Library

(Abridged from the Wuben Tang edition, collated and revised with reference to the Shiben edition)

(I)
Examining Mr. Lan of Yanglin in Southern Yunnan (Dian Nan), he conducted extremely meticulous research on all the spiritual herbs and hundred grasses produced in the Yunnan region. He categorized them, distinguished their properties, drew illustrations, and annotated them into a book collection. Mr. Lan authored many works, but most are fragmented or lost. Those that remain often contain errors due to copying mistakes. For instance, *Dian Nan Ben Cao* (Compendium of Materia Medica of Dian Nan) attached with *Yi Men Lan Yao* (Essentials for Medical Practice), having not been printed previously, had very few copies surviving. Over two hundred years have passed since then, yet much remains lost, which is truly lamentable.
My family possessed some fragments, but due to the passage of time and generational obscurity, they were inevitably damaged or ruined. My eldest brother, Guan Xuan, in the spring of the Guiyou year, sought out old versions among local scholars, cross-referenced them, and personally copied and supplemented the missing parts, thereby making this book complete. However, keeping it private would yield limited benefits; rather, publishing it for the world would bring extensive advantages.
Considering this, I undertook the revision of this work. Thus, I donated a copy of the ancestral manuscript from my home collection for printing and dissemination, so that those who obtain it may read and study it morning and night, broadening their knowledge, hoping thus to avoid errors in medical practice.
Time: Mid-winter month (lunar October) of the early ten days of the Dinghai year of Guangxu [1887]
Junior scholar of the hometown, Guan Jun, wearing official robes and cultural attire, re-edited, wrote the preface, and inscribed the text.

(II)
Historically, records in materia medica vary greatly. Only the work *Dian Nan Ben Cao* (Compendium of Materia Medica of Dian Nan) attached with *Yi Men Lan Yao* (Essentials for Medical Practice), authored by our late fellow townsman and senior scholar Zhi'an, stands out. Its detailed differentiation of herb properties, elucidation of subtle pulse principles, accurate diagnosis of symptoms, and appropriate inclusion of decoction formulas are comprehensive. Its benefit to saving the world is beyond words. Every physician should keep a volume; in serving the people with medicine, what shame could there be? Yuan rejoiced at the donation of the collected edition by his friend Brother Guan, and thus had it printed and circulated. Therefore, I write this preface.
Year: Mid-winter month (lunar October) of the early ten days of the Dinghai year of Guangxu [1887]
Junior scholar of the hometown, Wen Qu Zhou Yuan, respectfully recorded.

(III)
The medicinal products of the Nine Provinces were clarified during the Han and Tang dynasties and became complete in the Song and Yuan dynasties, achieving perfection. Even the materials from the Six Zhao regions recorded in *Ben Cao Gang Mu* (Compendium of Materia Medica) are fully documented. Why wait for this book to appear before the flora of Southern Yunnan becomes renowned? However, the contents of *Ben Cao Gang Mu* are limited, whereas the medicinal plants produced in Southern Yunnan are numerous. If no one were to highlight and elaborate upon them, would they not remain obscure and unpublicized?
Mr. Lan Zhi'an of the Ming Dynasty devoted decades to studying herbs, tasting their sweet, sour, bitter, and pungent flavors, distinguishing their warm, dry, cool, and hot properties, and illustrating the shapes of their branches and leaves. He authored three volumes of *Dian Nan Ben Cao* (Compendium of Materia Medica of Dian Nan) and attached two volumes of *Yi Men Lan Yao* (Essentials for Medical Practice). Thus, every herb and tree in Southern Yunnan contributes to human welfare and achieves immortality through transmission.
Wang Jisan, Master of Wuben Hall, collected and compiled these texts. In the mid-winter of the Dinghai year [1887], he finally obtained a good edition preserved by the Guan brothers (of the "Official Robes and Cultural Attire" lineage) from the ashes of disaster. Not sparing the costs, he re-engraved the blocks. He corrected textual errors, organized the chapters and sections, and after one year, the book was completed. Requesting a few words to serve as a foreword, I am pleased by his sincere intention to benefit things and save people, and appreciate his clear distinction of syntax and calligraphy. Therefore, I willingly write this preface and record the outline as follows.
Five days after Major Snow in the Wuzi year of Guangxu [1888], Li Wenhuan of Diantang, Diancang, composed and inscribed.