieced together into articles, lacking coherence and containing semantic inconsistencies. Thus, excellent medical compilations are rare, causing deep sighs. This collection preserves the original names of cited authorities for verification. Some sentences are deleted due to space constraints; some are added or modified for clarity. In cases where statements are recorded without full attribution, it is due to limited library resources and insufficient capacity for exhaustive research. Occasionally, my own opinions are appended with the phrase "Ang An" (Note by Ang), awaiting judgment by contemporary experts. Through extensive searching and distant inquiry, I aim for conceptual integration, selecting essentials and deleting redundancies, ensuring elegant language, hoping to broaden the minds and eyes of the readers.

(12) Although this book is concise, it supplements much that was incomplete in *Gangmu* and *Jingshu*, hence the title "Bei" (Prepared/Complete).

(13) Herbs involve flavor, shape, color, meridians, indications, functions, and contraindications. While *Yaoxing Gefu* (Song of Herb Properties) aids memorization, it is limited by character count and rhyme requirements, preventing comprehensive coverage. This collection uses flexible prose; simple herbs have brief descriptions, complex ones have elaborate text, but all are carefully crafted for recitation.

(14) Reading *Bencao* often induces sleep because annotations under each herb typically list only Zang-Fu organs, meridians, flavors (sweet, sour, bitter, acrid, salty), temperatures (cold, hot, warm, neutral), movements (ascending, descending, floating, sinking), symptoms, and indications. It rarely expounds on the underlying principles, offering little intellectual nourishment. Even *Zhenglei Bencao* versions, though widely collected, suffer from conflicting theories, leaving readers without a standard. This compilation strives to explain therapeutic principles clearly and ensure precise usage guidelines. With clear expression and concise meaning, requiring considerable effort from the author, readers are urged not to overlook it.

(15) This book is not designed solely for the medical community. Diseases occur frequently, and in remote areas, patients may encounter incompetent practitioners whose pulse diagnosis is inaccurate and prescriptions erroneous. Without convenient reference books for comparison, errors are inevitable. Therefore, this compilation was created alongside *Yifang Jijie* (Collection of Medical Prescriptions Explained). Though concise, the content is detailed and clear, easy to carry and read quickly. If everyone keeps a copy handy for emergencies, it serves as a valuable aid to health preservation. Enlightened individuals should not consider my words absurd.

(16) Since my youth, I abandoned the imperial examinations, drifting through changing times. I felt that writing poetry and books failed to please others, serving only to cover pots, unlikely to endure. Yet, living like a beast without contribution, I felt guilty. Thus, exhausting my spirit and energy, I compiled several medical books to benefit daily life. By synthesizing the achievements of various schools and annotating them comprehensively, I hope to honor predecessors and benefit future generations. After my time, if someone loves these books enough to reprint them, they may last long. This is my humble intention in writing.

(17) The structure of this book was inspired by Bo Ling's *Go Four-Stone Spectrum*. Go manuals have existed since Tang and Song dynasties, over a millennium. However, only like Bo Ling's manual, with analysis and variation, does the subtlety of Go reveal itself. Since *Shennong Bencao Jing*, hundreds of families have written on Materia Medica, yet mostly listing flavors and indications without deeper meaning. It requires word-by-word annotation and sentence-by-sentence explanation, clarifying essence and function, to fully realize herbal efficacy. Scholars born millennia later should excel at evaluating predecessors' words, measuring them precisely, extracting marrow and selecting essence, achieving integration without falling into criticism of omission. Therefore, my works on *Neijing*, *Bencao*, *Fangjie*, and *Tangtou* adopt new formats and paths to unveil unfulfilled intentions of past sages and open doors for later learners. I believe they contribute significantly to clarifying medical mysteries. If readers can discern this, they will not have wasted the old man's painstaking efforts!