一、录此百种，原以辨明药性，阐发义蕴，使读者深识其所以然，因此悟彼，方药不致
误用，非备品以便查阅也。览者勿以不载常用之药为疑。
一、诸药有独具之性者，则用详解。其兼长可互见者，俱不重出，推类自明。
一、此解亦间有与前之相同者，但彼只释其所当然，而未推测其所以然。知所当然，则
用古之方，能不失古人之意；知所以然，则方可自制，而亦能合古人制方之义也。故此解皆
着其所以然之故，而浅近易晓者则略焉。
一、所解诸药，乃就市中所有，审形辨味，以合经义。至古今土产各殊，或有尚非正义
与尚有遗义者，则俟知者正之。
一、诸药有所出地名，杂以后汉时郡县，陶隐居疑为仲景、元化等所记。是《本经》所
载，
已不皆神农以来所产之地矣。今之所产，又大半非汉时所产之地。欲尽考其实，固无从也，
故不复列而解之。
一、本经所载，一名甚多，因无可解，故亦不列。
一、品第及字样，俱依明重刻宋大观刊唐慎微本所载白字《本经》。考陶隐居本草，有
朱书墨书之别，朱书为《神农本经》，墨书为《名医别录》。开宝间重定印本于《本经》易朱
书为白字，《大观》本遵之。虽未必无传讹，而取其古，犹胜于近刻也。
一、详解只此百种，余亦颇有略为解者，以资人者浅，一概不存。
1. The selection of these one hundred herbs is intended to clarify their medicinal properties and elucidate their underlying principles, enabling readers to deeply understand the rationale behind them. This allows for inference from one case to another, preventing the misuse of prescriptions and drugs; it is not meant to serve as a comprehensive catalog for reference. Readers should not doubt the absence of commonly used herbs.
2. For herbs possessing unique properties, detailed explanations are provided. Herbs with overlapping advantages that can be cross-referenced are not repeated; their nature can be understood through analogy.
3. Some explanations here may overlap with previous texts, but the previous texts only explained "what ought to be" (normative aspects), without exploring "why it is so" (mechanistic principles). Understanding "what ought to be" ensures that when using ancient prescriptions, one does not deviate from the original intent of the ancients; understanding "why it is so" enables the formulation of new prescriptions that align with the principles of ancient formula construction. Therefore, these explanations focus on the rationale, while omitting content that is superficial and easy to understand.
4. The herbs explained herein are based on those available in the market, examining their morphology and distinguishing their flavors to conform to the principles of the classic texts. Regarding differences in geographical origins between ancient and modern times, some descriptions may not reflect orthodox meanings or may contain omissions; these will await correction by knowledgeable scholars.
5. Various herbs have listed places of origin, which include commanderies and counties from the Later Han Dynasty. Tao Hongjing suspected these were recorded by Zhang Zhongjing, Hua Tuo, and others. This indicates that the origins recorded in the *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) do not necessarily reflect locations where herbs were produced since the time of Shennong. Furthermore, current production areas differ largely from those of the Han Dynasty. Since it is impossible to fully verify the historical reality, these details are no longer listed or explained.
6. The *Shennong Bencao Jing* often lists multiple aliases for a single herb. Due to the inability to provide meaningful explanations for all, these are not listed.
7. The classification grades and character forms follow the white-character edition of the *Shennong Bencao Jing* found in the Ming dynasty reprint of the Song Dynasty Daguan era edition compiled by Tang Shenwei. Research into Tao Hongjing’s materia medica reveals a distinction between vermilion ink (red characters) and black ink. Vermilion ink denotes the *Shennong Bencao Jing*, while black ink denotes the *Mingyi Bielu* (Record of Famous Physicians). During the Kaibao era, the reprinted edition changed the vermilion characters of the *Bencao Jing* to white characters, a practice followed by the Daguan edition. Although this may introduce transmission errors, its antiquity makes it superior to recent editions.
8. Detailed explanations are provided only for these one hundred herbs. While other herbs have been briefly explained elsewhere, they are omitted here as their utility to the general reader is limited.